It is not possible to separate food sovereignty from the social and solidarity economy, an approach conceived by the alterglobalization movements and now recognised even by the United Nations. How did these two streams meet? What future can they build together? We spoke about this with Dražen Simlesa, who represents the International Network for Social and Solidarity Economy (RIPESS), one of the movements involved in the Nyéléni Process and participating to the 3rd Nyéléni Global Forum.
Can you tell us what has been the work of social movements to obtain a UN Resolution on Social and Solidarity Economy and why is it important?
Well, this was really a long story, good for some book. The story started with the creation of the United Nations Inter-Agency Taskforce on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) in 2013. Here we had an observer status and started to work with other social movements and partners on the recognition of SSE. After we introduced the idea of UN Resolution on SSE in 2016, UNTFSSE adopted it as its priority and with many ups and downs, few steps forward several back we worked on that tirelessly. The UN system is quite complex, you need to find countries that will lead the way to the UN Resolution and others that will endorse it. So, with that you are dependent on changes in political area of each country and changes of their representatives at the UN. First version of Resolution we had in 2019 and from then lot of advocacy work and agitating for the SSE, but on same time caring for the concept and preventing the dilution with some more social business and entrepreneurship styles that doesn’t question current unsustainable and unjust economic system. After several rounds of consultations among countries and our constant work, we had 43 countries that endorse the final text and the UN Resolution “Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development” was adopted in April, 2023.
It is important because it give us a high political framework for further promotion and advocacy work on implementation of SSE public policies. In fact, it calls all countries to adopt concrete measures and policies to support the SSE. It is even more important if we know that there was also an advocacy work to include SSE in SDGs that were adopted by UN in 2015. No matter that SDGs have good goals regarding reducing hunger, women’s rights or nature protection, they were initiated still captured by the growth obsession, a source that cause many problems that SDGs on the paper traying to solve. And yes, at that time we couldn’t succeed in putting SSE within this important framework. But we didn’t give up.
What was, in short, the history that led to the birth of the social and solidarity economy movement? Who founded it and who is part of it today?
RIPESS Int. is the result of social movement gatherings and convergences that were happening in mid ’90 and at the beginning of 2000’s. It is what we know today as alterglobalization movement. First meeting on the “Globalization of Solidarity” meeting held in Lima, Peru and gathered activists, practitioners and scholars active in SSE. We can officially follow RIPESS Int. from 2002 when the network the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) founded. Today RIPESS is active on all continents with several hundreds organization that are working on promotion and education, practice and public policy work for SSE. All together we are nourishing cooperation among members and strengthening progressive movements that seek for transformative social change across the world.
Are there governments in the world that have adopted this concept in their legislation? Which ones?
We have examples all over the world. Some of them are results of good SSE tradition and strength of the movement with addition political support such as in France or Spain. In Asia we can mention state support for SSE in South Korea, or Latin America with Brazil and Africa with Cameroon. Sometimes it is more visible on regional level, so we have a strong public policy and of course SSE movement in Quebec (Canada) or Catalonia (Spain) or Trento (Italy). And very often SSE actors work in some specific thematic areas and through those channels making changes in the public policy area. That kind of examples are SSE work on Plurinational Strategic Plan of Bolivia in coordination with the Ministry of Productive Development and Plural Economy and the Vice-Ministry of Domestic Trade and Exports or Plurinational Strategic Plan of Bolivia in coordination with the Ministry of Productive Development and Plural Economy and the Vice-Ministry of Domestic Trade and Exports or the work of the Movement of Social and Solidarity Economy (MESSE) in Ecuador where they succeed in recognition and acceptance of solidarity based short supply chains on the country level and has been improving by that lives of small local farmers. We also must be aware that SSE is very aligned with many concept that are present and practice, also in the legislation across the world such as “buen vivir” in Latin America or “gotong royong” in Southeast Asia.
Why do you think it is important for the social and solidarity economy movement to connect with the food sovereignty movement in the Nyéléni Process? What can come out of this alliance?
We don’t even see it separately. that is why many of our members are active in both areas and connecting in the lives and work SSE and food sovereignty. We don’t see a deep and systemic transformation that we seek without the same deep change in our behaviour, practices and policies in food area. Likewise, we don’t see a real food sovereignty and agroecology movement without inclusion of SSE values and approach. we see our alliance as mutually supportive and needed for a holistic view on the world in a polycrisis, but also on the needed solutions.