One billion smiles

Saturday is the international day of co-operatives, neatly closing our 2012 Co-operatives Fortnight.

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, has issued this effusive official communique in celebration of co-operative business around the world, with their our one billion members.

Within this, he says “cooperatives empower their members and strengthen communities. They promote food security and enhance opportunities for small agricultural producers. They are better tuned to local needs and better positioned to serve as engines of local growth. By pooling resources, they improve access to information, finance and technology. And their underlying values of self-help, equality and solidarity offer a compass in challenging economic times.”

So smile, along with one billion other people, this weekend.