Red Intercontinental de Promoción de la Economía Social y Solidaria (RIPESS)
Red Intercontinental de Promoción de la Economía Social y Solidaria (RIPESS)

Solidarity economy isn’t a dream, it’s already happening – A conversation with Dražen Šimleša

In our latest episode, we chat with Dražen Šimleša from Croatia’s Green Network of Activist Groups and RIPESS Europe about what a just economy really means today—and how it’s already being built. From fair wages and democratic workplaces to sustainable local economies and global solidarity, Dražen gives us a grounded, practical view of how solidarity economy works in real life.

Social and solidarity economy: an idea born out of the alterglobalization movements and then recognized by the United Nations

In 2019, the UN adopted a first version of a resolution supporting the social and solidarity economy. Since then, numerous advocacy and mobilization efforts have been undertaken to preserve the essence of this concept and prevent it from being diluted into approaches more focused on “social business” or entrepreneurship, which do not challenge the current unsustainable and unjust economic system.