A two-year process of convergence to build an Inclusive World Agenda from networked local nodes!

As shared in the World Social Forum of Salvador de Bahia (read March 2018 article), as Intercontinental RIPESS , RIPESS Europa, XES (Catalan Solidarity Economy Network) and REAS (Spanish SE Network), we are happy to announce our commitment to a Thematic World Social Forum of Convergence of Transformative Economies, from local to international levels, by 2020 :

The objective is to start a process of convergence between all initiatives, practices, movements and ways of understanding the economy that share the common goal of transforming the existing economic system, beyond Social and Solidarity Economy. Some of these processes of convergence have already been taking place for a long time :

Another World already exists. We now need to bring together our strengh, the common solutions and practices both locally and internationally, to build an inclusive world agenda, and jointly face today’s main challenges!

See the First International Call inviting all interested movements and networks to express their interest in participating and/or in becoming co-promoters of the initiative. 

See the call

 

It is essential to ensure that the construction process reflects the proposals, challenges and opportunities of all continents, movements and networks.

To this end, different committees will facilitate the co-definition of the contents by various networks and movements and will ensure the articulation between local and global levels.

STARTING THE DYNAMICS, AND INVITED MOVEMENTS

In order to ensure that the dynamics were solidly anchored from the outset, on June 5th XES launched this two years’ process with a first local meeting in Barcelona (See 26th of June’s article) .The participants called were of different movements, grouped as follow, for the moment:

• Feminist and Gender perspective Economies
• Agroecological and the Food Sovereignty
• Natural, Urban and Digital Commons
• Social Solidarity Economy, Cooperativism, and Fair Trade
• Ethical and Solidarity Finances

Training and Research organisations also responded to the call, and a cross-cutting axis on transformative Public Policies – with a participatory co-construction vision – was also proposed.

WHEN? WHAT STEPS?

We don’t want a show-room event that brings experts from all over the world, without continuity or impact; we have committed to turning the process of convergence, the construction of alliances and common actions into the goal itself: this will be (and needs to be) a two-year process that will be echoed in events around the world, and will include two meetings in Barcelona

• Spring 2019: First convergence meeting

We will meet for 3 days with representatives of the main networks and social movements, as well as academic groups and members of municipalities, among others. This work meeting will set up the dynamics that can develop new processes of convergence at local and international level. This meeting will also be a warm up for the World Social Forum and will allow us to set the objectives and prepare the international terrain. It will also help ensure that the big event of 2020 reaches its goals and that there will be subsequent continuity.

We are counting on the participation of about 500 people from all 5 continents for this strategy building work meeting.

• Spring 2020: World Social Forum of Transformative Economies

Reaching beyond the limits of the Social Forums, we want this event to be a useful meeting that sets a global agenda, with collective commitments and concrete agreements, ensuring a continuity of the movement through the work done after a two-year convergence process. A whole week of talks, meetings and general assembly’s, but also with a rich cultural program and involvement of the local population and transformative initiatives of Barcelona and Catalonia.

We expect more than 10.000 participants at this historical event.

Promoter Networks at this stage: 

Intercontinental RIPESS, RIPESS Europe, XES (Catalan SE network), REAS (Spanish SE network)

Movements and networks that are interested in participating and/or becoming co-promoters, please contact: forum2020@ripess.org

In a lively Zagreb filled with people enjoying the world cup festive atmosphere, RIPESS EU – Solidarity Economy Europe celebrated its 7th General Assembly meeting with members from all over the continent, from Spain to Russia. The first day – Friday 15th of June – was dedicated to the “Good Economy Conference” sessions, in the beautiful setting of the Kino Tuskana theater, with a small yet rich and colourful local producer fair and many sessions dedicated to sharing experiences from Croatia, the Balkan region and the rest of Europe.

The dinner party in Zmag’s Recycled Estate Farm – 30 km out of Zagreb – was the most welcoming, convivial and social networking evening there could be, where new members got to know the rest of the RIPESS crowd as well as the great Zmag team.  Pizza and local craft beer, as well as reggae music, helped create a true multicultural atmosphere.

