• Adopted by the Council of Ministers on June 8, the document is part of the Progress Report for 2021 that Spain will present in July at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York.
• The document places the Social Economy as a key business model of the 2030 Agenda that contributes "to a more inclusive and sustainable growth, creating stable and quality employment" with a key role in strategic sectors linked to the development of the economy circular and the new economy of care.
• As a representative business organization of the Social Economy, CEPES has actively participated in the preparation of this document through the Sustainable Development Council and various meetings with the Government, specifically with the then Secretary of State for the 2030 Agenda, Ione Belarra.
Madrid, June 24, 2021.- The Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy (CEPES) celebrates that the Sustainable Development Strategy 2030 recognizes the Social Economy as a fundamental and priority business agent for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The document, which gives continuity to the Action Plan for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda approved by the Government in 2018, was adopted by the Council of Ministers on June 8 and is presented as “the framework of projected commitments for the coming years , in order to accelerate the social and ecological transition, as well as guarantee a recovery aligned with the principles and objectives of the 2030 Agenda, after the impact caused by COVID-19 ”.
The strategy is part of the Progress 2021 report that Spain will present in July at the United Nations headquarters in New York as part of its report and evaluation of Spain's progress in achieving the 2030 Agenda.
In its preparation, CEPES has participated very actively as a member of the Sustainable Development Council and its working groups , as well as through the dialogue held with the Government through the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy and the meeting held by a delegation of CEPES, led by its president, Juan Antonio Pedreño, with the then Secretary of State for the 2030 Agenda, Ione Belarra . These contributions also influenced the Opinion that the Sustainable Development Council adopted on the Strategy in May of this year.
Likewise, CEPES and the Social Economy companies participated in the Comprehensive Consultation with the Business Sector to prepare the Strategy, which was co-organized by the Secretary of State for the 2030 Agenda with the Spanish Network of the United Nations Global Compact, consultation in which More than 1,900 companies of different size and nature were involved, of which about 10% were from the Social Economy.
KEY AND PRIORITY BUSINESS ACTOR
The document recognizes that Social Economy companies are a key business actor for the 2030 Agenda. Thus, when referring to the role of the business sector in promoting and implementing the 2030 Agenda, it highlights “ the business model that governs the Social Economy, based on the primacy of the person, on the equitable distribution of benefits or their reinvestment in the social purpose of the company , combining efficiency and business competitiveness with progress and social responsibility. The values, objectives and governance system that characterize the Social Economy bring us especially closer to the perspective proposed by the SDGs, so it is necessary to encourage and promote the Social Economy as a key agent that contributes to more growth.inclusive and sustainable, creator of stable and quality employment ”.
Likewise, the Strategy reinforces this Social Economy binomial. Sustainable Development when he talks about the challenges related to sustainable economic development and employment: " The link between the Social Economy and sustainable development is recognized in Law 5/2011 on Social Economy , which gives a mandate to public administrations for its promotion and development as a task of general interest ”and“ has more capacity to create and protect employment in times of economic recession, with lower rates of temporary employment and greater stability in employment. In addition, they present a greater incorporation of women in managerial positions, and generate job opportunities for groups with specific difficulties for employment ”.
Furthermore, the Spanish Strategy for the Promotion of the Social Economy 2021-2027 is identified as a priority policy to generate “a new green, digital and fair economic and productive model”. And it is that the document points out the commitment that the aforementioned Strategy makes to "generate innovative mechanisms for the participation of the social economy in strategic sectors linked to the development of the circular economy and the new care economy , among others, as well as to intensify the public support of this model, to enable the creation and viability of new socio-economic projects articulated from collective social innovation. "
CEPES also applauds the fact that it is announced that the innovative character of the Social Economy will be promoted for the generation of an inclusive and sustainable economic fabric, accompanying and facilitating the generational change, as well as youth entrepreneurship, and supporting its digitization , “As an emerging formula for online entrepreneurship especially suitable for young people and the rural world. The promotion of networks of cooperatives, labor societies and other formulas of social economy accompanied by training and education measures will offer new comprehensive services to society and will encourage the improvement of the well-being of the citizens of rural areas. " This commitment is specified in the announcement of "a Comprehensive Plan to boost the social economy for the generation of an inclusive and sustainable economic fabric ."
On the other hand, the Strategy prioritizes Social Economy entities , together with self-employed persons and SMEs, in public bidding processes. In addition, with regard to policies on social and territorial cohesion and actions aimed at eliminating gender gaps derived from the demographic challenge, the Strategy announces that it will emphasize “actions aimed at increasing the participation of women in economic activities, offering training opportunities, as well as advice in the digital, technological, entrepreneurship and social economy fields, accompanied by the activation of lines of financial support for women's entrepreneurship, and pilot projects for insertion labor of women and young people on the territory ”.
The president of CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño , points out that “the Sustainable Development Strategy 2030 will address the main social, economic and environmental transformations in our country. The fact that Social Economy companies are placed as a fundamental part of it, satisfies us with the recognition it gives to this business model as a key engine for a sustainable and urgent recovery based on an economy that works for people and the planet".
The Spanish Strategy for Sustainable Development will set the policies and mechanismssmos for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals detailed in the 2030 Agenda. The document can be consulted at the following link: https://www.agenda2030.gob.es/recursos/docs/informe-progreso21-eds-2030. pdf
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was signed in 2015 by the Heads of State and Government of the United Nations member countries. It represents the international commitment to face the social, economic and environmental challenges of globalization, putting people, the planet, prosperity and peace at the center, under the motto of "leaving no one behind".
