December 10, 2015
Perhaps you already know that the City of Montreal and the Chantier de l’économie sociale co-organize the next Global Social Economy Forum – GSEF2016, to be held 7-9 September 2016 and which will focus on the collaboration between local governments and the social and solidarity economy (SSE) organizations for the development of cities. GSEF is pleased to announce that the call for proposals for the Forum is now open! Until January 3rd, 2016, we will receive submissions of initiatives to […]
December 10, 2015
Since the 2008 financial crisis, economic development has been reconsidered and innovative approaches are becoming increasingly relevant internationally. The ‘Social and Solidarity Economy’ (SSE) is a chief player among these approaches. Because SSE organizations pursue both economic and social objectives, they play a major role in creating and securing decent employment and income. ILO’s efforts on the SSE have been of various natures, from technical activities (advice on policy and law, access to finance, organizational development, capacity building, international networking, […]
December 4, 2015
From 26 to 28 November the 7th International Forum of the Social and Solidarity Ecomomy Entrepreneurs, organized by Les Rencontres du Mont-Blanc, took place in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France. Many participants of a diverse group of organization participated in these three days of righ exchanges, debates reflections and of sharing. Connections were fostered throughout the Forum, especially through the Project Place. On the 27th, members of the Leading Group and Task Force members and observers met informally over lunch, taking advantage of this […]
November 9, 2015
This last 26 September, Madani Koumare from RENAPESS Mali made the case for a paradigm shift and social solidarity economy during the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Summit 2015 in NY. Here are his speaking notes, reposted from www.ripess.org MADANI KOUMARE, Economist, President, National Network for the Promotion of Social and Solidarity Economy (RENAPESS-Mali), Member of the African Network for the Social and Solidarity Economy (RAESS), Member of the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) […]
September 29, 2015
This Monday, Paul Ladd, incoming Director of UNRISD and current Director of the UNDP Team on the Post 2015 Development Agenda, along with Gilbert Houngbo, Deputy Director General of ILO, Chantal Line Carpentier, Chief of UNCTAD in NY and Sharon Brennen-Halyock, Director of FAO in NY, represented the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSE at the high-level panel of the Leading Group on social and solidarity economy at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Observers of the Task Force, including RIPESS […]
July 30, 2015
From 13-16 July, the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is hosting the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development. The opportunity for the International Leading Group of the Social and Solidarity Economy to focus on the transformative potential of this economic model and on social and solidarity finance. A side event entitled “Social and Solidarity Economy for a Better Financing for Sustainable Development in the Post-2015 Agenda” sponsored by France, Colombia and Ecuador, was therefore organized by the Permanent Secretariat […]
July 28, 2015
The UN conference which was set to change the way finance relates to sustainable development did not deliver on its promises. But Civil Society was very present and compact, with more than 600 organisations and networks participating. Solidarity finance and economy are starting to be addressed. By Jason Nardi (RIPESS Europe and RIPESS Intercontinental board) With the next international financial crisis on the horizon (and the Greek debt crisis as main news, not only for Europe), the 3rd International Conference […]
July 24, 2015
UNRISD organized a workshop on “Social and Solidarity Finance: Tensions, Opportunities and Transformative Potential” on 11 – 12 May 2015, in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and International Labour Organization (ILO). Experts tackled the following questions: What is Social and Solidarity Finance? Could it finance Social and Solidarity Economy? What is the Transformative Potential? This workshop brought together an interdisciplinary group of 29 experts—in the fields of alternative finance, economic sociology and the anthropology of money. They looked at the transformative potential of social and […]
July 24, 2015
The 5th edition of the ILO Academy on Social and Solidarity Economy will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from Monday 27th to Friday 31st July 2015. The 2015 theme is “Social Innovation in the World of Work“. The theme has been identified through a consultative process following the 2014 Academy in Brazil. South-South cooperation will remain a key aspect in this discussion and will be one of the main sub-topics of the 2015 Academy. This edition of the Academy will […]
July 10, 2015
