Dear RIPESS members and friends,

RIPESS is celebrating the 20th birthday of our movement!

The first meeting of the globalization of solidarity was held in Lima, Peru, from the 1st to the 4th of July 1997, as an initiative of GRESP, the Peruvian network for solidarity economy. Following this meeting and declaration, the desire to internationalize the SSE movement was strongly expressed, and the formal network officially took form as “RIPESS” five years later, in December 2002.

In the hearts and minds of all those who have contributed to the RIPESS movement, and those who continue to do so, the Lima meeting undoubtedly marks the symbolic foundation of a global collective dynamic to unite forces to counter unbridled globalization.

Where are we now?  What have we achieved, and what are our joint commitments between our continents? What could we improve? We invite everyone to take a little moment to reflect on the answers.

In fact, the next face-to-face RIPESS Board meeting will be held in Barcelona in October and this will provide us with an important opportunity to evaluate and explore new strategic directions.
Furthermore, the launch of the content of the new RIPESS website in July will also be symbolic in this sense.

But now it’s time to celebrate! We must take pride in our success. We welcome you rmessages of support and will be happy to share them on the RIPESS communication channels.

We also invite you to re-read the Lima Declaration (attached) : it is still very relevant in the 2017 context.

!Thank you for sharing this message with your networks and any other person / organization you consider appropriate!

In Solidarity
The RIPESS Coordination Team