In June 2020, the United Nations Inter-agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) released a statement on “What role for the Social and Solidarity Economy in the post COVID-19 crisis recovery?”

The statement is a joint effort of members and observers of the task force to reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic, its impacts on lives, economies and planet and recovery strategies necessary to overcome the socio-economic crisis. The document states that “(…) it is necessary to address the root causes of exclusionary and unsustainable development, in order to shape a different future. Rethinking the way we do business will be crucial in order to ensure a ‘people-centred and planet-sensitive’ recovery.”

It introduces the SSE as one key actor in shaping such a recovery, especially through promoting the access to basic rights, in particular for the most vulnerable people; generating innovative solutions at the local level; supporting a just transition; acting as an anticyclical “antidote”. The statement concludes with a call for action for governments.