Announcement
- GSEF 2016 Promotional kit
- GSEF 2016 Registration (on-going) & International Participation Scholarship
- Join the GSEF Association!

Latest News
- GSEF Social Economy Session at the PrepCom III
- High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
- GSEF Social Economy Session at the APAY National GS’ Conference
- GSEF’s Participation in the ILO South-South and Triangular Cooperation Academy

Organisation Introduction
- APAY (Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs)

Upcoming Events
- GSEF & Karl Polanyi Institute Asia Public Lecture: Prof. Eric Bidet (9th Aug)

GSEF 2016 promotional kit including banners, presentations of the GSEF2016 and other tools to support the efforts of promoting the forum is available now. Please disseminate the tool kit and the GSEF 2016 promotional video clip through your own networks. Let’s spread the world about the learning and networking opportunities of the GSEF2016 through its plenary sessions, workshops and side events that will showcase innovative social economy initiatives from around the world.

GSEF2016 registration is ongoing, you can register for the main forum, various social economy side events and Quebec social economy site visits by submitting the online-registration form. Currently, GSEF2016 is offering registration/transportation grants to the participants. The scholarship is open for a limited time and you can apply for the grants by submitting the online submission form.

GSEF, the global network of promoting the social economy is cordially invitinge leading social economy networks and local governments to join the association. GSEF2016 will provide an ample opportunity for getting to know more about the association while deepening participants’ understanding of the SE and widening their international networks. We encourage all interested stakeholders to attend the GSEF2016 and to formally join the association to direct the future of the association together.

From 7th to 9th September leading local government mayors, representatives and social economy stakeholders will be gathering in Montreal to exchange their vision of achieving sustainable city development through the cooperation between local governments and SSE organisations. Along with the main forum (7th – 9th), GSEF Steering Committee (6th) and GSEF General Assembly (9th) will be held and we encourage all GSEF members as well as those who are planning to formally join the association come to meet together this September in Montreal. For any query with regard to the GSEF membership please reach us through gsef@gsef-net.org

GSEF together with FMDV hosted a joint session at the UN Habitat III preparatory committee (PrepCom III) in Surabaya. The PrepCom III is the last meeting for finalising the New Urban Agenda of UN Habitat III which will be officially adopted in October 2016 at the Quito Conference. GSEF Secretary General Laurence Kwark with other partner institutions contributed to the New Urban Agenda dialogues through the joint session on the urban economy and urban development financing.

Below is the list of session participants and the briefs of their discussion topics.

Speaker

Laurence Kwark (Secretary General, GSEF): Implementing transformative economy and finance through the SSE (Social and Solidarity Economy)

Philippe Akoa (President/director RIAFCO, FEICOM): Local financing institutions: Mainspring catalyzers of the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, the example of the RIAFCO and FEICOM in Africa

Anggraeni Irawati Hermantyo (Secretary General, RIPESS-Asia): Collaboration between community based organization in SSEF (SSE Financing) and local governments: partnering for success

Emmanuelle Pinault (Head of City Diplomacy, C40): Financing the city projects and (PPP) Public-Private Partnership to have positive impacts to tackle climate changes

Moderator

Carlos De Freitas (Director of Programmes, FMDV)
Through the session, GSEF contributed to the global efforts of setting the New Urban Agenda for the Habitat III and extended its global network with other leading organisations.

The high-level political forum on sustainable development for reviewing 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals was held for 9 days in New York. On the 20th July, a side event on ‘Social Solidarity Economy as a Strategic Means of Implementation of the SDGs’ moderated by Paul Ladd from UNRISD (UNTFSSE) was held. Government representatives from France, Cameroon, Greece and Spain and including RIPESS, speakers from civil society, IOs, academia gave their inputs on the topic. The session provided an opportunity to engage with the dialogues on the relevance and effectiveness of Social and Solidarity Economy for achieving SDGs. Various areas such as SSE policy, legal framework, financing and research were covered through the discussion. GSEF as an observer of UNTFSSE (United Nations Task Force on the Social and Solidarity Economy) has been actively participating in advocating the SSE as an alternative way of implementation of 2030 Agenda in a more human and community centered manner.

GSEF Co-chairman Rev. Song organised a session on the social economy on the 14th of July at the Asia Pacific Alliance of YMCAs’ national General Secretaies’ conference in Yangon. 16 Member countries in the reigon gathered to discuss YMCA’s Quadrennial Plan (2016-2019) and the contribution of social economy in establishing the YMCA’s strategic action plans at the local and national level such as youth-led micro enterprises and cooperatives.

Through the session, Co-chairman Rev. Song highlighted the role and importance of the Social and Solidarity Economy in Asia and had a Q&A session with the General Secretaries of APAY. Main thems discussed as below;

• Historical background of social economy
• Relevance and significance of social economy in contemporary Asia
• Examples of social economy in Korea, other parts of Asia and beyond.
• YMCA’s strategy for the active engagement in social economy.

APAY has a significant potential to leverage social enterprises operating in Asia and the Pacific Region and as a steering committee member of GSEF will be cooperating closely with the GSEF to promote the SSE particuarly in the field of community and youth.

GSEF team manager Jinkyung Choi participated in the ILO South-South and Triangular Cooperation Academy in Turin. With over 150 participants including public officers, international organisation staffs and civil society activists, GSEF discussed the efforts of achieving sustainable socioeconomic development from around the world with particular emphasis on the triangular cooperation.

Through the Academy and exchange with various representatives from different continents, GSEF extended its international network and promoted discussion on the role of SSE and international solidarity for developing countries. GSEF also had a chance to discuss with ILO in hosting the next Social and Solidarity Economy Academy in Seoul to promote the regional dialogues and efforts of promoting the SSE.

Based in Hong Kong, APAY is one of the Steering Committee member of GSEF. APAY is the regional coordinating body of the 24 national YMCA movements of Asia Pacific region with the headquarters located in Hong Kong. APAY operates in 9 major areas;

APAY, in the 19th General Assembly and the 3rd youth Assembly, adopted the social economy (social enterprises, cooperatives etc.) as its 10 common goals for tackling various social problems and empowering communities and youths. As a Steering Committee member of GSEF, Secretary General of APAY Mr. Boo-Won Nam will be sharing the insights and experiences of APAY at the GSEF2016 workshop on the Disaster Recovery through the Social Economy – The Case of Asia.

GSEF and Karl Polanyi Research Institute Asia is hosting a social economy public lecture (19:30, Youthhub Multipurpose Hall, Seoul Innovation Park 9th Aug). Professor Eric Bidet (Le Mans University, France) will give a lecture on the Korean social economy from the perspectives of France. Professor Eric Bidet has earned his doctoral degree on the social economy sectors in Korea and has extensive research experience at the CIRIEC International and EMES. You can register for the public lecture at: https://goo.gl/zksUpd (in Korean).