President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has by Proclamation declared Saturday, July 1^st, 2017, as “International Cooperative Day”, to be observed throughout the country as a “Working Holiday”.

Liberia, being one of the founding members and signatories of the Charter of the United Nations, will join member countries to commemorate the day under the theme: “Inclusion”.  

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Liberian leader has called upon all ministries, agencies, labor unions, civil society organizations, students, youths and women groups to join the Cooperative Development Agency to initiate and execute programs befitting the observance of the day.

The objective of the day is to increase awareness about cooperatives at the national level as well as strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other supporting organizations, including governments.

Cooperatives continue to play important roles in economic and social development which are vital to create new ethics and sustain values in business and cultural development.

The General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the first Saturday of July each year as “International Day of cooperatives”, marking the centenary of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA).