International Newsletter of Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #86
1st March 2012
Summary
The launch of the People’s Summit: “Transition Now!” Porto Alegre, (Brazil) 24th-29th January 2012.
Message from the editorial team
In our previous issue we mentioned the importance of RIO+20 for the future of our planet and humanity.
Martine took part in a preparatory meeting in Brazil last January, in her capacity of member of the RIO+20 Collective delegation.
What is the connection with sustainable local development? On first sight one could be forgiven for thinking that these global issues are far removed from our everyday concerns wherever we happen to live. But as we all know, the impacts of current development trends are felt throughout the world, including on our own lives. It’s an inescapable fact of life.
This is why we hope that the second “Earth Summit” - the first took place in Rio in 1992 - will finally lead to concrete commitments to protecting our planet for generations to come. And in like manner, in our own communities we need to constantly reconsider our ways of life and consumer habits to ensure that they are compatible with saving the biosphere.
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
The launch of the People’s Summit: « Transition now! »
Porto Alegre (Brazil) 24th to 29th January 2012.
by Martine Théveniaut
The obstacle is clearly identified: the fragmented responses linked to the lack of any clear expectations that can unify the live forces around shared perspectives. Every State speaks for their country alone. The major groups defend the interests of their sector. And the sum total does not add up to make a global whole. RIO+20 is an invitation to global civil society to come together...in Brazil! Brazil, the home of organised social resistance movements, vitality and long-lasting relationships with Europe!
« Reinventing the world »
The “People’s Summit of RIO+20 for social and environmental justice” aims to be a founding moment, and run parallel to the official Earth Summit. It aims to demonstrate the political strength of organised movements and their ability to confront the major issues of the planet, as these issues are theirs! The networks preparing for the Summit came together in an open space. Between 300 and 400 organisations took part, and were represented by a facilitation committee made up of the key Brazilian networks: indigenous peoples, women, black communities, trade unions...the Brazilian Solidarity economy Forum, represented by Andrea Mendes was one of them.
Networks from neighbouring countries were also present. Bolivia played a prominent role, with Pablo Solon, negotiator for his country in Cancun playing an important part. He has resigned from his position as governmental advisor. Indian communities from 8 different countries of the Amazon Basin are strongly resisting the non-consultative decisions, agendas and methods being forced upon them. They have built a collective project based on their cosmovisions. The international dimension of the meeting included networks from South Africa, the Maghreb and Palestine.
The event will take place in the Flamengo Park in Rio de Janeiro from June 17th – 23rd 2012, to run parallel to and independently from the official conference. There will be self-managed discussion groups around a Permanent People’s Assembly that will operate with “outside/inside” relations to the official forum, putting forward proposals to the institutional negotiators.
The facilitation Committee for the preparation of the People’s Summit has an executive committee that includes the CUT, a powerful trade union in Brazil, the Via Campesina and the Landless People’s Movement, the Reflection and Support Group of the World Social Forum (1), the Brazilian Forum of Social Movements and the People’s Summit: an intertwined dynamic.
Initially the Thematic Social Forum was planned for 2-3000 people, and aimed to prepare for the People’s Summit through systemic thematic work groups, operating over a several-month period.
The work covers four thematic axes:
a) Ethical and philosophical foundations: subjectivity, domination and emancipation;
b) Human rights, Peoples, territories and defence of Mother Earth;
c) Access to wealth, common goods and transition economy;
d) Political subjects, the architecture of power and democracy.
Sharing the results should “support the connection of experience with political contributions in an international process; the agenda for change, electronic fora, and different languages of participants (2). The French delegation of the RIO+20 committee was founded in order to contribute on the basis of their own work and to determine how best to contribute to a collective strategy (3).
Interference between the different objectives of the meeting did not allow the thematic groups to make the most of the meetings, and the organisation was mainly voluntary. The ideological inheritance of “democratic centralism" clashed with overwhelming self-management processes and emotional clashes of leadership. Accepting the idea that work has already been accomplished also implies accepting rules and building trust through transparent processes. In reality, the event was far greater in scale. It mobilised many Brazilians in the current municipal pre-electoral period as well as people from the neighbouring Latin American countries, and centred on the geopolitical context of the continent. There were between 20,000 and 30,000 participants, and almost 1,000 self-organised activities! Very few Africans or Asians took part. Many people discovered the intertwined nature of the thematic Social Forum and the People’s Summit for the first time.
The meeting did however chart the resources and weakness of civil society that is attempting to seize the helm on the basis of what is the current state of play. This probably represents an indispensable and useful stage in an uncharted process of affirmation.
The current position of the official process.
The 0 Draft of the United Nations published in January “The future we want” is poor. The declarations by the G77 put nothing on the table. The
institutional mechanics are blocked, although taken individually, the countries are critical. In the chapter on governance, the key issue is that everyone speaks on behalf of their own country. There is no crosscutting vision and no legitimacy to defend common goods, no United Nations organisation to carry this issue forward. Certain States are more committed than others, like Brazil, China, the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), several Latin American countries, and, to some extent, India. African countries are more receptive, given the fact that a United Nations Agency has its headquarters in Nairobi. Canada, is closed to all these issues, and is capable of causing the whole conference to fail.
The United Nations has certain expectations from the not-for-profit third sector. This is an indicator of economic progress, as well as access to rights, services, and increased interest in all oceans. There is greater maturity on some themes than others in terms of what progress is possible: water, food sovereignty and the genuine representation of civil society as a third pillar. Given the strength of certain lobbies at the UN, would it not be possible to institutionalise a formal consultative process, similar to that of the Economic and Social Committees in Europe? Or like the Civil Society Mechanism of the Committee for Food Security of the FAO? Or an official body for State commitments, with international follow-up?
The political entrance of the Occupy movement.
The Occupy movement played a strategic role in the meeting. Their camp is outside the legislative assembly of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. They were invited to participate by the organisers of the Thematic Social Forum on three consecutive days, between midday and 2 p.m., and they testified and discussed non-stop between the official sessions. On the third day, they moderated a plenary session. They were surrounded, called upon, and urged to join in the dynamics of what was happening, and although not all of them were members of the WSF, they support this struggle and are aware that “existing organisations fail to respond to the current issues”. The Indignados (members of Occupy!) from Greece, Spain (Catalonia), Britain, the USA and students from Chile have understood that “the political parties do not have the answers”. The believe that “they need to take responsibility for changing things and finding the means of strengthening democracy and the way that power is exercised”.
One year after the beginning of the popular uprisings, the Occupy movement in various countries of the Arab world find it easier to “identify their friends and their enemies among the extremists: the Islamic supporters are better organised and have won the first round and the elections; the Western countries let the dictators that they have got rid of get on with things, before supporting them for reasons linked to their own interests. The far left is divided and has lost their energy for changing the world”.
