First world map of cooperative cultural heritage sites unveiled

New Delhi : Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) Ltd., a century old labour co-operative in Kerala, India, has been announced as a ‘Global Cooperative Cultural Heritage Site’ by International Co-operative Alliance. It was announced in a ceremony in the Itamaraty Palace in Brasília, headquarters of Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an architectural masterpiece by Oscar Niemeyer. The ULCCS, along with the Dr. Verghese Kurien Museum of Amul in Anand, Gujarat, is included as one among the 31 sites of global significance to the cooperative movement, of which 7 are from Asia.

ICA officially launched the Cooperative Cultural Heritage Platform along with the first World Map of cooperative cultural heritage sites illustrating how cooperation has shaped culture, education and livelihoods across generations. The new platform is an initiative in safeguarding and celebrating the cooperative movement’s living cultural legacy. The page https://www.culturalheritage.coop/aboutTangiblePage/ulccs-india on the platform introduces ULCCS.

The announcement Ceremony:

“Cooperatives are not only enterprises; they are bearers of culture, history, and identity,” said Ariel Guarco, President of the ICA. “With this global map, we celebrate cooperation as humanity’s shared heritage, linking people and communities through solidarity and self-help.”

The inaugural 2025 edition highlights 31 founding heritage sites from 25 countries across all regions, from the birthplace of modern cooperation in Rochdale (UK) and the Monumento ao Cooperativismo in Nova Petrópolis (Brazil) to the Federation of Southern Cooperatives (USA), Moshi Co-operative University (Tanzania), and the ILO Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (Switzerland). The map was built together with ICA Members the Organisation of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB) and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) of India, through close collaboration with the ICA Global Office.

“These sites are living classrooms of solidarity,” said Márcio Lopes de Freitas, President of OCB. “They show that cooperation is both history and horizon a cultural force that continues to build fairer societies.”

“I am delighted to share that NCDC has partnered on the technical front in developing this global platform and website, contributing to the documentation and showcase of the timeless legacy of cooperation for the world to see,” said Pankaj Bansal (IAS) Managing Director, NCDC.

A number of high-level dignitaries attended the event, including Vanderley Tiger, Secretary of Family Farming and Agroecology; Ambassador Maria Laura de Rocha, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr Rodrigo Lima, Special Advisor to the Director’s Office (UNESCO).