Central theme

Great Challenges, Greater Solidarity

Power of Community and SSE as a Path for Transformation

GSEF Global Virtual Forum

19 – 23 October 2020

GSEF and GSEF2021 Mexico Local Organizing Committee (LOC) present GSEF Global Virtual Forum October 2020 with the central theme of "Great Challenges, Greater Solidarity: Power of Community and SSE as path for transformation”. Our Global Virtual Forum will have 5 Plenaries; and sectoral sessions on youth, women, local governments, civil society, researchers and indigenous communities, as well as self-organized sessions initiated and organized by our members and partner organizations and special sessions composed of individual initiatives under various subjects related to the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE).

We need to rethink our usual way of doing business for a better future

“We have the responsibility to recover better. The 2008 financial crisis demonstrated clearly that countries with robust social protection systems suffered the least and recovered most quickly from its impact.”

– UN Secretary General

The pandemic has magnified existing inequalities in terms of even basic needs and services for everyday lives of many, resulting in even worsened fragilities in our societies. A loss of 305 million jobs worldwide is estimated by ILO¹ increasing the level of uncertainty and unprecedented economic and social crisis.

SSE has demonstrated its important role in preserving employment in times of economic crisis and significant job losses, sharing its strategic contribution for greater resilience and lower vulnerability due to its transparent, sustainable and responsible socio-economic practices.

SSE is not only an alternative way of delivering economic, social and environmental value, but also a smart way of unlocking resources through diverse mechanisms and approaches.

We need to rethink our usual way of doing business, a new way of living, preventing over-consumption and over-exploitation of natural resources to ensure environmental resiliency and sustainable development of the planet including digitalization processes.

SSE is a viable mechanism to solve global challenges from a local and territorial perspective, from solidarity and inclusion, to make the planet a global community, with well-being for all. Also, to achieve the 2030 Agenda: “no one will be left behind”.

Community based recovery by people-centered sustainable approaches

In the post COVID-19 context, rebuilding local economies is crucial to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Within the recovery framework, SSE can create decent employment opportunities, and a more a people-centered development at a local level. In this sense, Social and Solidarity Economy actors have a great potential for innovation because they are rooted in the territory and are born as a response to the needs or opportunities of communities.

SSE as a path for transformation and partnerships

GSEF believes in the transformative power of SSE ecosystems and co-creation of public policies by local governments together with SSE actors..

We need to identify collective and innovative ways to address these issues and share those experiences and attempts for inspiration and replication in other cities and countries through multi-stakeholder partnerships to change the challenges into opportunities through a transformation for a better future we all want.

Inclusion of diverse actors should be an important factor in the process of building and co-working for these partnerships. Promoting knowledge sharing innovative SSE solutions and good practices is crucial to expand the visibility of initiatives and promote peer-learning and exchanges.

GSEF and GSEF2021 LOC invite all of you to our Virtual Forum to join all our efforts for a better future for all.

¹ ILO, ILO Monitor: Covid-19 and the world of work. Third edition. Updated estimates and analysis, 29 April 2020.