Esther Vivas, a Catalonian attendee said, “according to her European experience, it has become clear that capitalism is incompatible with democracy. The Occupy movements’ response is both radical and direct. It is not a cosmetic social democratic reform, but the desire to see genuine democracy that is also economic and self-managed. This is now being achieved through daily experience and through non-violent solutions. Caring for those who have become marginalised and who have no access to medical care, stopping the increasing number of evictions of those who can no longer pay their rent. So far the government hasn’t dared to take them on using police force, as the majority of the population supports them. They are facing many challenges: combining forms of resistance and struggles that are still scattered and a genuine collective dynamic of resistance that is local, national and international; maintaining popular support; strengthening the analyses and including sustainable development that has not until now been considered as a priority, but that is part of the anticapitalist struggle (land, water...). We need to prepare for increased governmental resistance, as this is the beginning of a social revolution”.
The alterglobalisation movement continues to question its own future.
Some old hands stated during the Thematic Social Forum of Porto Alegre: “We are still convinced that our ideas are right, but we are not able to move forward to draw in new people... Our problem is to recruit new members”, said Chico Whitaker, the 80-year old founder member of the Forum. The WSF now only involves a small fraction of the live forces involved in today’s major popular mobilisations fro democracy. This Thematic Social Forum is part of the attempts of an on-going reform to try to build a new dynamic. Of course the CUT and the Via Campesina remain forces that are able to mobilise many people. But their members are divided on the subject of the “green economy”, caught on the horns of a dilemma, because the industrialisation of our country also creates jobs, as president Dilma says! Activists from the sustainable development lobby were also present in the opening march on the 24th of January, with a different position. There appears to have been some lively discussion. The Thematic Social Forum concluded with a declaration by the Assembly of Social Movements and the launch of the People’s Summit at the Porto Alegre Gasometer, on Saturday the 28th January in the evening, introduced by the Forum’s executive committee members. “United in our diversity” was the general trend set by Carmen Foro, secretary for the environment at CUT: the interest of alliances won out over division! This was the best news of the whole meeting...
As a member of the French Collective RIO+20 and of RIPESS Europe, the Thematic Social Forum was a very instructive step in a year-long preparation process. Solid documents, fundamental lines, identified differences...resulting in direct interest and mobilisation. Civil society is confronting its decision-making responsibility: to unite and collectively build constructive coalitions and change the agenda in order to put concrete experience-based proposals on the table that can be “success-stories as of 2012”. Brazil has built bridges between the official Earth Summit conference and the People’s Summit to enable the 4-day period to be more productive than Copenhagen! The strategy has yet to be defined. With the support of Luiz Fernanco Pezao, the vice-governor or Rio de Janeiro, and coordinator of the State infrastructure, the city of Rio hopes to advocate for improved consideration of public infraregional governance. Brazil would like to see a permanent secretariat created to improve the connection between the economic dimension and the MDGs on poverty. Sustainable development will be part of the outcomes that are universal, aspirational and aim for 2030. The balanced importance attached to economic, social and environmental goals will depend on the messages and the strength of the coalitions.
(1) http://www.grap.org.br/forum-social-tematico/
(2) http://dialogos2012.org/category/noticias/?lang=fr (portugais, anglais, français espagnol)
(3) An open discussion space created by the French RIO+20 collective that brings together over 40 organisations preparing for the Conference.
http://collectif-france.rio20.net/2012/02/15/rio20-une-transition
(4) Available in 4 languages on the website http://rio20.net/fr/documentos
About the Newsletter
This Newsletter is published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, It has been produced on a totally voluntary basis since the first issue in 2003.
The Editorial team wishes to thank the following volunteers for their support in translation and revision:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also wish to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the Japanese translation.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Friday, March 02, 2012
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #85
February 1st 2012
Summary
Masters of their own destiny E
Editorial message
What can we wish our readers, given the heavy threats facing our planet and future generations?
The Rio + 20 Conference, scheduled to take place between the 20th and the 22nd of next June is very much at the fore of the civil society calendar. It will be a key event for steering in the right direction and regaining control of the helm: global warming, “Market” control, and the excessive control of oligarchies that reign heedless of democracy. What can we expect of the different States? Tetanised by their internal crises, they constantly put off the preparation here and now of a viable future sine die. The governing majorities are volatile in their behaviour, subjected as they are to the power of finance.
Our dearest wish for 2012 would be the success of the “People’s Summit of RIO + 20 for social and environmental justice”, scheduled to take place from the 18th - 23rd of June. A Brazilian group platform has created a facilitating committee to bring people together . It uses the diversity and the preparation aimed at concentrating gains to structure proposals and improve the balance of power so that the voice of international civil society can be taken into consideration in an independent space of democratic discussion. The event will run parallel to the official summit. We hope that the powers and proposals that are united at this event will manage to impact the path that is being steered, and establish the groundwork for a new international agenda that will steer us out of the current irresponsible course of events.
We are first and foremost field workers. We are realistic. The future is a long hard road to build and it involves taking new avenues into account in the dominant, monolithic mindset. We should not expect that all the work be done by institutions: they are defective and no longer appropriate for efficiently managing today’s issues. The testimonies that we have been publishing for over eight years enable us to clearly show that communities all over our world are continually succeeding in building economic, social and cultural conditions that place human needs and those of our planet at the centre of their concern. This is what inspires us to continue our publishing and analysing what we see, so that governance from local to international level may be built on reality and genuine potential rather than doing things back-to-front! The finality is for human activity to become organised around the concept of meeting people’s needs rather than short-term profitability.
Yvon’s article, based on his own experience is a forceful example of how little it often takes to renew the practice of solidarity in community life. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Generations past, including the Rochdale Pioneers and Raiffeisen banks in Germany in the 20th century all show us what is possible. We merely need to adapt these solutions, and extend them to wider regions or countries. This isn’t always easy to do, as we well know, but we are also aware that the capitalist system can no longer meet the needs of humanity. We need to prepare for the future!
In terms of citizens’ news, 2012 has been declared the International Year of Cooperatives by the UN. Our second wish is that this year may see the inclusion of all the positive ideas of past generations by those following in our footsteps, who are motivated and indignant, to help them become the change-agents in their own environment. Cooperation is a lesser means of asserting oneself in today’s power-based system, a system where we all stand to lose! It is up to us all to take responsibility for joining and spreading the huge potential of a people and community-based economy; thanks to Yvon for this testimony that links the past to the present in this season of greetings!
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Masters of their own destiny
By Yvon Poirier
In this article, the expression “Masters of their own destiny” refers to the title of a book published in 1939, as well as to the history of the community in which the author of this article was born and grew up.
