UNTFSSE members and observers discuss COVID-19 responses and work-plan priorities

The ILO chaired the meeting and its Cooperatives Unit shared its work related to the COVID-19 response.

News | 27 May 2020
Participants at the UNTFSSE meeting
On 19 May 2020, the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on the Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) organized its 30th regular meeting since the establishment of the Task Force in 2013.

The meeting brought together close to 50 participants including representatives from six member organizations (ILO, UNRISD, UNCTAD, UNDP-ART, UNDESA and OECD), eleven observer organizations (CIRIEC, EURICSE, EESC, GSEF, Euclid Network, Social Economy Europe, SSE International Forum, RIPESS, CSEND, EMES and ICA) and three resource persons.

The discussions centred around COVID-19 and its implications on the SSE and on the work of the UNTFSSE. It was agreed that the Task Force should draft a joint statement on the subject and keep updating the UNTFSSE dedicated page.

Several priority objectives identified in the work plan of the UNTFSSE were also discussed, including the possible process leading to a UN resolution on SSE and two joint project proposals.

A recent task force initiative to create a webpage compiling available SSE framework laws and other relevant laws was presented. The page, which has already been launched and managed by socioeco.org, with regular updates from interested UNTFSSE members and observers, will be publicly available in the coming weeks. The members were also informed that the UNTFSSE website and the Knowledge Hub webpage are now available in French, Spanish and Portuguese, in addition to English.

The Manager of the ILO’s Cooperatives Unit shared its ongoing work documenting responses by cooperatives and other SSE institutions on COVID-19 and related policy actions. Participants also shared updates on their relevant international events, many of which have been postponed due to the current pandemic.

The next regular meeting of the UNTFSSEE will be organized in July 2020.