The International Raiffeisen Union (IRU) was established on March 30, 1968, in Neuwied, Germany, to preserve and propagate the cooperative principles of Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen, a 19th-century German social reformer who founded the first credit union in 1862. The organization was created on the 150th anniversary of Raiffeisen's birth and has maintained its mission of promoting self-help and cooperative values across agricultural and credit cooperatives worldwide.
IRU operates as a registered association bringing together cooperative organizations from developing countries, newly industrialized nations, and industrialized countries. The organization represents members from diverse regions including Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Brazil, Kenya, and various Asian countries. Its membership encompasses nearly 3 million cooperatives globally, serving over 1.2 billion members and employing 280 million people.
The organization's core activities focus on facilitating experience exchange between member cooperatives, preventing misdevelopments in cooperative structures, and advocating for improved regulatory frameworks worldwide. IRU emphasizes non-instrumentalized, free enterprise-oriented cooperatives that prioritize member promotion rather than external interests.
The union experienced challenging periods during the 1990s but persevered through its commitment to shared Raiffeisen ideology. IRU celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018 with a conference in Koblenz, where representatives from member organizations worldwide gathered at Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. The organization maintains its headquarters in the Rhine region and continues serving as a platform for analyzing cooperative principles and translating Raiffeisen's historical ideas into contemporary contexts.