Member States strongly support tabling a resolution on Social and Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development at the United Nations General Assembly

During the side-event “Role of Social and Solidarity Economy in achieving the SDGs: Potential General Assembly Resolution,” Member States recognized the role of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) in contributing to the attainment of Agenda 2030 and expressed support for advancing a proposal for a UN General Assembly Resolution on SSE for sustainable development.

News | 29 July 2022
The side-event was organized by the Spanish Government in collaboration with the ILO and UNCTAD on July 22 in New York. It aimed at socializing the SSE and its role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while discussing the opportunity of tabling a UN resolution on SSE for sustainable development at the 77th General Assembly.

The session was moderated by Mr. Yvon Poirier, Special Advisor at the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS).

In her opening remarks, Ms. Yolanda Díaz Pérez, Second Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Labor and the Social Economy of Spain invited the participants to discuss the role of the SSE in contributing to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and to explore the interest in promoting a process leading to the approval of a UN General Assembly Resolution. Minister Diaz’s intervention is available here.

Mr. Collen Vixen Kelapile, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations, underlined the close alignment of the conclusion of the High Level Political Forum (HLPF2022) and the role of the SSE in achieving the SDGs. Mr. Kelapine noted that a General Assembly resolution will encourage the United Nations agencies to give due consideration to the SSE within their policies, programmes and action plans and to provide support to Member States, reinforcing and expanding the ongoing work of the UN Task Force on the SSE (UNTFSSE). President Kelapine’s intervention is available here.

Following the opening remarks, the event held two round tables.

In the first roundtable discussion, the “Partnerships to promote the SSE in the 2030 Agenda,” representatives of international organizations and SSE umbrella organizations acknowledged the role of the SSE in contributing to all 17 SDGs and, underlined the growing momentum around the SSE at international level - as shown by the Resolution concerning decent work and the social and solidarity economy adopted at the 110th International Labour Conference, the OECD Recommendation on Social and Solidarity Economy and Social Innovation and the European Commission’s Social Economy Action Plan – which will be reinforced at UN multilateral system by the adoption of a UN General Assembly Resolution. The panellists are as follows:
  • Ms. Beate Andrees, Special Representative to the UN and Director, Office for the United Nations, International Labour Organization (ILO). Ms. Andrees’s intervention is available here.
  • Mr. Raymond Landveld, Economic Affairs Officer, New York Office, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Mr. Landveld’s intervention is available here.
  • Mr. Joseph Njuguna, Policy Coordinator of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and member of the International Coalition of the SSE (ICSSE). Mr. Njuguna’s intervention is available here.
  • Mr. Pierre Hurmic, President of the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF) and Mayor of Bordeaux, France. Mr. Hurmic’s intervention is available here.
In the second roundtable “The relevance of a UN General Assembly resolution on SSE and sustainable development: contents and technical aspects,” a core group of Ministers expressed their support in advancing the UNGA Resolution and shared their perspectives on why such international recognition of the SSE represents an important milestone at all levels. The panellists are as follows:
  • H.E. Ms. Marlene Schiappa, State Secretary for Social and Solidarity Economy and Associative Life, France (video). Ms. Schiappa’s video message is available here.
  • H.E. Mr. Luis Miguel de Camps, Minister of Labor, Dominican Republic. Minister de Camps’s intervention is available here.
  • H.E. Ms. Zahra Iyane Thiam Diop, Minister of Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy, Senegal. Minister Diop’s intervention is available here.
  • H.E. Mr. Luka Mesec, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Slovenia. Minister Mesec’s intervention is available here.
The panels were followed by interventions of Member States. Member States’ representatives that supported the tabling a UN General Assembly Resolution on SSE for sustainable development are: Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Malaysia, Bulgaria.

The side event ended with a closing ceremony, which acknowledged the recognition by the different parties on the role of the SSE as tool for an inclusive and sustainable development and for building back better and on the growing consensus around such UN Resolution. A group of member states will undertake joint work in order to present it at the 77th General Assembly of the UN in September 2022.

Concluding remarks were given by:
  • Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD (video). Mr. Gryspan’s video message is available here.
  • Mr. Guy Ryder, Director-General, ILO (video). Mr. Ryder’s video message is available here.
  • Ms. Yolanda Díaz Pérez, Second Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Labor and the Social Economy of Spain. Minister Diaz’s intervention is available here.
The recording of the event is available on the UN Web TV in English, French and Spanish.

The concept note of the event is available here.