* Article from the RIPESS webpage 

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