The Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) is accepting photos to be considered for inclusion in an exhibition at United Nations headquarters in New York City. The exhibit, 'Co-operatives: The power to act for a sustainable future', will be on display from 4-20 July in celebration of the 2016 International Day of Co-operatives (IDC).
In September 2015, the UN Member States adopted a 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, containing a set of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In paragraphs 41 and 67 of the outcome document, co-operatives are acknowledged within the private sector as important actors in implementing the Agenda. Co-operatives are similarly mentioned in paragraphs 13, 35 and 39 of the Financing for Development outcome document adopted in August 2015.
Given this unprecedented recognition of co-operatives in UN development policy, COPAC, as organisers of the UN celebration of the annual IDC, is hosting the photo exhibition to support the engagement of co-operatives in the implementation of the SDGs by promoting their contributions.
Eligible photos for consideration will visually depict how cooperative enterprises and/or the act of cooperation contribute to the following themes:
- Eradicating poverty,
- Ending hunger,
- Securing livelihoods, offering decent work, and creating sustainable employment,
- Improving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls,
- Improving food security and building a sustainable food system,
- Fostering the development of rural communities and economic opportunities for smallholder producers,
- Protecting the environment and combating climate change,
- Engaging as partners with communities, policymakers, and UN agencies to achieve sustainable development, and
- Other themes expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals.
COPAC will select 8-10 photos among those received. Successful applicants will be credited for use of their photo in the exhibition, which will be visited by the thousands of visitors to the UN.
The deadline for submitting photos is 31st March 2016.
Learn more about the guidelines and how to submit in the call for photos.