The UN Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (TFSSE) is pleased to announce that the Leading Group on Social and Solidarity Economy will host a side event at the 3rd Conference on Financing for Development. It will take place on Monday 13 July 2015, 1:15 pm – 2:45 pm, Meeting Room N°1, Intercontinental Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The topic of the side event is Social and Solidarity Economy for a Better Financing for Sustainable Development in the Post-2015 Agenda. The event […]
June 18, 2015
Social Solidarity Economy and Sustainable Development Financing Contributions to the ICESDF 12 May Dialogue Session As the world becomes more and more interconnected, with capital flows over the states borders, it’s impossible to still consider the financial tools and architecture as being solely market-driven and oriented by private goals, interests and speculations1. We’ve seen consequences of this perspective such as fragilizing the poor, augmenting inequalities, and destroying the life conditions for future generations. That’s why financial tools and architecture should […]
May 29, 2015
«No one should be left behind». There is general agreement that this must be at the heart of the Post-2015 SDGs. This vision must also be at the heart of the Financing for Development (FfD) framework. This implies that the different types of financing, such as grants and loans, must also reach the communities and organisations, including the grassroots organisations, which are working to improve their own livelihoods. Social Solidarity Economy (SSE) and Financing for Development (FfD): A concept […]
March 14, 2015
On March 10th, 2015, the United Nations Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) nominated Marie-Adelaïde Matheï, Research Analyst at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), as the Task Force’s Research Coordinator. With the endorsement of member agencies, Marie-Adelaïde Matheï will pursue her work on promoting knowledge and recognition of SSE within the UN and beyond, facilitating partnerships between UN agencies and with umbrella associations of SSE organizations and academia, and coordinating internal and external communications.
October 25, 2014
On November 19th, 2015, UN Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy, jointly with UNDP Seoul Policy Center and GSEF 2014 Seoul Organizing Committee, will organize the “Social Economy and the Role of the International Organizations” Session at 2014 Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF 2014). The session will be hosted at Basurak Hall, City Hall of Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 09:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., on November 19th, 2015. Pascal van Griethuysen, Research Coordinator of UNRISD, will chair the session on behalf […]
October 22, 2014
The UNTFSSE held a side event on “Social and Solidarity Economy for Improved Food Security and Nutrition” during the Committee on Food Security at the FAO on 17 October. UNRISD Director Sarah Cook chaired the session which included a panel of representatives from both the UN and civil society. The speakers on the panel addressed a variety of topics. Roberto di Meglio (ILO) underlined that SSE organizations operating in rural contexts often provide conditions of decent work. While individual […]
October 8, 2014
The UN Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a side event at the next Committee on World Food Security. It will take place on Friday 17 October, 6:30 pm – 8:00 p.m., Lebanon Room (D-209), FAO, Rome. The topic of the side event is Social and Solidarity Economy for Improved Food Security and Nutrition. Around the world, millions of rural workers and producers are organizing in self-help groups, […]
September 8, 2014
How can SSE best address some of the key challenges of the 21st century? What can it do for decent work, women’s well-being, greening the economy and transforming finance? This position paper has been prepared by members and observers of the TFSSE. It argues the post-2015 development agenda has paid insufficient attention to the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. SSE refers to the production of goods and services by a broad range of organizations and […]
September 8, 2014
The UN Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy will be represented by the ILO (Roberto di Meglio), UNRISD (Pascal van Griethuysen) and the UNDP Seoul Policy Center. The Inaugural Meeting of the GSEF is organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Organizing Committee of the GSEF and the Seoul Social Economy Center. It will take place in Seoul on November 17-19, 2014. The meeting will bring together local governments and the NGOs with the vision of realizing […]
September 8, 2014
The Task Force will be represented at the first meeting of the International Leading Group on Social and Solidarity Economy during the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters. The meeting, organized by the Mont-Blanc Meetings (MBM), will take place on Monday September 22, from 4 to 6pm in conference room n°8. The event is supported by the French government. The Leading Group brings together States (to date: France, Ecuador, Morocco, Luxembourg, Colombia and Quebec as observer), international institutions and […]
September 8, 2014
