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SEN#44October 2025
An alliance to design and democratise local and regional economies at a critical moment in our history
By Marguerite Mendell. Distinguished Professor Emerita, School of Community and Public Affairs and Director, Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy, Concordia University. Member, Advisory Board, Global Social Economy Forum GSEF.
"This 10th CIRIEC International Research Conference on Social Economy, 'SSE’s Role in the Socio-Ecological Transition' to be held at Sciences Po Bordeaux, France, October 27-29, marks a milestone, as it will be the occasion to sign a partnership agreement between CIRIEC and GSEF during the Bordeaux GSEF Global SSE Forum, October 29-31. Formalizing collaboration between CIRIEC and GSEF will expand opportunities for dialogue across academic disciplines with SSE actors and networks, social movements, local governments, international organizations."
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All set in Bordeaux for the 10th CIRIEC International Research Conference on the Social Economy and the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF)
Both the CIRIEC Scientific Congress and the GSEF Forum are part of a dense and decisive global sequence, taking place just days before the Second World Summit for Social Development (Doha, 4–6 November 2025), which will bring together heads of state and government to accelerate the implementation of a new global social contract.
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Ten Ibero-American countries call on the UN and its Statistics Division to include a specific chapter on the Social and Solidarity Economy in the upcoming revision of the SNA-2008
Senior representatives — including seven ministers — from ten Ibero-American countries committed to the values and promotion of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) have signed a joint letter asking the United Nations Secretariat, and specifically its Statistics Division, to include “a dedicated chapter on the social and solidarity economy in the upcoming update of the SNA-2008, establishing the framework criteria for defining the scope of the SSE.” They also call for the development of a Satellite Account Manual for the Social and Solidarity Economy.
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The UN warns of the need to safeguard global progress in the Social and Solidarity Economy
At its 54th regular session, held virtually, the UNTFSSE welcomed the inclusion of references to cooperatives and the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in the Doha Political Declaration, whose text will be formally adopted by Member States during the Second World Summit for Social Development, scheduled for 4–6 November. However, UNTFSSE members and observers cautioned that recognition alone is not enough. They stressed that, with the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 coming to a close, without sustained commitment to relevant developments, the most recent advances risk being reversed.
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The World Social Summit in Doha will host the closing ceremony of the UN International Year of Cooperatives
The closing ceremony of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025 will take place on the morning of next November 4 in Doha, as part of the program of the Second World Summit for Social Development organized by the UN. Thirty years after the first Social Summit, held in Copenhagen in 1995, the second Summit will be held at the Qatar National Convention Centre, with the cooperative movement and the social economy playing a leading role as driving forces in shaping the new global social contract.
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An ACI event ahead of the Mondiacult (UNESCO) conference in Barcelona presents cooperatives as a driving force for culture and sustainability
The event was part of a broad campaign to position cooperatives in global debates and programs that present culture as an inseparable component of sustainable development, while also strengthening the work of the ICA Working Group on Cooperative Cultural Heritage.
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The European Parliament adopts a resolution on public procurement calling for a shift towards sustainability, innovation, quality, and accessibility for SMEs and social economy enterprises
The Network for Sustainable Development in Public Procurement (NSDPP), a coalition of NGOs, trade unions, and social economy organizations, welcomed the resolution. The group praised the European Parliament’s insistence that public authorities prioritize best value for money and use social and environmental criteria in their award decisions.
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The EU Proximity and Social Economy Platform is no longer being updated
The European Commission has announced that the EU Proximity and Social Economy Platform is no longer being updated. The announcement was made on the Platform’s website, which explains that the social economy “will become a cross-cutting theme within the Tourism, Retail, Textiles and other communities”, as part of a broader Stakeholders Support Platform.
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Copa-Cogeca sets out 10 “red lines” against the European Commission’s proposals on the Multiannual Financial Framework and CAP reform
The organisation warns that, unless the text is substantially revised, it will work to prevent its adoption. Above all, and together with other actors in the agri-food chain, Copa-Cogeca has called for recognition that without a common and secure approach to agriculture, there can be no lasting stability — not for farmers, not for the whole chain, and not for Europe. For Europe’s agri-food cooperatives, food security must remain a top political priority in these uncertain times, where security as a whole is a key concern for the European Union.
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Monica Fantini succeeds Giuseppe Guerini as the new President of CECOP
The General Assembly of CECOP – the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives – met on 16 October in Brussels and elected Monica Fantini as its new President, succeeding Giuseppe Guerini, who had held the position since 2016.
