3rd Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF2016)

Date: 
Wednesday, 7 September 2016 to Friday, 9 September 2016
Organized by: 
Forum

GSEF 2016 (3rd edition of GSEF forum)

September 7-9, 2016, Montreal

The Global Social Economy Forum - GSEF 2016 took place at the Palais des Congres of Montreal from the 7th to the 9th September 2016. The Forum’s co-organizers are the City of Montreal and the Chantier de l’economie sociale. More than 2,000 participants from local governments, SSE organizations, the private sector and the civil society around the world attended the forum.

The central theme of the GSEF2016 is the collaboration between local governments and organizations of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) for the development of cities.

Around the world, SSE initiatives contribute to addressing major challenges faced by the public administrations of cities and of the communities living there: how to promote inclusive and sustainable development; ensure social cohesion; improve the quality of life of residents; and enable a wide variety of stakeholders to address these challenges. 

Valuable lessons can be learned from the collaborations taking place between local governments and SSE actors on every continent. Starting from the principle that city governments are responsible for meeting their communities’ basic needs with regards to infrastructure and security and fostering residents’ wellbeing, the GSEF2016 presented best practices in these areas. These include processes, tools, and other innovative results of co-constructed public policies designed to create decent jobs, ensure local services, and other initiatives that support the development of smarter cities, i.e. ones that are more equitable and sustainable. The Forum was a space to consider questions such as prior conditions, challenges, and procedures for local governments and SSE organizations to co-construct public policy on local development.

Goals

The GSEF 2016 aims to disseminate and reinforce the contribution of the SSE to addressing central issues to the development of cities by:

  1. Sharing best practices to co-construct public policy and develop the SSE in cities all over the world;
  2. Identifying opportunities and challenges for the collaboration of local governments and SSE organizations;
  3. Promoting international collaborations leading to the development of SSE;
  4. Promoting knowledge of the SSE and the recognition of its role in local development, particularly among public stakeholder, the general public and the private sector.
  5. Strengthening the GSEF and its capacity to carry out its mission.

The Forum has been conceived of as a dynamic and participatory meeting, organized in collaboration with local and international partners.

See the full document for the themes and sub-themes

See the GSEF2016 Programs