Pope Francis will convene an international event “The Economy of Francesco” in Assisi, Italy from 26 to 28 March 2020 based on the document “Towards the Economy of Francesco”.

The event is envisioned to bring together two thousand economists, entrepreneurs, artists and communication experts from all continents to explore new economic models that are more inclusive, humane, and environmentally sustainable.

Based on the document “Towards the Economy of Francesco”, a preparatory meeting on “Laboratory of the Economy of Cities” took place in Assisi on 21 February. It discussed how new economic models can be supported at the local level.

The meeting was attended by the Italian Vice Minister of Economy and Finance, Pier Paolo Baretta; President of the Fondazione Finanza Etica, Marco Piccolo; Deputy Director of Banca Etica, Nazareno Gabrielli; six mayors of small cities in the north, centre and south of Italy; and approximately 30 other participants from both public and private sectors.

ILO’s Senior Specialist on Local Development and Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), Roberto Di Meglio participated in the event. He provided reflections on how the SSE can contribute to building a new production and consumption model. He also highlighted the Report by the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work and the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, 2019 that mention potential roles of cooperatives and the wider SSE.