This book (1) was written by William Coady of the Department of Adult Education of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish in Nova Scotia, an Eastern province of Canada. He explains how the “mass education” process enabled fishing and farming communities to use cooperatives as an economic tool to gain control of their own destiny, and become collective owners of the means of commercialising their fish, through credit unions and cooperative shops. Via study groups, some of which were women’s groups, people became aware that they could manage their own economic affairs, rather than allowing them to be controlled by capitalist interests that claimed to be the only ones capable of running companies. The book further served as a tool in study groups in the 1940s and ‘50s to found cooperatives in the three Maritime provinces of Eastern Canada – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. This community-based approach of taking control of their economic activities is still known as the “Antigonish Movement”. The success of this educational approach is internationally recognised via the Coady International Institute that has trained over 5000 people from developing countries since 1959: www.coady.stfx.ca/ The author of this article has met several people during his travels, essentially in Asia, who spent a year studying at this Institute. “Masters of their own destiny” describes well how a small French-speaking community in the province of Prince Edward Island spontaneously adopted the cooperative formula, without any previous knowledge of it, as of 1862.
It is also worth mentioning that these three provinces were a French colony since 1604 known as Acadia. After having fallen to the British crown, most Acadians were deported to Europe and the British territories further south by boat between 1755 and 1763, separating the men from the women and children. Some were destined for Louisiana which was a French colony at the time. This was before the American War of Independence. French-speaking Acadians are therefore the survivors of this “ethnic cleansing”, either because they escaped deportation or because they later returned. In the province of Prince Edward Island they account for a mere 4% of the population and can be found mostly in the “Evangeline Region”, where they form the majority of the population. They have their own institutions, including a French-speaking primary and secondary public-funded school.
The spirit of mutual help and solidarity that was built over centuries, enabling them to survive in a minority environment led quite naturally to their founding the first cooperative in 1862 (2). It was called a seed bank and was used to “ create reserves that would allow the majority to deposit a certain quantity of seeds to meet the needs of the poorest, when it was time to sow...” Other similar banks were founded in the region. It was only in 1946 that the first of them closed. Towards the end of the 19th and the early 20th century, many cooperatives were founded; some lasted only a few years, others stayed in business for longer. A cheese cooperative operated from 1896 until 1952, when it merged with other cheese coops in the province. There were potato coops, egg coops, coops for animal reproduction, a mill for the various cereal crops, etc.
After the Second World War, a new generation of cooperatives was born, inspired by William Coady’s writing. They can be explained by the drop in agriculture and the important development of the fishing industry especially lobster fishing. This led to the founding in 1954 of the Fishermen’s Coop, the result of the merging of two smaller coops. This cooperative is this working. It includes a processing plant, and is not only the biggest seasonal employer, but also one of the most important “private sector” employers in the whole province. During this entire period, the members of the community, frequently the same people created food coop stores, a credit union for savings and loans, to name but a few. Most members of the community were members of several cooperatives.
At the occasion of the blessing of the fishing boat's – August 31, 2008
Nowadays, in 2012, most economic activity in the Evangeline region is still cooperative, in spite of the globalisation of the hypermarkets and presence of major chain stores. As well as the fishing, food and financial sectors, a funeral cooperative was also opened. A new cooperative was recently created to support the integration of French-speaking immigrants in the region, including a family of refugees from Rwanda. The most important achievement in recent years has been the building of a home for the elderly, called «La Coopérative le Chez Nous»; it includes about 30 rooms.
The history of this region is close to the author’s heart, as it is where his roots are. After completing his university studies, he moved to Quebec City, over 900 kilometres away. Nevertheless he has always stayed in touch with his family, and frequently visits them. His childhood memories of going with his father to the various coops in the 1950s are still crystal clear. Following his father’s death in 1987, he found William Coady’s book, including his father’s notes, taken at a study group in 1946. And as chance would have it, his burial was organised by the founders of a new funeral coop, of which he was a member. Just as it is quite natural for his mother, now aged 95, to be living in the «Le Chez Nous » home for the elderly.
Even if he no longer lives in the region, his family and community upbringing encouraged and shaped his predisposition to continue on the path of solidarity to make the world a better place through committing to solidarity economy and a more just society for one and all.
1. Masters of their own destiny, M.M. Coady, Harper @ Brothers Publishers, United States of America, 1939, 170 p. This book, published only in English is available on request.
2. Historical information in this article is based on «Le mouvement coopératif chez les Acadiens de la région Évangeline (1862-1982) », Cécile Gallant, 283 pages
Online links:
Evangeline Region (Fr and En):
http://regionevangeline.com/index.cfm/
http://museeacadien.org/
Acadians (Wikipedia) http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadiens (FR) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadians (EN) http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadiano (ES)
About the Newsletter
This Newsletter is published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, It has been produced on a totally voluntary basis since the first issue in 2003.
The Editorial team wishes to thank the following volunteers for their support in translation and revision: Michel Colin (Brazil) Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland) Évéline Poirier (Canada) Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also wish to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the Japanese translation.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB: http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/ To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe): Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
February 1st 2012
Summary
Masters of their own destiny E
Editorial message
What can we wish our readers, given the heavy threats facing our planet and future generations?
The Rio + 20 Conference, scheduled to take place between the 20th and the 22nd of next June is very much at the fore of the civil society calendar. It will be a key event for steering in the right direction and regaining control of the helm: global warming, “Market” control, and the excessive control of oligarchies that reign heedless of democracy. What can we expect of the different States? Tetanised by their internal crises, they constantly put off the preparation here and now of a viable future sine die. The governing majorities are volatile in their behaviour, subjected as they are to the power of finance.
Our dearest wish for 2012 would be the success of the “People’s Summit of RIO + 20 for social and environmental justice”, scheduled to take place from the 18th - 23rd of June. A Brazilian group platform has created a facilitating committee to bring people together . It uses the diversity and the preparation aimed at concentrating gains to structure proposals and improve the balance of power so that the voice of international civil society can be taken into consideration in an independent space of democratic discussion. The event will run parallel to the official summit. We hope that the powers and proposals that are united at this event will manage to impact the path that is being steered, and establish the groundwork for a new international agenda that will steer us out of the current irresponsible course of events.
We are first and foremost field workers. We are realistic. The future is a long hard road to build and it involves taking new avenues into account in the dominant, monolithic mindset. We should not expect that all the work be done by institutions: they are defective and no longer appropriate for efficiently managing today’s issues. The testimonies that we have been publishing for over eight years enable us to clearly show that communities all over our world are continually succeeding in building economic, social and cultural conditions that place human needs and those of our planet at the centre of their concern. This is what inspires us to continue our publishing and analysing what we see, so that governance from local to international level may be built on reality and genuine potential rather than doing things back-to-front! The finality is for human activity to become organised around the concept of meeting people’s needs rather than short-term profitability.
