UN Task Force on SSE discusses its priorities at a retreat in Trento

Members and observers of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) met in Trento to discuss key issues and priorities, including a possible UN Resolution on the SSE.

News | 29 November 2019
UNTFSSE organized its team retreat from 21 to 22 November 2019 in Trento, Italy. The Task Force was established in 2013 in order to raise the visibility of the SSE in international knowledge and policy circles for the integrated implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Currently chaired by the ILO, it has 19 UN Agencies and the OECD as members and 10 civil society organizations as observers.

UNTFSSE members and observers at the retreat

The main objective of the retreat was to share recent developments around the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and discuss key issues for the Task Force in the coming years. Six officials of the ILO participated in the retreat: Mr. Vic van Vuuren, Director of Enterprises Department; Ms. Anita Amorim, Head for Emerging and Special Partnerships; and Mr. Roberto Di Meglio, Ms. Valentina Verze, Mr. Guy Tchami, and Mr. Kim Young Hyun from the Cooperatives Unit. Fernando Baptista, ILO Consultant (Collective Brain) also attended.

The retreat focused on the following three topics:
  • Supporting the process, led by one or more UN member states, towards a possible UN Resolution on the SSE: Despite the growing attention to the SSE as a viable model to balance economic, social and environmental goals, there is no universal definition or guideline on the SSE. A reference to the Social and Solidarity Economy in the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work (2019) raised the visibility of the topic in the international fora. Having a UN Resolution would give more recognition to the SSE and an official mandate to the UNTFSSE.
  • Improving communications: UNTFSSE has launched the SSE Knowledge Hub as a repository of its research-based outputs on the role of the SSE for the SDGs. More efforts should be made to develop and implement communication strategies under one umbrella, tapping into existing platforms of members and observers (e.g. ILO, UNRISD, socioeco.org by RIPESS, Euricse, CIRIEC).
  • Adopting a programmatic approach: There is a need to create a programme that would draw on different expertise and stronger commitments from funding and non-funding partners.
These three topics will be the priorities of the UNTFSSE work plan for 2020.