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Solidarity takes center stage at the 75th anniversary of the International Association of Mutual Benefit Societies
On June 12 and 13, Brussels hosted the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the International Association of Mutual Benefit Societies (AIM), which took place as a Congress and General Assembly under the theme “The Year of Solidarity.” Solidarity, mutual aid, and democratic values were also central themes of the General Assembly, which featured, among others, Seamus Boland, President of the EESC Civil Society Group, who called for building a healthier Europe for the future.
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FEBEA holds its 24th Annual Conference in Thun (Switzerland) with a debate on the future of ethical finance
The Annual Conference, themed “The Next Chapter of Ethical Finance”, took place at the headquarters of the Alternative Bank Switzerland, which co-organized the event with FEBEA. It was held in collaboration with Banca Etica and the European Union, as well as European Investment Funds, Crédit Coopératif, the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, and the Bank of Karditsa.
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Last Days to Apply for the 13th EACB Award for Young Researchers in Cooperative Banking
The European Association of Co-operative Banks (EACB), in collaboration with its Academic Advisory Group, has launched a new edition of the Award for the best paper on cooperative banking authored by young researchers. The winner will receive a prize of €2,000, the opportunity to publish the paper on the EACB website, and the chance to present it publicly during a meeting of the EACB Academic Advisory Group or an event organised by the association. The call is open to young researchers up to the age of 35. The deadline for submitting applications is October 31.
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CIRIEC-Spain publishes a special issue of its scientific journal on Economics dedicated to advances and perspectives in the Social Economy research agenda
According to professor Rafael Chaves, editor of the journal, the last three decades have witnessed substantial progress in research related to the social economy, with prolific academic production. A strong theoretical and empirical corpus has been generated, and an international scientific community has been consolidated around major scholarly societies specializing in the field of the social economy,.
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New OECD Publication: “Labels for the Social Economy”
The OECD has released a new guide titled “Labels for the Social Economy”, developed in collaboration with the European Union. The guide provides a comprehensive overview and practical guidance on quality labels, seals, or certifications applied to social economy entities. It details different types of labels or certifications, classifies them, and offers a checklist for policymakers and managers to design and evaluate these systems.
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Special Issue of the OIBESCOOP Newsletter Dedicated to University Education in the Social Economy in Ibero-America
The Ibero-American Observatory on the Social and Cooperative Economy (OIBESCOOP) has published a special issue of its newsletter entirely dedicated to university education in the Social and Solidarity Economy in Ibero-America. This issue represents a new effort to gather, describe, and contextualize the main academic degrees that currently shape this field in these countries. It serves as an initial repository highlighting long-standing programs with academic recognition and stable lines of research that have significantly contributed to the generation and dissemination of knowledge on the social, solidarity, and cooperative economy.
Read moreSocial Economy Schedule
The Mont Blanc Meetings 2026 will be held on 29 and 30 January in Geneva
The 12th Mont Blanc Meetings will be held again in Geneva in 2026. These meetings are the flagship event of the International Forum of the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESSFI). They bring together SSE leaders from around the world to discuss global challenges and share solutions. The 11th edition, in January 2025, also took place in Geneva, Switzerland, at the ILO headquarters, under the theme ‘SSE facing the role of finance and economic pluralism, supporting the SDGs and social development’.
+infoUN Second World Summit for Social Development, Doha, Qatar, from 4 to 6 November 2025
The United Nations General Assembly, through its resolutions 78/261 and 78/318, decided to convene the “World Social Summit” in 2025, under the title “the Second World Summit for Social Development.” Convening at the level of Heads of State or Government, the summit aims to address the gaps and recommit to the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action and its implementation and give momentum towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Stakeholders are invited to apply to host a side event during Summit.
+infoGlobal Innovation Coop Summit - Torres Vedras (Portugal), 27th and 28th October
The 2025 Global Innovation Coop Summit will be held in Torres Vedras, Portugal, on 27 and 28 October. The Summit brings together the cooperative and mutualist movement to inspire innovation and open the door to the implementation of new ideas.
+info10th EMES Conference - 3 to 7 November in Rotterdam and Utrecht
The Congress will be held under the theme “The role of social entrepreneurs and social enterprises in driving social transitions”. The full programme for the event is now available.
+infoResearchers' Forum on the role of philanthropy in research and innovation - 6-7 November in Turin
The Forum is organised by Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, together with Philea, with the aim of analysing the fundamental role of philanthropy in revitalising Europe's economic dynamism through research and innovation.
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