Yvon’s article, based on his own experience is a forceful example of how little it often takes to renew the practice of solidarity in community life. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Generations past, including the Rochdale Pioneers and Raiffeisen banks in Germany in the 20th century all show us what is possible. We merely need to adapt these solutions, and extend them to wider regions or countries. This isn’t always easy to do, as we well know, but we are also aware that the capitalist system can no longer meet the needs of humanity. We need to prepare for the future!
In terms of citizens’ news, 2012 has been declared the International Year of Cooperatives by the UN. Our second wish is that this year may see the inclusion of all the positive ideas of past generations by those following in our footsteps, who are motivated and indignant, to help them become the change-agents in their own environment. Cooperation is a lesser means of asserting oneself in today’s power-based system, a system where we all stand to lose! It is up to us all to take responsibility for joining and spreading the huge potential of a people and community-based economy; thanks to Yvon for this testimony that links the past to the present in this season of greetings!
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Masters of their own destiny
By Yvon Poirier
In this article, the expression “Masters of their own destiny” refers to the title of a book published in 1939, as well as to the history of the community in which the author of this article was born and grew up.
This book (1) was written by William Coady of the Department of Adult Education of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish in Nova Scotia, an Eastern province of Canada. He explains how the “mass education” process enabled fishing and farming communities to use cooperatives as an economic tool to gain control of their own destiny, and become collective owners of the means of commercialising their fish, through credit unions and cooperative shops. Via study groups, some of which were women’s groups, people became aware that they could manage their own economic affairs, rather than allowing them to be controlled by capitalist interests that claimed to be the only ones capable of running companies. The book further served as a tool in study groups in the 1940s and ‘50s to found cooperatives in the three Maritime provinces of Eastern Canada – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. This community-based approach of taking control of their economic activities is still known as the “Antigonish Movement”. The success of this educational approach is internationally recognised via the Coady International Institute that has trained over 5000 people from developing countries since 1959: www.coady.stfx.ca/ The author of this article has met several people during his travels, essentially in Asia, who spent a year studying at this Institute. “Masters of their own destiny” describes well how a small French-speaking community in the province of Prince Edward Island spontaneously adopted the cooperative formula, without any previous knowledge of it, as of 1862.
It is also worth mentioning that these three provinces were a French colony since 1604 known as Acadia. After having fallen to the British crown, most Acadians were deported to Europe and the British territories further south by boat between 1755 and 1763, separating the men from the women and children. Some were destined for Louisiana which was a French colony at the time. This was before the American War of Independence. French-speaking Acadians are therefore the survivors of this “ethnic cleansing”, either because they escaped deportation or because they later returned. In the province of Prince Edward Island they account for a mere 4% of the population and can be found mostly in the “Evangeline Region”, where they form the majority of the population. They have their own institutions, including a French-speaking primary and secondary public-funded school.
The spirit of mutual help and solidarity that was built over centuries, enabling them to survive in a minority environment led quite naturally to their founding the first cooperative in 1862 (2). It was called a seed bank and was used to “ create reserves that would allow the majority to deposit a certain quantity of seeds to meet the needs of the poorest, when it was time to sow...” Other similar banks were founded in the region. It was only in 1946 that the first of them closed. Towards the end of the 19th and the early 20th century, many cooperatives were founded; some lasted only a few years, others stayed in business for longer. A cheese cooperative operated from 1896 until 1952, when it merged with other cheese coops in the province. There were potato coops, egg coops, coops for animal reproduction, a mill for the various cereal crops, etc.
After the Second World War, a new generation of cooperatives was born, inspired by William Coady’s writing. They can be explained by the drop in agriculture and the important development of the fishing industry especially lobster fishing. This led to the founding in 1954 of the Fishermen’s Coop, the result of the merging of two smaller coops. This cooperative is this working. It includes a processing plant, and is not only the biggest seasonal employer, but also one of the most important “private sector” employers in the whole province. During this entire period, the members of the community, frequently the same people created food coop stores, a credit union for savings and loans, to name but a few. Most members of the community were members of several cooperatives.
At the occasion of the blessing of the fishing boat's – August 31, 2008
Nowadays, in 2012, most economic activity in the Evangeline region is still cooperative, in spite of the globalisation of the hypermarkets and presence of major chain stores. As well as the fishing, food and financial sectors, a funeral cooperative was also opened. A new cooperative was recently created to support the integration of French-speaking immigrants in the region, including a family of refugees from Rwanda. The most important achievement in recent years has been the building of a home for the elderly, called «La Coopérative le Chez Nous»; it includes about 30 rooms.
The history of this region is close to the author’s heart, as it is where his roots are. After completing his university studies, he moved to Quebec City, over 900 kilometres away. Nevertheless he has always stayed in touch with his family, and frequently visits them. His childhood memories of going with his father to the various coops in the 1950s are still crystal clear. Following his father’s death in 1987, he found William Coady’s book, including his father’s notes, taken at a study group in 1946. And as chance would have it, his burial was organised by the founders of a new funeral coop, of which he was a member. Just as it is quite natural for his mother, now aged 95, to be living in the «Le Chez Nous » home for the elderly.
Even if he no longer lives in the region, his family and community upbringing encouraged and shaped his predisposition to continue on the path of solidarity to make the world a better place through committing to solidarity economy and a more just society for one and all.
1. Masters of their own destiny, M.M. Coady, Harper @ Brothers Publishers, United States of America, 1939, 170 p. This book, published only in English is available on request.
2. Historical information in this article is based on «Le mouvement coopératif chez les Acadiens de la région Évangeline (1862-1982) », Cécile Gallant, 283 pages
Online links:
Evangeline Region (Fr and En):
http://regionevangeline.com/index.cfm/
http://museeacadien.org/
Acadians (Wikipedia) http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadiens (FR) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadians (EN) http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadiano (ES)
About the Newsletter
This Newsletter is published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, It has been produced on a totally voluntary basis since the first issue in 2003.
The Editorial team wishes to thank the following volunteers for their support in translation and revision: Michel Colin (Brazil) Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland) Évéline Poirier (Canada) Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also wish to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the Japanese translation.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB: http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/ To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe): Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Thursday, December 01, 2011
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #84
December 1st 2011
Summary
Cloughjordan: An Irish Eco-village
Message from the Editorial Team
In this newsletter Judith describes the only Eco-village in Ireland. It is situated in Cloughjordan, a little over an hour’s drive from the capital, Dublin.
The interest of this project is that it reaches beyond the strict framework of organic agriculture or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).
The holistic approach of a local community is typical of the types of initiatives that we have written about in previous issues, and strengthens our conviction that a better world is not only possible, but is being built on a daily basis in many parts of our planet.
