17 May 2013: The UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), along with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and in partnership with the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS), Hivos, the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation and the Ville de Genève, recently co-hosted a conference on the Potential and Limits of Social and Solidarity Economy.

The event took place from 6-8 May 2013, in Geneva, Switzerland, and gathered approximately 300 participants from academics, UN organizations, and civil society. Sessions considered: Conceptualizing the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE); SSE, Welfare Regimes and Social Service Provisioning; SSE and Local Development; SSE, Public Policy and Law; SSE and Gender Dynamics; Political Economy of SSE and Collective Action; Scaling up SSE through the Market; SSE, Resilience and Sustainability; and Priorities for Research, Policy and Action.

In his closing remarks, Darryl Reed, York University, noted that the conference’s question of what are the potential and limits of SSE could be answered using three discourses: positive, normative and strategic. Ben Quinones offered a video presentation on “Priorities for Research, Policy and Action” at the conclusion of the conference, and discussed a tool he has developed to evaluate the SSE supply chain, among other topics.

In addition to this meeting, UNRISD reports that an initiative is under way to create an Interagency Task Force on SSE within the UN, and the ILO is working to bring together relevant UN agencies for regular exchanges on their programming and policy making in the field of SSE. [UNRISD Press Release] [Meeting webpage] [ILO conference information] [IISD RS Story on SSE Initiatives]