A/RES/66/123 Cooperatives as a way of promoting cooperatives and raising awareness of their contribution to social and economic development and to share good practices on the implementation of the activities carried out during the Year; Invites Governments and international organizations, in partnership with 4. cooperatives and cooperative organizations, to consider developing a road map or plan of action for the promotion of cooperatives for sustainable socioeconomic development beyond the International Year of Cooperatives and to submit it to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session so as to ensure a focused and effective follow-up to the activities of the Year; Draws the attention of Governments to the recommendation contained in 5. the report of the Secretary-General to focus support on cooperatives as sustainable and successful business enterprises that contribute directly to employment generation, poverty reduction and social protection, across a variety of economic sectors in urban and rural areas; Encourages Governments to keep under review, as appropriate, the legal 6. and administrative provisions governing the activities of cooperatives in order to enhance the growth and sustainability of cooperatives in a rapidly changing socioeconomic environment by, inter alia, providing a level playing field for cooperatives vis-à-vis other business and social enterprises, including appropriate tax incentives and access to financial services and markets; Urges Governments, relevant international organizations and the 7. specialized agencies, in collaboration with national and international cooperative organizations, to give due consideration to the role and contribution of cooperatives in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women and the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), including their five-year reviews, the World Food Summit, the Second World Assembly on Ageing, the International Conference on Financing for Development, the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the 2005 World Summit by, inter alia: (a) Utilizing and developing fully the potential and contribution of cooperatives for the attainment of social development goals, in particular the eradication of poverty, the generation of full and productive employment and the enhancement of social integration; (b) Encouraging and facilitating the establishment and development of cooperatives, including taking measures aimed at enabling people living in poverty or belonging to vulnerable groups, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, older persons and indigenous peoples, to fully participate, on a voluntary basis, in cooperatives and to address their social service needs; (c) Taking appropriate measures aimed at creating a supportive and enabling environment for the development of cooperatives by, inter alia, developing an effective partnership between Governments and the cooperative movement through joint consultative councils and/or advisory bodies and by promoting and implementing better legislation, research, sharing of good practices, training, technical assistance and capacity-building of cooperatives, especially in the fields of management, auditing and marketing skills; (d) Raising public awareness of the contribution of cooperatives to employment generation and to socioeconomic development, promoting comprehensive research and statistical data-gathering on the activities, employment 2