With the United Nations declaring 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC), the
summit opens with a
keynote on the positive contribution of cooperatives on sustainability.
During the
opening keynote address, former NBA basketball star and U.S. global cultural ambassador Kareem Abdul - Jabbar set the tone for the
summit: In order for the United States to stay economically competitive with emerging markets in China, India, and elsewhere, it will have to overhaul its education system to increase its focus on critical thinking and on applied science, math, and tech skills.