Message on the International Day of Cooperatives

国际合作社日致辞

 

2 July 2016

2016年7月2日

 

Cooperative endeavour is about empowerment, inclusion and sustainability. It is designed to uphold the principles of equality and democratic participation. It embodies the principle of the Sustainable Development Goals that no-one should be left behind.

 

合作社运动致力于提高权能、促进包容、增强可持续性。其宗旨是实现平等和民主参与的原则。它体现了可持续发展目标所秉持的“不让任何一个人掉队”的原则。

 

Cooperatives play an important role in many societies. The United Nations estimates that one person in every six is either a member or a client of a cooperative. Worldwide, some 2.6 million cooperatives employ 12.6 million people. Their assets are worth about US$20 trillion and they generate about US$3 trillion in annual revenue. 

 

合作社在许多国家发挥重要的社会作用。据联合国估计，每6人中便有1人是合作社的成员或客户。全世界大约有260万个合作社，雇用人数达1260万。其资产值约计20万亿美元，年收入约达3万亿美元。

 

Like the SDGs themselves, cooperatives are people-centred. Owned and run by their members, cooperatives are strongly committed to the communities they serve. Agricultural cooperatives help to improve the productivity of small producers by facilitating access to markets, credit, insurance and technology. Social cooperatives can provide an important safety net in the face of declining or minimal public welfare. 

 

合作社与可持续发展目标一样，也是以人为本。合作社由成员拥有和经营，坚定致力于为所服务群体作出贡献。农业合作社协助小生产者拓展市场，获取信贷、保险、技术，从而增强生产力。在公共福利下降或严重不足的情况下，社会合作社可提供重要的安全网。

 

In the financial sector, cooperatives serve more than 857 million people, including tens of millions of people who live in poverty. Since the 2007-2008 global financial and economic crisis, financial cooperatives have proven their strength and value. They have maintained good credit ratings, increased their assets and turnover, and experienced growth in membership and customer base.

 

金融部门合作社的服务对象超过8.57亿人，其中包括数千万穷人。自2007—2008年全球金融和经济危机发生以来，金融合作社的实力和价值已得到证明。它们的信用评级保持良好，资产和营业额有所上升，成员和客户人数有所增加。

 

With their offer of economic, social and environmental resilience, the potential contribution of cooperatives to sustainable development is clear. This year, we celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives under the theme: “Cooperatives: The power to act for a sustainable future”. We believe cooperatives can make significant contributions to the SDGs on employment, poverty, hunger, and equality.

 

鉴于合作社能增强经济、社会、环境方面的应变力，其为可持续发展作出贡献的潜力是显而易见的。我们今年庆祝国际合作社日活动的主题是：“合作社：建设可持续未来的生力军”。我们相信，合作社能够为实现解决就业、贫穷、饥饿、平等这些问题的可持续发展目标做出重大贡献。

 

On this International Day of Cooperatives, I urge Governments to create an enabling environment for cooperatives to thrive and grow. Let us harness the power of cooperatives to achieve the SDGs and create a world of dignity and opportunity for all.

 

值此国际合作社日，我敦促各国政府创造有利于合作社蓬勃发展的环境。让我们借助合作社这支生力军，为实现可持续发展目标、创建人人都有尊严和机会的世界而奋斗。