International Day of Cooperatives : Ceremony to mark 103rd anniversary held in Nay Pyi Taw

Union Minister for Cooperatives and Rural Development U Hla Moe attended the 103rd International Day of Cooperatives celebration held on Saturday at the Central Cooperative Society in Yangon. In his speech, the Union Minister highlighted the global significance of the cooperative movement, which was founded in 1895 in London and now includes over 1 billion members across 105 countries.

He noted that cooperatives help promote economic development, social unity, environmental protection, food security, and decent job opportunities. The top 300 global cooperatives have a total turnover of over 2.4 trillion US Dollar and provide employment for more than 10% of the world’s population.

The Union Minister stressed Myanmar’s commitment to revitalizing its cooperative sector through updated policies and action plans under the newly restructured Ministry. To date, over 38,000 cooperatives have been formed across various sectors, including agriculture, livestock, and production.

Vocational training centers for cooperative accounting have been launched in five cities since the 2022–2023 academic year to enhance job opportunities. The Union Minister called for all stakeholders to strengthen and promote the cooperative spirit for long-term regional development.

The event included a reading of the message from International Co-operative Alliance - ICA, screening of a cooperative activities video, and distribution of state-funded agricultural and economic development support packages to regional cooperative leaders. This year’s theme for the International Day of Cooperatives is “Cooperatives: Driving Inclusive and Sustainable Solutions for a Better World”.