·
This was stated by
representatives of countries around the world on Wednesday at the second
seminar on this resolution, held at the United Nations headquarters in New
York.
·
The event was organized by the
governments of Spain, France, Senegal and Chile with the support of the United
Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Social and Solidarity Economy.
·
It is an initiative promoted
by the Government of Spain through the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy.
·
Among the conclusions of the
day highlighted the need to create a common terminology that defines the social
economy, the search for holistic solutions at the international level, as well
as the willingness to work together between different countries, encompassing
both civil society and governments.
·
The president of CEPES and
Social Economy Europe, Juan Antonio Pedreño: "This resolution is an
opportunity to place the social economy at the center of the 2030 Agenda and
the SDGs. A business model that contributes to reducing inequalities and is at
the forefront of fair green and digital transitions."
Madrid, December
15, 2022.- The United Nations expects to approve the United Nations Resolution
on Social Economy in June 2023. This was stated by representatives of countries
around the world on Wednesday during the second seminar on this resolution, held
at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The event,
organized by the governments of Spain, France, Senegal and Chile with the
support of the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Social and
Solidarity Economy, focused on ´How can the international recognition of Social
Rights and the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) contribute to achieving the
SDGs through social and inclusive innovation?´.
The objective of
this event was to raise awareness about the positive impact of social economy
development, and how it can contribute to achieving the SDGs and making
countries´ recovery more inclusive, resilient and sustainable. During the
event, experiences were exchanged between civil society organizations and
representative social economy organizations and decision-makers, with the aim
of identifying the optimal way to promote the social economy and help
accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.
During the
event, among other representatives, the ambassador of Spain to the United
Nations, Agustín Santos, recalled, on the one hand, the urgency of taking
measures to respond to the unemployment problems that exist on an international
scale and, on the other, that the production cycles do not coincide with that
urgency.
He also stressed
that, historically, the social economy has developed especially in times of
crisis such as the current one – remembering the Covid, the war in Ukraine and
the problems of inflation – since "they accumulate that experience that a
normal production cycle does not foresee". Therefore, he concluded that
"to fight poverty and inequality, we need a strong response from the
social economy movement."
Also
participating was his counterpart from Senegal, Aminata Ly Diop; and the
Minister of Social and Solidarity Economy and the Voluntary Sector of France,
Marlène Schiappa, who agreed on the strength of the social economy to create
quality jobs.
During the first
panel of the day, entitled ´What is the social and solidarity economy and why
is it important for the UN?´, experiences of different countries that are
advancing in strategies to promote this business model, such as Slovenia or
Costa Rica, were shared.
During the
second panel, which was developed under the title ´The role of the social
economy in the SDGs through social and inclusive innovation´, the president of
CEPES and Social Economy Europe, Juan Antonio Pedreño, intervened, who showed
the support of the representative entities of the social economy in Spain and
Europe to this resolution so that "it makes visible the social economy as
a global actor that acts through the social and inclusive innovation, from the
territories and generating impact".
"This
resolution is an opportunity to place the social economy at the heart of the
2030 Agenda and the SDGs. A business model that contributes to reducing
inequalities and is at the forefront of fair green and digital
transitions," he concluded.
On the other
hand, the president of CICOPA (International Organization of Cooperatives of
Industries and Services) and director of Institutional Relations of the
Mondragon Corporation, Íñigo Albizuri, insisted on the importance of including
in the educational curriculum the values of the social economy, since, as he
said, "our students are learning models of the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries, by focusing on maximizing
profit."
On the other
hand, he insisted on the need to have ad hoc legislation on the social economy
in the different countries and for social economy entities to be represented in
the social dialogue tables. He also stressed the importance of promoting young
entrepreneurship and creating connected ecosystems "to support each other."
Finally, he pointed to a couple of examples that contribute to facing the
challenges of the green and digital economy: the creation of energy communities
and the promotion of platform cooperatives.
