UNITED NATIONSINTER-AGENCY TASK FORCEON SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY (UNTFSSE)SECOND TECHNICALSYMPOSIUM:TASK FORCE ACTION PLAN 2020-2022
SecondTechnicalSymposium
BRIEF REPORT, JANUARY 2020
21 – 22 NOVEMBER 2019
TRENTO, ITALYSECOND TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM: TASK FORCE ACTION PLAN 2020-2022
BRIEF REPORT, JANUARY 2020

“This Task Force brings together different expertise, experiences and perspectives. Since 2013, it has been
growing considerably. Its work has been enriched by new UN agencies and civil society organization networks
joining along the way.
We are excited about what has been achieved, what still needs to be done and how we can make it happen
together. The world is facing major challenges in the form of a huge social deficit and climate change. We need
to focus on how we can increase the impact of the social and solidarity economy in tackling these challenges
whilst promoting it as viable alternative to achieving and localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We need to ensure that a people-centred approach will drive our economies. We have to work on the creationof enabling environments - at all levels – to let SSE ecosystems flourish as part of plural economies and more
inclusive and sustainable societies. We need to reach out to - through education systems - the new generations
who are the ones who can push for a change and head towards a better future”.
Victor van Vuuren Chair UNTFSSE

1ACTION PLAN 2020-2022
PRIORITY OBJECTIVES� UN Resolution on SSE
� Knowledge Hub for SDGs
� SSE Operational Program

CONTENT PRIORITIES� Education

� Local Dimension

SUPPORT ACTIVITIES� Survey on SSE� Position Paper of UNTFSSE
� Communication
� ILC - International Labour Conference� Pact for Impact

SECOND TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM: TASK FORCE ACTION PLAN 2020-2022
BRIEF REPORT, JANUARY 2020

INTRODUCTION
The second technical symposium of the United
Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Social andSolidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) took place in
Trento (Italy) on 21 and 22 November 2019. It wasorganized by the International Labour Organizationand facilitated by the ILO International Training
Centre, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Labour,
Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy of theLuxembourg Government and hosted by EURICSE.

The event was an opportunity to reflect onachievements since its establishment in 2013,challenges ahead and strategies for the future.
As main result, the Task Force agreed upon key
actions to be jointly undertaken by its members andobservers in the next biennium.

Thirty-six participants took part in the event which
included resource persons and representativesof 6 members (ILO, OECD, UNCTAD, UNDESA,UNDP, UNRISD and 9 observers (CSEND, CIRIEC,Euclid Network, EURICSE, FMDV, GSEF, ICA, SSE
International Forum, RIPESS).

PRIORITY OBJECTIVES
United Nations General Assembly Resolution on SSE

The SSE Knowledge Hub for the SDGs

Achieving a General Assembly (GA) resolution thatdefines SSE as a priority within UN and nationalpolicies for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda,
is one of the main ambitions of the UNTFSSE.

Enhancing the potential of the SSE Knowledge Hubfor SDGs was agreed to be essential in order to fulfil
the mandate of the task force. The SSE Knowledge
Hub for SDGs is an initiative of the UNTFSSE
implemented by UNRISD. It “aims to enhanceawareness of and contribute to the body of knowledgeon social and solidarity economy (SSE) as a means ofimplementation of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)”.

However tabling resolutions is Member States’
prerogative and a country-driven process, which
require one or more champion countries. It isadvisable to work with a core group of countries
from all regions, through initial rounds of informal
discussions to produce a text to submit to the UNGA
for its consideration.
The role of the task force will be to support interested
countries to navigate the UN system and withtechnical expertise on SSE. In terms of timing, it wasrecommended that sponsors should strive to tablethe draft for negotiations during the main session(September-December), which is the most appropriate
period since the UNGA’s attention at that time is on
considering resolutions.

3In order to aim for the 75th UNGA main session(September-December 2020), it is important as thefirst option to have the item scheduled in the agenda
by June 2020. This depends on Member States’
action.

The two main pillars include content production &research and content gathering of already existingmaterial on the subject of SSE and SDGs. A dedicatedwebpage of the knowledge hub has been created.
The initiative was supported so far by the Governmentsof Luxembourg and Republic of Korea; but its
potential needs to be further explored and strengthen
and new funds are necessary especially for:•replicating the success of previously organized callfor papers and conference on period basis (everythree years) under the management of a specific
UNTFSSE organizing committee;•developing SSE statistics component;•ensuring that the Knowledge Hub website

SECOND TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM: TASK FORCE ACTION PLAN 2020-2022
BRIEF REPORT, JANUARY 2020

functions as a catalyst for other sources ofinformation, notably already existing platforms
such as the SSE Collective Brain andSocioeco.org.
•reinforcing the “translation purpose” of academic
knowledge into policy insights and vice versa, bypromoting it as the main dissemination channel
from UNTFSSE to other parties in terms of SSE
research and policy initiatives.

The SSE operational project
Crafting a SSE operational project has been identified
as next necessary step to in order to assist countries
in their efforts to introduce enabling (eco)-systems forSSE.

multi-agency and multi-donor architecture.
It shall intervene simultaneously at the global and at
the country levels; and it shall have an initial durationof five years, and an initial financial envelope of 3 to 5
million USD.
In terms of governance, it is likely that this Program
will be directed by a Board composed by UNTFSSE
members and observers.
SSE represents a mechanism to overcome
development problems and achieve development
objectives, including the SDGs. An ambitious SSE
program will have far-reaching concrete impacts,
especially in developing countries that are demanding
tools and capacity building, and thus must be
implemented in parallel to the SSE resolution efforts.

