The Mass Bay Co-op Faire is held in conjunction with the International Day for Cooperatives, co-sponsored annually by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in Geneva and the United Nations. 2012 is also the UN and Congress Declared International Year of the Co-operative. Quoting from the UN Declaration,
Governments, heads of international organizations and representatives of cooperative organizations will meet … at United Nations headquarters to launch the International Year of Cooperatives (2012) under the theme “Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World.” Programmes during the Year seek to encourage individuals, communities and governments to recognize the agency of cooperatives in contributing to sustainable socio-economic development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Cooperatives are business enterprises owned and controlled by the members that they serve. Their member-driven nature differentiates them other forms of business into taking decisions balanced by the pursuit of profit with the needs and interests of members and their communities.
History shows that the periods of greatest growth for co-ops come when the economy is emerging from recession. As people get back on their feet, they work to organize different ways of building economic organizations that will not replicate previous mistakes.
For background on the International Day for Cooperatives, see www.ica.coop — on the UN International Year of Cooperatives, see http://social.un.org/coopsyear/.
