Cooperation Day in Iran Date in the current year: September 4, 2024

According to the definition given by the International Cooperative Alliance, a cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. In market economies, cooperatives are one of the three main forms of enterprise, alongside private and state enterprises.

The Act on the Cooperative Sector of the Islamic Republic of Iran was adopted in 1991 to regulate the cooperative sector of the country’s economy. According to the Act, the Ministry of Cooperatives was established. In 2011, it merged with two other ministries to form the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare. The Ministry is responsible for overseeing cooperative business and social security, as well as regulating and implementing policies applicable to social and labor affairs.

In Iran, cooperatives are currently operating in sectors such as agriculture, real estate, carpet weaving and other traditional crafts, lending and credit, transport, and service sector. Cooperation Day was instituted to emphasize the importance of the cooperative sector for the development of the country’s economy.