Founded in 1947,[3] CICOPA has a membership of 46 national and regional cooperative federations or support organizations.

The 2003 CICOPA General Assembly held in Oslo, Norway approved in principle the World Declaration on Cooperative Worker Ownership.

The final draft was approved by the CICOPA Executive Committee on 17 February 2004.

[5] CICOPA organised a two-year consultation process with its members in order to develop a common concept concerning social cooperatives typologies.

They were approved in their substance at the CICOPA General Assembly held in Geneva on 18 November 2009 and in their final form at the CICOPA General Assembly held in Cancun, Mexico, on 16 November 2011.