Building a Better World Together: Cooperative Contributions to the SDGs is a policy brief series developed in support of the UN International Year of Cooperatives 2025 to highlight how cooperatives advance sustainable development by strengthening resilience, promoting inclusion, and supporting people and communities through collective action. The SDG 13 brief, Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, demonstrates how cooperatives contribute to climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience-building across diverse economic sectors.
Drawing from a wide range of cooperative models — including agricultural, energy, worker, financial, housing, and environmental cooperatives — the brief presents real-world examples from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. These cases illustrate how cooperatives support climate-resilient livelihoods, promote sustainable production and consumption, expand access to renewable energy, and enable communities to collectively manage natural resources while responding to climate shocks and environmental degradation.
Produced by the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), this brief affirms that cooperatives are essential partners in achieving climate action under SDG 13, supporting a just transition and community-led solutions during the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives and beyond.
The policy brief is available for download in English, French, and Spanish.