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SEN#54September 2026
Building the research networks African social entrepreneurship needs
Frederik Claeyé, Souléïmane A. Adekambi, Soulé Adechian and Kerryn Krige
Across Africa, social enterprises are tackling urgent social, economic and environmental challenges. Yet much of what we know about social entrepreneurship comes from the ‘global north’, leaving many African experiences under-represented in academic research. "It was this that we wanted to change," recalls Kerryn Krige. "Frederik and I had been talking for years about how to build scholarly bridges across African contexts." The challenge was not simply producing another study. Researchers first needed ways to connect, collaborate and learn from one another.
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United Nations publishes its new report on the Social and Solidarity Economy
The United Nations Secretary-General’s report analyses the progress made in recent years and calls for policies that will help consolidate the Social and Solidarity Economy as a tool for sustainable development. The report will be presented and discussed next September 25 at the Auditorium of the Instituto Cervantes in New York, in a session that can be followed online.
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President of Social Economy Europe, Juan Antonio Pedreño, highlights the strategic role of the Social Economy in addressing the European Union’s major challenges
The social economy is playing an increasingly visible role in the debate on Europe’s economic and social future. This is the view put forward by Juan Antonio Pedreño, President of Social Economy Europe and of the Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy (CEPES), in a recent article in which he argues for the sector’s strategic importance to the European project.
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Montreal to host the 35th CIRIEC International Congress from 5 to 8 October
The congress, organised by CIRIEC-Canada together with CIRIEC-International, will have the theme “Caring for the world: the essential contribution of the social economy and public enterprises”. The event will take place at the Centre Mont-Royal and is expected to attract close to 1,000 participants from thirty countries.
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CIRIEC calls for papers for the 11th International Research Conference on Social Economy – Bogotá (Colombia), 30 June to 2 July 2027
CIRIEC International is already working on its next major academic event on the Social Economy. The 11th International Congress of Social Economy Researchers of CIRIEC International will take place from 30 June to 2 July 2027 in Bogotá, organised by the Colombian section of CIRIEC and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana under the theme ‘Social and Solidarity Economy in the face of global transformations and challenges for peace’. Abstracts must be submitted by 1 November.
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International Cooperative Alliance defends the contribution of cooperatives to world peace at its World Conference in Panama
The ICA World Conference, held in Panama from 13 to 18 September, brought the cooperative movement together under the theme “Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions to a Peaceful World”. In this context, Ariel Guarco was re-elected President of the ICA for the next four years.
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ICA explores Cooperative Law and Public Policies in greater depth through a training workshop in Croatia
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) held a workshop on Cooperative Law and Public Policies on 22 and 23 August in Pula (Croatia), bringing together lawyers specialising in cooperatives, researchers, professionals and representatives of the cooperative movement to analyse how Cooperative Identity is incorporated into national legislation, public policies and institutional practice. The workshop was held within the framework of the ICA’s Financial Partnership Agreement with the European Union.
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Copa-Cogeca calls for key strategic decisions for the future of European agriculture
The European organisation representing farmers and agricultural cooperatives is warning about the effects of extreme weather conditions, rising production costs and international tensions. Against this backdrop, Copa-Cogeca is calling for a coherent political vision, underpinned by stable policies and predictable programmes, that gives farmers the confidence they need to maintain their farms.
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The mutual sector calls for a strategic role in Europe’s future at the European Parliament
On 8 September, the European Parliament hosted the event “Mutuals at the service of Europe’s priorities: strategic autonomy, prosperity and accessibility”, organised by the Social Economy and Services of General Interest Intergroup together with Social Economy Europe, AIM and AMICE, which placed the role of mutuals as contributors to the achievement of the EU’s strategic priorities at the centre of the discussion.
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The Alliance for Sustainable Public Procurement welcomes the proposal for a European Public Procurement Directive, but calls for it to be strengthened
The Alliance welcomes the European Commission’s proposal, but calls for more binding social and environmental criteria and greater access for social economy organisations to public contracts.
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South Korea passes its Framework Act on the Social and Solidarity Economy
The law provides, among other aspects, for better coordination of public policies, the development of solidarity-based financing mechanisms, as well as better access to markets through public procurement.
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Brazil legally recognises cooperativism as part of its national culture, strengthening the cooperative legacy
The Government of Brazil has made Law 15,433/2026 public, recognising cooperativism as a manifestation of national culture and highlighting the historical contribution of cooperatives to the country’s social, economic and community development.
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Issue 25 of the Portuguese journal ‘Economia Social. Leituras & Debates’
The new edition analyses the development of the Social Economy in Portugal and addresses issues such as public policies, the role of CASES, training, volunteering and European strategies
Read moreSocial Economy Schedule
2026 OECD Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy - 12-13 October, Paris
The OECD Trust Survey shows that governments are unable to translate long-term and complex policy agendas into tangible results. There is a sense that governments are “stuck” and that a significant transformation is now required to ensure that democratic governments deliver for citizens. At the same time, there is need for governments to act to support the democratic resilience of our societies themselves. The 2026 Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy will provide a platform to explore these challenges through the OECD’s Government Unstuck agenda.
+infoCECOP & FEBEA joint event on the future European Competitiveness Fund - 13 October, Brussels
CECOP (European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives) and FEBEA (European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers) are bringing together representatives of the cooperative and social economy finance alongside European policy makers and institutional stakeholders for a timely discussion on the future of the InvestEU. The event will be organised in the European Parliament.As the European Union prepares the next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034, the event will explore how InvestEU has supported the growth and impact of the social economy under the current EU budget, and discuss how its successor under the European Competitiveness Fund can better respond to the needs of cooperatives and social economy enterprises.
+infoCooperatives Europe's 20th anniversary - 15 and 16 October, Brussels
On 15 and 16 October 2026, Cooperatives Europe will mark its 20th anniversary with a two-day event at the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels, bringing together cooperative members, EU institutions, academia, and partners. For twenty years, Cooperatives Europe has worked alongside its members to build a fairer and more democratic economy, under different cooperative perspectives, national federations, sectors, and leaders. This collective effort has brought diverse groups of people and communities who keep cooperative principles at the heart of their daily work.
+info14th Meeting of Latin American Researchers in Cooperativism (EILAC), Santiago, Chile, 3–4 November
The 14th EILAC Meeting will take place on 3 and 4 November 2026 in Santiago, Chile, at the Central University of Chile, under the theme ‘Cooperatives in times of multiple crises: laboratories of hope and democracy for human development’.
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