Our next Newsletter will be published on February 1st 2012.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Cloughjordan: an Irish Eco-Village
By Judith Hitchman
Cloughjordan is Ireland’s first and so far only Eco-Village. It is situated in North-West Tipperary, just over an hour’s drive from Dublin, but a good 3 hours from my family home in County Waterford. Fergal Anderson, who has just left his job in Brussels with the Via Campesina to start working his own farm in Galway and I were warmly welcomed by Davie Philips, Chair of the Cloughjordan Community Farm. We also met other members of the Board, and visited the lower farm. The weather and time constraints conspired to stop us from visiting the upper farm.
Origins
Born in 1999 - the initial members were involved in the Dublin Food Coop, and met there – the project is an overall concept that was designed as a model for sustainable living. The site was chosen for a number of reasons: it is easy to access Ireland’s capital, Dublin; there is a train station, the existing community is one of religious diversity, so tolerance is higher… The village includes 50 families, essentially neo-rural rather than of rural origin. 80 of the 130 potential sites have been sold. It also includes a 32-bed hostel, which is used not only for visitors, but for the many training courses run in the village (Agro-ecology, bio-dynamic agriculture, permaculture, community resilience, leadership etc…). There are plans to develop part of the site to include a green social enterprise community. As the overall principles of both the village and the farm are based on co-ownership and community development in the best sense of the term, the added value of such a project would be enormous. A traditional wood-fired bakery is about to open on the site. The baker is already famous in Dublin for his bread.
Much has already been written about the Eco-Village per se. It is situated on a site some 67 acres of land. What makes it very unique is that unlike many other such projects, it is actually right in an existing small old village, and rather than create friction and making locals flee, it has revitalised the existing community, who, although initially wary, have moved on from wariness to genuine acceptance of many of the “strange” things that are all a work in progress. This includes Ireland’s only community solar panel array and renewable energy district heating system providing hot water and heat to all the houses, genuine participatory community decision-making and self-built housing of various kinds (cob, hemp and lime…). Sadly the Local Authorities declined to give a discharge licence for a reed bed system for purifying sewerage, although this method has been accepted elsewhere in Ireland, where all Local Authorities are independent decision-making bodies…
Activities
The main aim of this article is to describe the somewhat unique Community Supported Agriculture project that is part of the Eco-Village. It is a separate project from the Eco-Village, but is nevertheless part of the same overall approach, with 60% of the CSA’s members coming from the Eco-Village. While Grow-it-Yourself and Allotments and even Community gardens have become very popular in Ireland, Cloughjordan is Ireland’s first genuinely structured CSA farm. There are now an increasing number of box schemes and other CSA projects being operated in Ireland. The farm is not certified organic. There is just no need to go through any costly process as the consumers are also the owners of the produce and the farm is therefore not selling anything; it is very much a trust-based community project. The farm does however use organic and biodynamic principles. There are two parts to the farm (upper and lower). The land is leased, with 12 acres on the lower site, 28 on the upper. The farm also organises many educational projects: cookery classes, picking sessions, activities for schools and children of all ages.
The unique nature of the farm is that it is contiguous to the village. It is right behind the houses. This means that for the most part, the 57 families involved are far more involved and aware than is usually the case. Although there is a very reasonable weekly contribution based on family size and income, when I visited, the fresh vegetables were being put in the open, unlocked collection shed three times a week, and members are free to help themselves to what they want and need. There have been no problems with this either. In other seasons, the veggies are dropped off only twice a week. A few members of the scheme come from neighbouring towns like Nenagh, situated 10 km away. This means that there is also a need to have a box scheme that operates once or twice a week..
The farm also provides raw milk from Kerry cows to its members. This is possible, in spite of the constraints of EU regulations that now forbid the sale of raw milk, as it is not sold: the members are actually considered owners through their membership of the collective scheme. It includes eggs and grains as well as the vegetables. A number of heritage and heirloom varieties are grown as part of the scheme. There are plans to develop “edible gardens” throughout the village. For those members that are not vegetarian, there is a meat-share scheme, whereby for an additional sum members can share a pig or lamb. I counted about 15 different varieties of vegetables growing in the fields, which is a good range for the area’s climatic possibilities. Wwoofers (an international network of volunteers in organic farming) from all over the world also visit and help with the work. There have been several different people in charge of the farm in the past, but this has now stabilised. One of the most amusing features is how the crops are stocked: an old container truck was bought for a mere 200 euros. The inside has been converted into a storage shed, with compartments for all the different vegetables. It is well aired, and out of reach to the wild animals that might otherwise help themselves.
Local farmers who were originally wary of the innovations involved on the farm were initially sceptical. The fact that it works, that the quality of the vegetables is so high, has gradually gained acceptance for the approach that is used.
The decision-making method used on both the farm and indeed in the village is an adapted form of VSM (Viable Systems Model). The adaptation enables those involved to have a maximum autonomy; it also facilitates engagement and organisation amongst the members. The result is genuine participatory democracy that has a coherent organisational structure. The level of genuine involvement in the various different projects has led to truly sustainable community-driven thriving and sustainable local development.
The farm is planning to hold an all-Ireland CSA conference next February. The idea is to create an Irish network, and to map what exists in various forms. Cloughjordan farm is now a member of Urgenci, and has invited Urgenci to participate. We are already looking forward to that!
http://www.cloughjordancommunityfarm.ie/
http://thevillage.ie/
http://www.cloughjordan.ie/mainpage/index.htm
http://www.wwoof.org/
About the Newsletter
This Newsletter is published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, It has been produced on a totally voluntary basis since the first issue in 2003.
The Editorial team wishes to thank the following volunteers for their support in translation and revision:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also wish to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the Japanese translation.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Newsletter #84
December 1st 2011
Summary
Cloughjordan: An Irish Eco-village
Message from the Editorial Team
In this newsletter Judith describes the only Eco-village in Ireland. It is situated in Cloughjordan, a little over an hour’s drive from the capital, Dublin.
The interest of this project is that it reaches beyond the strict framework of organic agriculture or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).
The holistic approach of a local community is typical of the types of initiatives that we have written about in previous issues, and strengthens our conviction that a better world is not only possible, but is being built on a daily basis in many parts of our planet.
Our next Newsletter will be published on February 1st 2012.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Cloughjordan: an Irish Eco-Village
By Judith Hitchman
Cloughjordan is Ireland’s first and so far only Eco-Village. It is situated in North-West Tipperary, just over an hour’s drive from Dublin, but a good 3 hours from my family home in County Waterford. Fergal Anderson, who has just left his job in Brussels with the Via Campesina to start working his own farm in Galway and I were warmly welcomed by Davie Philips, Chair of the Cloughjordan Community Farm. We also met other members of the Board, and visited the lower farm. The weather and time constraints conspired to stop us from visiting the upper farm.
