It was on this day that International Co-operative Alliance was founded and held its first meeting in London. Since then it has emerged as the focal point of the cooperative movement worldwide.
It was founded in 1895 to unite, represent and serve co-operatives worldwide. The Alliance maintains the internationally recognized definition of a co-operative in the Statement on the Co-operative Identity.
The ICA represents 292 co-operative federations and organizations in 95 countries. The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) is kind of a co-operative federation or a co-operative union representing co-operatives and the co-operative movement worldwide.
The Alliance provides a global voice and forum for knowledge, expertise and co-ordinated action for and about co-operatives. The members of the Alliance are international and national co-operative organizations from all sectors of the economy, including agriculture, banking, consumer, fisheries, health, housing, insurance, and workers.
It represents close to one billion individuals worldwide. Around one hundred million people work for co-operatives globally. Co-operatives are successful valuebased businesses owned by their members. Whether they are customers, employees or residents, the members get an equal say in business and share of profits.
In December 2009, the United Nations declared 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives.The ICA is celebrating 2016 as the year of sustainable development.