BEYOND THE COVID 19 EMERGENCY: BUILDING COLLECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE RESPONSES THROUGH SSE

RIPESS INTERNATIONAL WEBINAR

The seminar organized by RIPESS aimed to present responses of SSE and its networks in times of crisis, particularly in North America and Africa.

Béatrice Alain, of RIPESS NA Québec, reminds us that in North America, the business models that have become widespread are for the most part aimed only at satisfying the requirements of shareholders, particularly in the case of nursing homes. The situation of these institutions is often precarious. They are managed as business units, contagion is fatal. She points out that in Quebec there are networks of assistance to the elderly that allow for home care and follow-up. However, these networks remain poorly supported, even though 75% of social and solidarity economy organizations respond to community needs. The networks are all the more important since the territories in North America are very vast, making organization difficult.

It is therefore necessary to hold a structuring reflection for the post-crisis period since the current development model is not sustainable and accentuates social inequalities. SSE actors have their full place in this reflection because they can put forward what works differently, and use their networks in order to provide sustainable responses. In Quebec, this social dialogue exists: discussions must now deepen and converge; we can broaden the platform and make it more constructive.

Madani Coumare, from RAESS Africa, reminds us that each continent has its specificities. If Africa is the last to be affected and has so far a lower number of victims, the continent remains poorly prepared. He calls for reinventing the development model based on SSE. In a continent where 2/3 of the population lives from the solidarity economy, the pandemic will have serious consequences. Total or partial confinement will hamper mobility, which is tantamount to a loss of income for these actors.

Elise Pierrette Memong, also from RAESS Africa, stressed the need for advocacy. In Ouagadougou, for example, the markets had to close earlier than usual as part of the fight against Covid-19. But producers in the city and in the surrounding villages need these spaces to sell their goods. Advocacy has made it possible to obtain a revision of the measure on condition that vendors and customers are made aware of the barrier gestures. She also gives the example of negotiations for a reduction in taxes on market products in Burkina, the role of textile cooperatives in Mali in the manufacture of local masks following a request from the President, or the production of chilli peppers and tomatoes from Cameroon, usually exported and now distributed within the domestic market. The pandemic thus reminds us of the need to prioritize the local market, by supporting initiatives for food processing or local rice harvesting instead of imports, in order to reduce dependence on the outside.

RAESS is currently developing advocacy for government support and recognition of SSE organisations as one of the solutions to the crisis. This is all the more relevant today as young people are increasingly involved in cooperative models.

Find the full webinar and discussions here.

MEASURING THE SOCIAL IMPACT FOR THE SSE

OECD - EUCLID NETWORK - WEBINAR APRIL 16 2020

The OECD, with the financial support of the European Union, has launched a Global Action to Promote the Social Solidarity Economy (SSE) over the next 3 years.

This action is in line with the strategic objectives of the OECD and the European Union. This strategy aims to promote inclusive, smart, resilient and sustainable growth and to support SSE. This support is reflected, on the one hand, through the development and internationalisation of social enterprises. On the other hand, through awareness-raising, capacity building to create ecosystems, both national and local, conducive to the development of SSE; and by promoting the exchange of knowledge and other good practices at the international level.

In this webinar, the main issue is the measurement of the social impact of SSE, a major challenge.

To this end, Sébastien Pereau from ConcertES shared the results of the VISES project, a project spread over more than four years, which brings together 21 partners, to highlight the way in which social and solidarity enterprises energise territories and promote the well-being of their inhabitants. The project is similar to the work carried out by TIESS in Quebec, as described in this joint declaration, which underlines the fundamental nature of social impact assessment.

According to Adrien Beaudet, consultant and teacher at HEC and ESCP, this evaluation requires collaboration between social enterprises and the research world, the latter being able to lend its expertise to the creation of the necessary tools. The main challenge is the criteria and quality of the evaluation. In the case of France, social impact assessment will be generalised: the challenge is to communicate without falling into the trap of "social washing". In order to do this, it is important that the common line of the OECD and the main networks that develop the fundamental principles on this subject can be disseminated, taken up and defended.

Andrea Burgio recalled that the largest organisations such as the Red Cross, the most transparent NGOs already produce such reports. These reports have a financial impact and give impetus to volunteering: for example, one million hours of volunteering were counted in France in 2019, they have no financial translation but the impetus is there.

What value do we place on evidence/indications? This is the question asked by David Pritchard, President of Social Value US and Stephanie Robertson of Social Value Canada. In the current case of the Coronavirus crisis, they are asking how to produce reports that take into account the fragmented realities of different countries, situations, and communication choices. This makes it difficult to harmonize results in the face of fragmented data and measurement methods. They give the example of Oxfam, which has a very good independent review, but remains an exception. Sebastien Pereau bounces back from the ConcertEs study where data collection also concerned the failures or failures of organisations, which have changed their operations in response and adapted.

The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) stresses that collaboration is now crucial, as tools and frameworks exist and it would be counterproductive to multiply them. It is now necessary to think of ways to combine them, to adapt their use to the field concerned, and to bring together impact measurement practices.

Celine Marques asked what the alignment with the DOs and Agenda 2030 could be.

Jean Fabre stressed the importance of using existing tools such as the SDO Knowledge Hub created by UNTFSSE.

Adrien Baudet reacts to this link between SDOs and the local level, between the importance of backing up these measurement and assessment tools with national and international frameworks so that decision-makers take their value into account. This is a crucial parameter on which the OECD could work as part of its Global Action for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy.

You can find one of the tools created by the OECD here, and the survey conducted in the framework of the promotion of SSE here.

LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES IN THE SDG REPORTING PROCESS - TOWARDS THE 2020 HLPF

UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (UCLG) AND THE WORKING GROUP ON CA

PACITY AND INSTITUTION BUILDING (IBC)

Facilitated by UCLG and IBC, this seminar aims to raise awareness of the involvement of the local and regional level in the drafting of SDO reports, and to show how Local and Regional Authorities (LAs) and their associations can take part in the process of producing the reports. The seminar was an opportunity to present the studies carried out in 2018 and 2019 on the involvement of Local Government Associations (LGAs) in the implementation and monitoring of SDGs.

Fernando Santomauro from UCLG's learning unit presented the learning and training modules around three pillars: awareness raising, alignment with DOs and reporting. The importance of "bottom-up" actions to locate the SDOs was recalled by establishing a process to take into account the local and regional context.

The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments has, as it has every year since 2016, prepared a report on the issue, which will be presented at the High Level Policy Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July 2020. Between 40 and 50 countries have voluntary national reviews, while 65% of the 160 SDO targets are impossible to achieve without local and regional authorities.

The Inter-institutional Working Group composed of CIWG, UNDP and UCLG is working with 5 pilot countries where local governments and LGAs are cooperating on Voluntary Local Examinations: Costa Rica, Nepal, Kenya, Mozambique, Benin. In the case of Benin, the main local partner is the National Association of Municipalities of Benin (ANCB), which groups 77 municipalities. The ANCB, which organizes its General Assembly every 5 years, decided during the last edition of its GA, that its roadmap should be agreed with the SDOs. Funding to achieve these objectives has been estimated at 3000 billion CFA francs. Within the framework of its missions, the ANCB is interested in various issues, including the environment and gender in collaboration with the Association of Flemish Cities (VVSG).

Addressing SDOs from the perspective of local actors demonstrates the need for strong commitment at all scales in order to achieve them.

To learn more about the UCLG Learning unit, click here.

Find the questionnaire on the role of local and regional authorities and their associations in the localization of SDOs and Agenda 2030 here.