Origins
Born in 1999 - the initial members were involved in the Dublin Food Coop, and met there – the project is an overall concept that was designed as a model for sustainable living. The site was chosen for a number of reasons: it is easy to access Ireland’s capital, Dublin; there is a train station, the existing community is one of religious diversity, so tolerance is higher… The village includes 50 families, essentially neo-rural rather than of rural origin. 80 of the 130 potential sites have been sold. It also includes a 32-bed hostel, which is used not only for visitors, but for the many training courses run in the village (Agro-ecology, bio-dynamic agriculture, permaculture, community resilience, leadership etc…). There are plans to develop part of the site to include a green social enterprise community. As the overall principles of both the village and the farm are based on co-ownership and community development in the best sense of the term, the added value of such a project would be enormous. A traditional wood-fired bakery is about to open on the site. The baker is already famous in Dublin for his bread.
Much has already been written about the Eco-Village per se. It is situated on a site some 67 acres of land. What makes it very unique is that unlike many other such projects, it is actually right in an existing small old village, and rather than create friction and making locals flee, it has revitalised the existing community, who, although initially wary, have moved on from wariness to genuine acceptance of many of the “strange” things that are all a work in progress. This includes Ireland’s only community solar panel array and renewable energy district heating system providing hot water and heat to all the houses, genuine participatory community decision-making and self-built housing of various kinds (cob, hemp and lime…). Sadly the Local Authorities declined to give a discharge licence for a reed bed system for purifying sewerage, although this method has been accepted elsewhere in Ireland, where all Local Authorities are independent decision-making bodies…
Activities
The main aim of this article is to describe the somewhat unique Community Supported Agriculture project that is part of the Eco-Village. It is a separate project from the Eco-Village, but is nevertheless part of the same overall approach, with 60% of the CSA’s members coming from the Eco-Village. While Grow-it-Yourself and Allotments and even Community gardens have become very popular in Ireland, Cloughjordan is Ireland’s first genuinely structured CSA farm. There are now an increasing number of box schemes and other CSA projects being operated in Ireland. The farm is not certified organic. There is just no need to go through any costly process as the consumers are also the owners of the produce and the farm is therefore not selling anything; it is very much a trust-based community project. The farm does however use organic and biodynamic principles. There are two parts to the farm (upper and lower). The land is leased, with 12 acres on the lower site, 28 on the upper. The farm also organises many educational projects: cookery classes, picking sessions, activities for schools and children of all ages.
The unique nature of the farm is that it is contiguous to the village. It is right behind the houses. This means that for the most part, the 57 families involved are far more involved and aware than is usually the case. Although there is a very reasonable weekly contribution based on family size and income, when I visited, the fresh vegetables were being put in the open, unlocked collection shed three times a week, and members are free to help themselves to what they want and need. There have been no problems with this either. In other seasons, the veggies are dropped off only twice a week. A few members of the scheme come from neighbouring towns like Nenagh, situated 10 km away. This means that there is also a need to have a box scheme that operates once or twice a week..
The farm also provides raw milk from Kerry cows to its members. This is possible, in spite of the constraints of EU regulations that now forbid the sale of raw milk, as it is not sold: the members are actually considered owners through their membership of the collective scheme. It includes eggs and grains as well as the vegetables. A number of heritage and heirloom varieties are grown as part of the scheme. There are plans to develop “edible gardens” throughout the village. For those members that are not vegetarian, there is a meat-share scheme, whereby for an additional sum members can share a pig or lamb. I counted about 15 different varieties of vegetables growing in the fields, which is a good range for the area’s climatic possibilities. Wwoofers (an international network of volunteers in organic farming) from all over the world also visit and help with the work. There have been several different people in charge of the farm in the past, but this has now stabilised. One of the most amusing features is how the crops are stocked: an old container truck was bought for a mere 200 euros. The inside has been converted into a storage shed, with compartments for all the different vegetables. It is well aired, and out of reach to the wild animals that might otherwise help themselves.
Local farmers who were originally wary of the innovations involved on the farm were initially sceptical. The fact that it works, that the quality of the vegetables is so high, has gradually gained acceptance for the approach that is used.
The decision-making method used on both the farm and indeed in the village is an adapted form of VSM (Viable Systems Model). The adaptation enables those involved to have a maximum autonomy; it also facilitates engagement and organisation amongst the members. The result is genuine participatory democracy that has a coherent organisational structure. The level of genuine involvement in the various different projects has led to truly sustainable community-driven thriving and sustainable local development.
The farm is planning to hold an all-Ireland CSA conference next February. The idea is to create an Irish network, and to map what exists in various forms. Cloughjordan farm is now a member of Urgenci, and has invited Urgenci to participate. We are already looking forward to that!
http://www.cloughjordancommunityfarm.ie/
http://thevillage.ie/
http://www.cloughjordan.ie/mainpage/index.htm
http://www.wwoof.org/
About the Newsletter
This Newsletter is published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, It has been produced on a totally voluntary basis since the first issue in 2003.
The Editorial team wishes to thank the following volunteers for their support in translation and revision:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also wish to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the Japanese translation.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Thursday, November 10, 2011
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #83
November 1st 2011
Summary
The social economy and municipal authorities: For sustainable development in local communities
Message from the Editorial Team
Ever since we first started publishing our Newsletter in 2003, we have stated that solutions need to be built bottom-up by communities and local resources; this is the path that leads to a true perspective of human justice and sustainable development.
This article by Yvon was written for the magazine called Développement Social in Quebec. It was published in the special number for the International Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (FIESS), that took place in Montreal from 17th – 20th October last. Yvon examines the relationships of various socio-economic actors who have organised at municipal or other levels in the province of Quebec; the second largest in Canada with a population of 8 million (Canada 34,5 M). The full issue, including the article, is available in English and French on the magazine website at www.revueds.ca.
His article is well researched and precise. It illustrates how the local development tools in Quebec work: they all have the support of a legitimate legal framework, use collective joint management systems, implement an entrepreneurial development strategy that may connect from different sources, financial tools for investment. It has a framework that is specifically adapted to solidarity economy (this is known as social economy in Quebec), which is fully recognised in Quebec. As these tools were created many years ago, it means that it is now possible to measure the results in terms of job and enterprise-creation as well as their sustainability over a period of time. The philosophy behind the system recognises profit but it is not considered as THE end goal (lucrative for a few to the detriment of the community). The method involves local authorities in a participatory process and stimulates general mobilisation. The article confirms the maturity of the economic alternative. The FIESS has highlighted this by bringing together all the achievements that are providing bottom-up responses to essential needs at global level.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
The social economy and municipal authorities: For sustainable development in local communities
By Yvon Poirier
In Quebec, the relationship between the social economy and municipal authorities – and by extension local communities – is original and worth examining. This connection between municipalities and the social economy exists in part through local development centres (CLD) and regional committees of elected officials (Conférences régionales des élus – CRÉ) which each support in their own way the existence of the social economy.
