Located some fifty kilometers from Rio de Janeiro, the municipality of Maricá is recognized throughout Brazil, and beyond, for its initiatives in terms of social public policy. Its two key complementary measures, implemented since 2013, are the allocation of a universal income (Renda Básica de Cidadania) and the payment of the latter in an alternative local currency (the mumbuca) managed by a municipal community bank. As a result, almost half the population of this city of around 200,000 receives a citizenship income in local currency, creating a real dynamic for economic and social development with strong territorial roots. 

In early June, a delegation of elected representatives from the city of Maricá travelled across Europe in search of inspiration for local, sustainable economic development, in a spirit of experience sharing. The GSEF, which has been in contact with Maricá for several months, invited Brazilian elected officials to Bordeaux on Friday, June 7, to meet with a number of elected officials from Gironde, who are GSEF co-chairs, as well as local players in the Social and Solidarity Economy. The Brazilian delegation was led by federal deputy Washington Quaquá, vice-president of the Workers' Party (PT) and former mayor of Maricá (2009-2017), who initiated the city's social policies. The delegation included Diego Zeidan, Deputy Mayor of Maricá and Secretary for Economic and Solidarity Development of Rio de Janeiro; Eugênio Soares, Director of Solidarity Economy and Social Responsibility of the Maricá Economic Development Company (Codemar); and Pedro Mello, Deputy Secretary for Solidarity Economy of Maricá.

Following an initial discussion with the GSEF General Secretariat team, the Brazilian elected representatives were welcomed to the Bordeaux Métropole buildings to meet Fabienne Oré-Courregelongue, Director of the Social and Solidarity Economy for the city and metropolitan area of Bordeaux, and Lucien Bruneau, Director of International Relations. They then exchanged views with Jean-Baptiste Thony, city and metropolitan councillor responsible for zero-waste, the circular economy and local currencies. The discussions thus initiated between Bordeaux and Maricá on local currencies and strategies for their implementation aroused keen interest and are destined to continue.

The visit continued at the Bordeaux City Hall, where the Brazilian representatives were welcomed by Laurent Guillemin, city and metropolitan councillor responsible for solar energy. Discussions focused on the challenges of anchoring renewable energy industries in the region. The Mayor of Bordeaux came to greet the delegation at the end of the meeting.

The Maricá representatives then met with Timothée Duverger, research engineer at Sciences Po Bordeaux and President of the Scientific Council of the next Global SSE Forum, BordeauxGSEF2025.

Another highlight of the day was a joint visit by Jean-Luc Gleyze, President of the Gironde Departmental Council, to Supercoop, the Bordeaux metropolitan area's cooperative supermarket, in Bègles. In addition to a presentation of the functioning of this example of the local SSE, the elected representatives of the State of Rio de Janeiro were introduced to the Social Food Security experiment supported by the Gironde Departmental Council in partnership with the Acclimat'Action collective. The exchange continued with a more political discussion between Washington Quaquá and Jean-Luc Gleyze, during which the desire to consolidate partnerships between GSEF co-presidents and Brazilian cities around the Social and Solidarity Economy was affirmed. An action plan has been developed with the GSEF to facilitate exchanges of experience and plan future visits. The GSEF will be honored to count the City of Maricá among its members.  Maricá has offered to carry the momentum and mobilize cities in Brazil, and thus build a possible bid to host the next GSEF Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum.