Action areas
Protecting the environment
One of the principles to which all co-operatives subscribe is ‘concern for community’, which means that co-operatives run businesses that make the well-being of the natural world a priority. Before CSR was a standard corporate practice, co-operatives were exploring ways to reduce their carbon footprint and make their communities more sustainably minded. Co-operatives are therefore important partners to achieve environmental sustainability by 2030. How co-operatives can contribute to the SDGs related to environmental protection:
Suggested pledges
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Improving access to basic goods and services
People unite to form co-operatives in order to meet their economic, social and cultural needs. These needs are often related to access: to shelter, to energy, to water, to markets, to decent work, to financial services or to fresh and quality food, to name only a few. By creating access to basic goods and services, co-operatives fill a void in the communities in which they operate. The role of co-operatives in improving access is particularly vital in rural areas and to the 2030 vision of leaving no one behind. How co-operatives can contribute to the SDGs related to improved access:
Suggested pledges
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Building a more sustainable food system
Is your co-operative active in the food and agriculture sector? Thanks to the support of the [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)](http://www.fao.org/partnerships/cooperatives/en/), we have a dedicated space for co-operatives in this sector to explore their potential contributions to the SDGs and commit to action. Food and agriculture co-operatives have a particular role to play in eradicating hunger, improving food security and securing the livelihoods of rural people. They are the most common form of co-operative and represent a substantial portion of the global co-operative economy. Co-operatives help small agricultural producers solve the numerous challenges that confront them as individuals. These challenges include access to markets, to information about food prices and market trends, to high-quality inputs (equipment, seeds, fertilizer), to loans to purchase these inputs and to transport, storage and other infrastructure. Co-operatives in the food and agriculture sector also impact their communities by serving as a platform for producers to participate in policy processes, diversifying the food supply and increase local producers’ influence through the power of the collective. Given these important benefits, co-operatives have much to contribute to a more sustainable food system. How co-operatives can contribute to the SDGs related to food and agriculture:
Suggested pledges
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
Eradicating poverty
Poverty alleviation was the origin of the co-operative idea, and remains the driving force for co-operative initiatives in many parts of the world. Co-operatives mobilize self-help mechanisms that simultaneously create opportunities, extend protection and facilitate empowerment. These three elements, opportunity, protection and empowerment, are seen as the essential ingredients of any poverty reduction strategy. Co-operatives can reduce poverty in situations where the state and individuals fail. How co-operatives can contribute to the SDGs related to poverty reduction:
Suggested pledges
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development