Inspired by the PAGE project (Partnership for Action
on Green Economy), the operational project on SSE
is to become a bold and actionable proposal with a

CONTENT PRIORITIES
Rather than listing second-order priorities, some topics ‘territorial system’ approaches that constitute a
were deemed essential to the UNTFSSE’s approach to recognized driver for SDGs localization.
mainstreaming SSE, its principles and practices.
Education
Local dimension
Continue to explore the key role of SSE in localizing
SDGs, with a focus on meso and micro-level policy,
thus at the local level, mindful of the grass root natureof SSE, and mindful of its potential for realizing
South-South cooperation.
Given the copious amount of expertise brought in by
the observers on this topic particularly, it is essentialthat all effort in this direction remains coordinated andparticipatory. Recommendations on these areas might
constitute a major component of the toolkit of the SSE
operation program. In particular, these would include
issues such as multi-level and multi-actor governanceframeworks, integrated planning processes, territorial
strategies and resources and services to implement
them.
Such multi-level focus would also enhance therelevance of a proposal from SDGs implementation/
localization perspective and allow to explore andstrengthen a relation between SSE and Local
Economic Development (LED) through common

Education is seen as an important content aspectof the UNTFSSE’s work, as it is a way to change
perceptions on the economy, social relations, business,production, etc. from a very young age, providing analternative to capitalistic individualism and hypercompetitiveness. The idea must be defined andexplored further in a fully collaborative way, especiallysince as of now there is limited in-house expertise on
the topic of education.

4

SECOND TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM: TASK FORCE ACTION PLAN 2020-2022
BRIEF REPORT, JANUARY 2020

KEY SUPPORT ACTIVITIESAs part of essential support activities to sustain theUNTFSSE’s objectives, participants agreed on thefollowing list.
SurveyDesign, execution and publishing of a comprehensive
survey to characterize UNTFSSE’s members andobservers.
The survey will be composed by a mix of qualitativeand quantitative data collection in order toidentify information such as: their structures; theiractions, activities and programmes in the SSE; thebeneficiaries of their activities; their investments; etc.

The 337th session of ILO’s Governing Body (GB,November 2019) examined possible items on theagenda of the 109th and the 110th International
Labour Conference (ILC, 2020 and 2021), whichconvenes in June every year in Geneva.
The items proposed for these two sessions included
a General Discussion on the SSE. While this proposal
received strong support from the Workers’ Group as
well as several regional GB groupings the SSE general
discussion was not retained for the agenda of the109th ILC.

This effort of profile activities will be important inorder to know how they can be leveraged by the Task
Force. This survey will also serve to reach out thesilent/not so active members of the task force.

The final decision regarding the agenda of the 110th
ILC will be taken by the next ILO GB in March 2020.
It is essential to mobilize as many governments
as possible in support of SSE proposal. UNTFSSE
members and observers could play an important role inthis regard.

Position paper

Pact for impact

Update the UNTFSSE Position Paper “Social andSolidarity Economy and the Challenge of Sustainable
Development” (UNTFSSE, 2014), which is a key
document in presenting the UNTFSSE’s objectives
given its extensive evidence on the transformative
development potential of SSE.

Another point discussed was the UNTFSSE’s position
with respect to the Pact For Impact, an initiative
launched by the French High Commissioner for theSocial and Solidarity Economy and Social Innovation.

This document was prepared before the finalizationof the 2030 Agenda, therefore it is essential toreconsider SSE and its implications under the lens ofthe SDGs.
Communication
A communication strategy is needed both for theknowledge hub managed by UNRISD and the webpageof the UNTFSSE managed by the Secretariat of theTask Force.
A strategy should be put in place aiming at
reshaping the UNTFSSE website and turning it intoa modernized, dynamic and interactive portal that
harmonizes and gives visibility to the most relevant
content, initiatives and projects produced and carriedout by the Task Force and its members and observers.

5International Labour Conference Discussion

The Pact for Impact Alliance was presented in July
2019 in Paris and has been discussed at several highlevel meetings, including in New York, Madrid, andsoon also Strasbourg.
The UNTFSSE opted to express interest in joining
the three proposed working groups (Governance,structuration and financing of the Alliance; Roadmapand commitments; Mobilization) and to closely follow
the Pact For Impact’s evolution and assess whether
it provides interesting opportunities in terms ofpartnerships and/or States’ support.

SECOND TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM: TASK FORCE ACTION PLAN 2020-2022
BRIEF REPORT, JANUARY 2020

UNITED NATIONSINTER-AGENCY TASK FORCEON SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY (UNTFSSE)
Second Technical Symposium
21 – 22 NOVEMBER 2019
TRENTO, ITALY
About the UNTFSSEThe UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (TFSSE) aims to raise the visibility of Socialand Solidarity Economy (SSE) within the UN system and beyond. The members and observers of the Task Force
have committed to undertake collaborative activities to:• enhance the recognition of the role of SSE enterprises and organizations in sustainable development;• promote knowledge of SSE and consolidate SSE networks;• support the establishment of an enabling institutional and policy environment for SSE;
• ensure coordination of international efforts, and create and strengthen partnerships.
For the full list of members and observers of the UNTFSSE, please visit: http://unsse.org/
For more information contact:
Chair: Vic Van Vuuren (ILO), vanvuuren@ilo.org;
Technical Secretariat: Valentina Verze (ILO), verze@ilo.org

6