CLDs: Technical and financial support for the social economy
In Quebec, responsibility for local development and entrepreneurial support belongs to regional county municipalities (municipalités régionales de comté – MRC) and larger cities. However, the law specifies that this work can be delegated to a local development centre. There are 120 such centres in Quebec: 111 CLDs proper and in some areas of Montreal 9 community economic development corporations (CEDECs) that have a CLD mandate . They are all non-profit organizations whose role is to accompany private and collective entrepreneurs in accomplishing their business projects and to provide a set of front-line services for businesses. CLDs and CEDECs form a link between the municipal world and social economy.
The Government of Quebec adopted Bill 171, creating CLDs, in December 1997. The bill followed Quebec’s Summit on Economy and Employment in 1996, which recognized social economy as a strategic area for development. The effort was in part to adapt business support policies. Under the legislation, CLDs have the mandate to prepare a strategy for entrepreneurial growth, including the social economy. At the same time, the government gave each organization an economic development fund, called Fonds de développement des entreprises d’économie sociale (FDEÉS), for specific support to social economy businesses. The organizations no longer have the obligation to keep such a FDEÉS, but a large majority nonetheless maintains a specific financial tool for the social economy. According to data from the ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation, more than $100 million has been invested through the FDEÉS in social economy businesses in 10 years (1998-2008), creating and maintaining more than 47 000 jobs and 5700 businesses.
Quebec City and the social economy
In 2008, the Government of Quebec adopted the Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif to increase the positive effects of collective entrepreneurship. It seeks to give leaders in this area concrete means that are adapted to their realities, to enhance the strength of the regions and to meet community needs according to a sustainable development approach.
The plan is for each CRÉ to sign a specific social economy agreement. Under its mandate, the Chantier de l’économie sociale du Québec guides the implementation of these agreements, particularly by supporting the creation of regional social economy poles in each region, a strategy which is also specified in the action plan.
In the Quebec City area, social enterprises have a social economy pole composed of 27 members. It adopted a number of rules for that composition, including balance between cooperatives and non-profit organizations, parity between men and women, representation of the sub-regions (Charlevoix, Portneuf), and representation of the various activity sectors. The organization is part of the CRÉ de la Capitale-Nationale, and the latter confirmed the rules set for nomination of pole members .
For the Quebec City region, the social economy offers a promising model, since the rate of survival for regular businesses after 10 years is just 19.5%, compared to 44% for cooperatives . Further more, because social economy businesses work so closely with their communities, they are committed to maintain their activities within the community and do not even think of ever “delocalizing”.
The City of Montreal’s policy
In 2009, the City of Montreal inaugurated its Social Economy Partnership for Community-Based Sustainable Development, the first public municipal policy in this area in Canada. The partnership is the result of cooperation between social economy leaders and the City of Montreal.
The partnership’s goals are to formally recognize the social economy’s contribution to the economic, social, and cultural development of the city; to support the social economy by drawing on the accomplishments of the past, by reinforcing existing means, and by adopting new methods to enable its growth; and to consolidate and increase the contribution of social economy members to the sustainable development of Quebec’s metropolis through the creation and development of collective businesses that meet citizen needs.
The partnership intends to function in five main areas, which are: support for collective entrepreneurship, solidarity supply practices, integrated promotion of the social economy, an increased role for the social economy in major metropolitan development projects, and an expanded role for the social economy in improving the quality of life of citizens through action in culture, recreation, tourism, housing, and sustainable development.
In 2007, turnover in the Montreal social economy was estimated at $2 billion. About 3600 establishments generated 61 500 jobs, representing 7% of total employment on the island of Montreal (as much as the tourism industry).
Cooperatives serving local populations
Outside large urban centres, social economy businesses are often key to the very survival of towns and villages.
Usually with the support of municipal governments, local populations have implemented activities to develop or maintain essential local services to avoid onerous travel and migration toward larger centres. These social economy initiatives prevent rural exodus and in some cases even reverse the trend.
In the past 15 years, for example, over 40 health cooperatives have been created and are still operating in various regions of Quebec. Most of these cooperatives were established to ensure better access to primary health services. Clinics therefore offer one or several physicians and sometimes other professionals, such as nurses and pharmacists. This is because, in smaller communities, doctors have been abandoning their private practices to set up in larger centres, leaving local populations without this essential service.
Citizens therefore created the cooperatives to establish a work infrastructure more appealing to doctors, including avoidance of lengthy travelling (50 to 100 kilometres) for basic medical attention. In most cases, either the municipality itself, the local Caisse Desjardins, or the two entities together, have initiated or guided the process of creating the cooperative (providing space, facilitating meetings for cooperative training, etc.). Usually, more than 80% of the local population is member of the cooperative. However, non-members have access to the services covered by the public health insurance plan.
In many small towns and villages, essential services such as gas stations and grocery stores disappear due to their lack of sufficient returns for large corporate owners whose only criteria is economic profitability. Again, to avoid costly travel and loss of time, citizens and municipalities have worked together to create multi-service cooperatives to provide the community with basic services, including postal counters and Automated Teller Machines. The vast majority of these projects adopts a solidarity cooperative approach, which involves more than one category of member.
Challenges remain
Although relations between local authorities and the social economy sector have been growing since 1998 through CLDs and CEDECs, they have often remained occasional or indirect, especially in regions where the social economy lacks a strong network.
In the rural world, municipalities are often very active in implementing and supporting collective businesses. In many sectors, such as housing, recreation, culture, local and citizen services, and waste management, municipalities depend on social economy businesses to meet community needs.
In urban areas, it has only been through the adoption of Montreal’s 2009 policy and the implementation of agreements under the Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif that formal partnerships between local authorities, through the CRÉs and social economy leaders in various regions, have developed, in part to promote and strengthen the social economy. In most regions, such partnerships are still in an initial phase and much remains to be done to consolidate them; however, they are already opening up an expansive work area to develop social economy businesses in each region that are capable of meeting citizen needs in every municipality of Quebec, whether in the environmental sector, sustainable transportation, or local services.
Original article (in French and English) published in magazine Développement Social, Volume 12, No. 2, October 2011
http://www.revueds.ca/
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Newsletter #83
November 1st 2011
Summary
The social economy and municipal authorities: For sustainable development in local communities
Message from the Editorial Team
Ever since we first started publishing our Newsletter in 2003, we have stated that solutions need to be built bottom-up by communities and local resources; this is the path that leads to a true perspective of human justice and sustainable development.
This article by Yvon was written for the magazine called Développement Social in Quebec. It was published in the special number for the International Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (FIESS), that took place in Montreal from 17th – 20th October last. Yvon examines the relationships of various socio-economic actors who have organised at municipal or other levels in the province of Quebec; the second largest in Canada with a population of 8 million (Canada 34,5 M). The full issue, including the article, is available in English and French on the magazine website at www.revueds.ca.
