Announcement
- GSEF SC Conference Call Meeting
- GSEF2016 Programme Announcement (Early April) and Registration (on-going)
- Launch of the GSEF website

Latest News
- GSEF SG, Co-chairman visiting Europe
- Meeting with the UCLG team

Organisation Introduction
- UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments)

Upcoming Events
- Gurye, GSEF2016 pre-forum
- 4th Meeting of the African SSE Network (RAESS)
- 2016 International INAISE Conference

GSEF Steering Committee conference call meeting will be held on the 1^st of April (00:30 ~ 02:30 GMT). GSEF SC members, GSEF co-chairman Rev. Song, SG Laurence, and the GSEF2016 Director General Beatrice Alain will be participating this call.

Here is the list of items on agenda to be discussed through the conference call

1. Approval of minutes from the previous SC Meeting on November 5^th, 2015
2. Reporting actions of GSEF Secretariat (November 2015~March 2016)
3. Progress report of GSEF 2016
4. Discussion on tentative hosting city of GSEF 2018
5. Approval of new members’ applications
6. Reviewing the draft of GSEF strategic action plan 2016~2018

Outcome of the SC conference call meeting will be published on the GSEF website (http://gsef-net.org).

Along with the GSEF2016 webpage, GSEF association website (www.gsef-net.org) is now open where users will be able to find links and information about previous GSEF 2013, 2014 forums, GSEF 2015 SC meeting and the forthcoming GSEF2016 Montreal forum. Although in its initial stage, the website aims to provide the SSE related news, events, publications and to introduce best SE practices by thematic and regional categories for social economy actors around the globe. If you wish to share your organization’s initiatives, publications and latest news, please contact us through gsef@gsef-net.org.

GSEF Secretary General (SG) Laurence Kwark and Co-chairman Rev. Song will be visiting Europe throughout this April. SG Laurence will attend the UNCTAD 14 preparatory committee (6^th April) and upcoming UNTFSSE meeting in Geneva (the date tbc). Also, both SG Laurence and Rev Song will have a series of meetings with two SC members in Europe (Groupe SOS, France and Locality, UK) and the Mont-Blanc Meeting team to formalise their partnership and to discuss about the strategies of promoting the SSE and promote regional partnerships.

SG Laurence Kwark and Young Kim from Seoul Social Economy Network had a meeting with the UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments) team. Ms. Sara Hoeflich (UCLG learning agenda programme), Ms. Magali Fricaudet (UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Homan Rights) attended the meeting. GSEF and UCLG discussed the possible cooperation opportunities between two organisations with particular emphasis on the role of governments / municipal authorities in achieving SDGs and way to localize its global efforts and the peer learning process between the cities.

Established in 2004, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is an umbrella organization for cities, local governments and municipal associations around continents. Over 1,000 cities are members of the UCLG and it represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve.

Headquartered in Barcelona, the organisation’s stated mission is “To be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, promoting its values, objectives and interests, through cooperation between local governments, and within the wider international community”.

UCLG’s work programme focuses on:

• Increasing the role and influence of local government and its representative organisations in global governance;
• Becoming the main source of support for democratic, effective, innovative local government close to the citizen;
• Ensuring an effective and democratic global organisation.

UCLG supports international cooperation between cities and their associations, and facilitates programmes, networks and partnerships to build the capacities of local governments.

GSEF2016 pre-forum will be held in Gurye Nature dream Park, hosted by ICoop Korea jointly managed by the GSEF Secretariat, Karl Polanyi Institute Asia, Community&Economy and more. Also, various local governments such as Seoul, Gyeonggi, Jeju and Gwangju are expected to participate in the event. As a preparatory meeting for the GSEF2016, the pre-forum will be a venue for discussing the role and issue of the social and solidarity economy in tackling various urban challenges.

Along with various social economy organizations from Korean civil society, prof. Marguerite Mendell (Director of Karl Polanyi Institute of political economy) will be participating this forum as a keynote speaker. Further details of the event will be announced soon.

(click the box below to check out on the website, available only in Korean)

4th Meeting of the African Network for Social and Solidarity Economy will be held in Bamako from 26^th - 30^th April. The main objective of Bamako 2016 conference is to assess the progress made by RAESS in promoting the SSE in Africa, in particular by evaluating the advances of the African roadmap 2010-2015 for promoting the SSE and its legal framework across the continent.

30 African member countries and participants around the globe will discuss various issues such as the role of the state / gender / solidarity finance / sustainable agriculture in the development of the SSE. For further details about the meeting click the banner.

2016 International INAISE conference on ‘Social and Solidarity Finance: Contributions, Promises and Challenges’ will be held from 11^th ~ 13^th May, 2016 in Montreal. The conference will be organised by INAISE (The International Association of Investors in the Social Economy) and its members from Quebec Filaction, la Caisse d'économie solidaire, MCE Conseils and Réseau québécois du Crédit communautaire. Registration for the conference is now open (click the banner below).