Peter Utting, Deputy Director of UNRISD, retired on the 31 August, after having worked for over 23 years at UNRISD. He was instrumental in the founding of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSE (TFSSE) and acted as the first co-ordinator of the TFSSE Secretariat. He was recently leading UNRISD work on SSE. Previously, he coordinated research projects on the green economy, corporate social responsibility, the global financial crisis, business regulation, and the role of civil society actors in governance. […]
August 10, 2014
Several members of the TFSSE will take part in the conference titled “Social Economy and social innovation as drivers of competitiveness, growth and social well-being”. UNRISD Director, Sarah Cook, will present the Task Force to the European audience. The social economy combines profitability with social inclusion. Social innovation is the first step in the creation of a social enterprise. The potential of the social economy and of social innovation was demonstrated at the joint EC-EESC event ‘Social Entrepreneurs: have your […]
April 3, 2014
The 4th edition of Academy on Social and Solidarity Economy will be held in Campinas, Brazil, from Monday 28th July to Friday 1st August 2014. The ILO SSE Academy is an interregional training opportunity gathering practitioners from all around the world, to share their experiences and meet leading SSE specialists. The main topic of this edition is “Social and Solidarity Economy: towards inclusive and sustainable development”. This year the Academy will have a special focus on the Social and Solidarity […]
April 2, 2014
This series is the result of the UNRISD international conference on the Potential and Limits of Social and Solidarity Economy held in May 2013. Selected papers from the conference have been peer reviewed and are now being published in this new UNRISD Occasional Paper Series. More papers will be added as the series progresses. Conceptualizing SSE Towards an Epistemological Foundation for Social and Solidarity Economy—Anup Dash Social and Solidarity Economy: Between Emancipation and Reproduction—Joana S. Marques SSE and Local […]
April 2, 2014
Speakers at the side-event titled “SSE: Changing economic relations for equality and sustainable development in the post-2015 agenda” presented to a packed room in the UN building in New York on 4 February 2014. The objective of the side event was to discuss how SSE can contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals. Representatives of MBM Board of Directors and Scientific Committee provided an overall picture of SSE and how it relates to sustainable development and equality. Claude […]
February 24, 2014
Acknowledging the end of the 15 years period allotted to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the focus of the event was “Changing the course of globalization through social and solidarity economy: Towards post 2015 Millennium Development Goals”. These MDGs had been set by the United Nations to reduce both extreme poverty and the disparities between a large number of very poor people and a minority of very rich. As from now, an assessment seems necessary, as well as […]
February 23, 2014
The Second World Forum of Local Economic Development was held on 29 October – 1 November 2013, in Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil. During a session dedicated to the potential and limits of SSE, speakers acknowledged the importance of SSE in promoting economic and innovation dynamics which generate decent work. Developments occurring in the field of SSE have crucial implications for local development, given its potential for stimulating local economic activity, generating employment, building social and human capital, strengthening community governance […]
February 22, 2014
Welcoming the recent initiative of 14 United Nations agencies to establish an Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy, participants at the 5th RIPESS International Meeting on Social Solidarity Economy called on the new body to carry on the work begun this year by UNRISD and the ILO of organizing an annual conference on SSE. They further recommended that the Task Force be open to civil society participation. Delegates urged UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the high-level processes associated […]
February 10, 2014
The founding meeting of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy took place on 30 September 2013 in Geneva. This is a new inter-agency partnership that aims to assist countries, mobilize political will and enhance momentum towards mainstreaming the issue of SSE in international and national policy frameworks. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy is a concrete result of the conference “Potential and Limits of Social and Solidarity Economy”, held in May 2013. At […]
January 5, 2014
On 6-8 May 2013, UNRISD held a major international conference on Potential and Limits of Social and Solidarity Economy. The event aimed to raise the visibility of SSE within the UN system and beyond, and to contribute in debates about a post-2015 development agenda. The event was co-hosted with the ILO and in partnership with Hivos, the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation and the Ville de Genève. UN-NGLS organized a special session on alternative finance and complementary currencies. The conference was a […]