One of the oldest schools in Zagreb, in the old part of town, was the setting for the actual Genera Assembly for an intense day and a half of strategy discussions (on convergence with other alter-economic movements, public policies and SSE, education, peer training and cultural change), elections for the renewal of the coordination committee and admission of new members.  Three new members joined the network: Bio Fair coop from the Czech Republic, Fair Trade Poland and Good Earth cooperative from Macedonia.

One of the main issues discussed was the promotion of the World Social Forum on Transformative Economies, a three year process of alliances and convergence with two main events planned to take place in Barcelona in Spring 2019 and 2020.  More to come about it…

The last day was dedicated to foster the inter-cooperation among members, sharing ideas, projects and areas of work where new exchanges and common actions can be discussed and help advance SSE concretely all over Europe as well as at the international level, connecting with the other continental networks of RIPESS.

Last but not least, lunch and dinner were assured by the excellent food prepared by two catering cooperatives, Taste of Home (whose main worker-members are refugees and asylum seekers) and Avocado, with the participation of local “Food not bombs” food recyclers…

The RIPESS Europe General Assembly took place on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th of June in Zagreb, Croatia. It was preceded by the event organised by the “Green Network of Activists Groups” and the “Good Economy” platform: “Konferencija o dobroj ekonomiji”

The “Good economy” conference is an annual event (5th edition) offering an opportunity for exchanges and information to the actors of social transformation who implement initiatives on a daily basis to make territories live in harmony with their natural environment and their populations. The programme was rich and has been an excellent “warm-up” for the General Assembly (see program here).

In May, RIPESS Europe was mandated by the British Council to draft a series of recommendations to better promote the Culture of social solidarity economy in Greece. In addition, the Erasmus IVET project devoted to the introduction of SSE training into initial vocational or professional training courses has come to an end and the final report will be available following its official presentation at the last transnational meeting planned in Porto (Portugal) on July 13th. These various requests attest to the need to link SSE organisations in Europe, all the more urgent as institutional solidarities are crumbling under the effect of the hardening of governance methods by both private enterprises and public authorities.

Socioeco.org has been working for several months on many maps, including two that link the Sustainable Development Goals and SSE. The site will soon publish the contributions issued during the last conference of the Réseau Interuniversitaire de l’ESS (RIUESS) which was held in Rennes in May (in French, see here). “To associate, to self-manage, to emancipate”, the theme of the conference is a useful form of incentive in the face of the consequences of the hardening political times mentioned above.

In the meantime, the work of convergence and alliances with major networks continues: in Brussels with the fair trade (WFTO and the FTAO), in Florence with the REVES, the European network of Regions and cities for the ESS.

To conclude, it should be stressed that interactions between RIPESS Europe and its members are intensifying and the countries of Eastern Europe are now better represented. The region of Northern Europe is also very active:  in April the NESEM (North Europe Solidarity Economy Meeting) took place in Helsinki, a promising meeting for the creation of a “Nordic” SSE platform, which will include Scandinavia, Baltic countries and… Russia!

By strengthening each other, we give each other strength!

APDES (member organization of RedPES, the Portuguese SSE network) and RIPESS Europe invite you on July 13 2018 in Porto (Portugal) to participate in the International Seminar on the Social Solidarity Economy in Europe: Affirming a New Paradigm through IVET Curricula Innovation, funded by Erasmus+, to explore the potential of SSE on its connection with the field of initial vocational training.

In this event, there will be an opportunity to reflect in several sessions and workshops – on four thematic areas:

• The objectives of sustainable development and the SSE
• The values and principles of SSE in education
• Extra curricular innovation: the extracurricular program of flexibility and autonomy
• The SSE in Europe

This event is expected to be a point of reflection and debate, intended for decision makers and representatives of governments, training organizations, third sector entities, community and solidarity economy initiatives, universities.

You can download the programme and register here.