Announcement
- GSEF 2016 Registration (on-going)
- Call for suggestions: GSEF 2017-2018 strategic action plan

Latest News
- GSEF social economy session (Int’l forum on Urban Policy for the SDGs)
- 14th UNTFSSE meeting

Organisation Introduction
- FMDV

Upcoming Events
- Seoul social economy impact measurement and policy assessment workshop
- 2016 International co-operative day
- ILO South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) Academy
- High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)
- APAY National General Secretaries’ Conference
- Prepcom III (Habitat III)

Registration for GSEF2016 is on-going, participants can register not only for the main forum but also for various site visits and side events during the forum by completing online registration form. For further details on the main workshops, please check out preliminary programmes.

GSEF is currently working on formulating its 2017-2018 strategic action plan which is going to be presented at the GSEF 2016 General Assembly. Any suggestion, idea on joint projects, research proposals, SSE initiatives will be welcomed. Through the discussion with GSEF Steering Committee, we are currently developing strategic plans in 5 major areas.

1. Information, communication and exchange of good policies & practices
2. Reinforcement of GSEF members and their capacities as a global SSE network
3. Training/Education
4. National, Regional and International advocacy/lobby
5. Promoting joint research projects.

We are opening a call for suggestion for the GSEF action plan in the 5 major areas. You can share your valuable inputs through gsef@gsef-net.org

GSEF organised the social economy session at the International forum on Urban Policy for the SDGs. The central theme of the GSEF session was on potential of social economy as an urban policy tools for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). GSEF invited 4 distinguished panelists for the session.

Jean Fabre (former Deputy-Director, UNDP): Provided a broad overview of the role of social and solidarity economy in achieving sustainable urban development by introducing initiatives of London / Canada / Mali.

Denison Jayasooria (Deputy Chairman, RIPESS Asia): Introduced various social and solidarity economy initiatives across Asia with a particular focus on community centred, bottom-up initiatives.

Seon-Seop Kang (Director, SE division, Seoul Metropolitan Gov): Demonstrated that the local government can be a crucial player in establishing social economy eco-system through the various policy support and administrative backups with particular emphasis on Seoul’s new policy trend since 2012 onwards.

Dae-hoon Kim (Executive Manager, iCOOP Co-operative Dev. Center): Introduced the success case of iCOOP and demonstrated the ways of cooperative enterprises revitalising an underpopulated rural area based on cooperation with local community and local authority.

14^th meeting of the UN Inter-agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) was held on the the 14^th of June. GSEF SG, Laurence Kwark joined the meeting through a conference call. GSEF introduced its plan for organizing a SE side event at the PrepCom III of Habitat III this July jointly with FMDV and other partner institutions. GSEF is worked closely with UNTFSSE, MBM, RIPESS, FMDV, INAISE, HIC by drafting a joint letter and successfully managed to include the contribution of SSE to the Habitat III New Urban Agenda through the revised zero draft (para 31.).

Para 31.

We commit to create an enabling, fair and responsible business environment, based on the principles of environmental sustainability and inclusivity, promoting investments, innovations, and entrepreneurship. We also commit to address the challenges faced by local business communities, through supporting micro, small and medium -enterprises and cooperatives, in particular businesses and enterprises in the social and solidarity economy, operating in both the formal and informal sectors.

The Global fund for cities development (FMDV) was created in October 2010 at the initiative of Metropolis, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and 34 founding members (cities and city networks). It is an international political organisation which aims to strengthen solidarity and financial capacity by and among local authorities.

FMDV’s main projects are based on its 4 main visions for the city development

• Strengthening local public finance
• Boosting local economic development
• Optimising urban planning
• Implementing concerted and integrated development

One of FMDV’s main focuses is on encouraging local governments to implement sustainable urban policies through social economy approaches such as social enterprises and social investments. Through its local offices, it forms a readily available network of expert and committed international and regional partners, local authorities, universities, NGOs, private groups and international institutions assists local governments to access funding.

Also, for its local government members, FMDV provides project support / capitalisation and dissemination of knowledge / programme ‘Resolution to Fund Cities’. To read more about its vision and get to know more about its publications/activities, check out FMDV website.

Co-hosted by Seoul Metropolitan Gov, Seoul Social Economy Center and The Seoul Institute, Workshop on Seoul’s social economy impact measurement and policy assessment will be taking place in Seoul. Various academics from leading universities in Korea, KPIA, iCOOP cooperative research center and Seoul Social Economy Council are joining this workshop by presenting their research outcomes on the development of social economy indicators, assessment of social enterprises in Seoul and measuring impacts of social economy on the happiness of citizens.

2^nd of July is the International co-operative day, co-operatives around the world will be celebrating the day. 2016 international co-operative day will focus on the role/contribution of co-operatives to the SDGs under the slogan ‘the power to act for a sustainable future’. Various co-operatives in different countries will initiate education programmes and events to celebrate the day and to promote public awareness of the co-operatives and the Agenda 2030. For further details, please check out International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) website.

ILO Academy on SSTC will be taking place in Turin from 11 to 15 July. More than 150 participants from central/local governments, UN agencies including 30 ILO staffs and 120 constituents and external partners will be deepening their knowledge and network in establishing the new SSTC projects. The Academy will cover 4 major topics with relevant methodologies.

1. Sustainable Development Goals and SSTC
2. Triangular cooperation: good practices
3. Gender mainstreaming and SSTC
4. The Road to Buenos Aires +40: From TCDC to SSTC

GSEF is working on ILO in hosting the next ILO SSE Academy on SSE in Seoul and joining the Academy this July to closely discuss with ILO in the contents / format of the future academy as well as expanding its network with the participants of the Academy.

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is United Nations central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, which was adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015. All states members of the UN and other stakeholders will gather in New York this July to review 22 countries’ progress on SDGs.

During the HLPF, UNTFSSE in collaboration with France and Costa Rica government organising a side event on the potential of SSE in contribution to the implementation of 2030 agenda. For further details about the forum including various side events please click the banner below.

Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs (APAY) is hosting the National General Secretaries Conference in Myanmar. 24 APAY member countries' General Secretaries will be gathering in Yangon to discuss APAY Quadrennial plan (2016-2019). GSEF co-chairman Rev. Kyong Yong Song is attending the forum to run a session on the role of social and solidarity economy and its contribution to the APAY strategic agenda setting and its various programmes notably in youth empowerment. You can check out further details of the forum here.

The third session of the Preparatory Committee of the third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) will be held in Surabaya from 25 to 27 of July. GSEF is jointly organising a side event in collaboration with FMDV and other partner organisations such as RIPESS on the SSE and its contribution to Habitat III new urban agenda.