His article is well researched and precise. It illustrates how the local development tools in Quebec work: they all have the support of a legitimate legal framework, use collective joint management systems, implement an entrepreneurial development strategy that may connect from different sources, financial tools for investment. It has a framework that is specifically adapted to solidarity economy (this is known as social economy in Quebec), which is fully recognised in Quebec. As these tools were created many years ago, it means that it is now possible to measure the results in terms of job and enterprise-creation as well as their sustainability over a period of time. The philosophy behind the system recognises profit but it is not considered as THE end goal (lucrative for a few to the detriment of the community). The method involves local authorities in a participatory process and stimulates general mobilisation. The article confirms the maturity of the economic alternative. The FIESS has highlighted this by bringing together all the achievements that are providing bottom-up responses to essential needs at global level.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
The social economy and municipal authorities: For sustainable development in local communities
By Yvon Poirier
In Quebec, the relationship between the social economy and municipal authorities – and by extension local communities – is original and worth examining. This connection between municipalities and the social economy exists in part through local development centres (CLD) and regional committees of elected officials (Conférences régionales des élus – CRÉ) which each support in their own way the existence of the social economy.
CLDs: Technical and financial support for the social economy
In Quebec, responsibility for local development and entrepreneurial support belongs to regional county municipalities (municipalités régionales de comté – MRC) and larger cities. However, the law specifies that this work can be delegated to a local development centre. There are 120 such centres in Quebec: 111 CLDs proper and in some areas of Montreal 9 community economic development corporations (CEDECs) that have a CLD mandate . They are all non-profit organizations whose role is to accompany private and collective entrepreneurs in accomplishing their business projects and to provide a set of front-line services for businesses. CLDs and CEDECs form a link between the municipal world and social economy.
The Government of Quebec adopted Bill 171, creating CLDs, in December 1997. The bill followed Quebec’s Summit on Economy and Employment in 1996, which recognized social economy as a strategic area for development. The effort was in part to adapt business support policies. Under the legislation, CLDs have the mandate to prepare a strategy for entrepreneurial growth, including the social economy. At the same time, the government gave each organization an economic development fund, called Fonds de développement des entreprises d’économie sociale (FDEÉS), for specific support to social economy businesses. The organizations no longer have the obligation to keep such a FDEÉS, but a large majority nonetheless maintains a specific financial tool for the social economy. According to data from the ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation, more than $100 million has been invested through the FDEÉS in social economy businesses in 10 years (1998-2008), creating and maintaining more than 47 000 jobs and 5700 businesses.
Quebec City and the social economy
In 2008, the Government of Quebec adopted the Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif to increase the positive effects of collective entrepreneurship. It seeks to give leaders in this area concrete means that are adapted to their realities, to enhance the strength of the regions and to meet community needs according to a sustainable development approach.
The plan is for each CRÉ to sign a specific social economy agreement. Under its mandate, the Chantier de l’économie sociale du Québec guides the implementation of these agreements, particularly by supporting the creation of regional social economy poles in each region, a strategy which is also specified in the action plan.
In the Quebec City area, social enterprises have a social economy pole composed of 27 members. It adopted a number of rules for that composition, including balance between cooperatives and non-profit organizations, parity between men and women, representation of the sub-regions (Charlevoix, Portneuf), and representation of the various activity sectors. The organization is part of the CRÉ de la Capitale-Nationale, and the latter confirmed the rules set for nomination of pole members .
For the Quebec City region, the social economy offers a promising model, since the rate of survival for regular businesses after 10 years is just 19.5%, compared to 44% for cooperatives . Further more, because social economy businesses work so closely with their communities, they are committed to maintain their activities within the community and do not even think of ever “delocalizing”.
The City of Montreal’s policy
In 2009, the City of Montreal inaugurated its Social Economy Partnership for Community-Based Sustainable Development, the first public municipal policy in this area in Canada. The partnership is the result of cooperation between social economy leaders and the City of Montreal.
The partnership’s goals are to formally recognize the social economy’s contribution to the economic, social, and cultural development of the city; to support the social economy by drawing on the accomplishments of the past, by reinforcing existing means, and by adopting new methods to enable its growth; and to consolidate and increase the contribution of social economy members to the sustainable development of Quebec’s metropolis through the creation and development of collective businesses that meet citizen needs.
The partnership intends to function in five main areas, which are: support for collective entrepreneurship, solidarity supply practices, integrated promotion of the social economy, an increased role for the social economy in major metropolitan development projects, and an expanded role for the social economy in improving the quality of life of citizens through action in culture, recreation, tourism, housing, and sustainable development.
In 2007, turnover in the Montreal social economy was estimated at $2 billion. About 3600 establishments generated 61 500 jobs, representing 7% of total employment on the island of Montreal (as much as the tourism industry).
Cooperatives serving local populations
Outside large urban centres, social economy businesses are often key to the very survival of towns and villages.
Usually with the support of municipal governments, local populations have implemented activities to develop or maintain essential local services to avoid onerous travel and migration toward larger centres. These social economy initiatives prevent rural exodus and in some cases even reverse the trend.
In the past 15 years, for example, over 40 health cooperatives have been created and are still operating in various regions of Quebec. Most of these cooperatives were established to ensure better access to primary health services. Clinics therefore offer one or several physicians and sometimes other professionals, such as nurses and pharmacists. This is because, in smaller communities, doctors have been abandoning their private practices to set up in larger centres, leaving local populations without this essential service.
Citizens therefore created the cooperatives to establish a work infrastructure more appealing to doctors, including avoidance of lengthy travelling (50 to 100 kilometres) for basic medical attention. In most cases, either the municipality itself, the local Caisse Desjardins, or the two entities together, have initiated or guided the process of creating the cooperative (providing space, facilitating meetings for cooperative training, etc.). Usually, more than 80% of the local population is member of the cooperative. However, non-members have access to the services covered by the public health insurance plan.
In many small towns and villages, essential services such as gas stations and grocery stores disappear due to their lack of sufficient returns for large corporate owners whose only criteria is economic profitability. Again, to avoid costly travel and loss of time, citizens and municipalities have worked together to create multi-service cooperatives to provide the community with basic services, including postal counters and Automated Teller Machines. The vast majority of these projects adopts a solidarity cooperative approach, which involves more than one category of member.
Challenges remain
Although relations between local authorities and the social economy sector have been growing since 1998 through CLDs and CEDECs, they have often remained occasional or indirect, especially in regions where the social economy lacks a strong network.
In the rural world, municipalities are often very active in implementing and supporting collective businesses. In many sectors, such as housing, recreation, culture, local and citizen services, and waste management, municipalities depend on social economy businesses to meet community needs.
In urban areas, it has only been through the adoption of Montreal’s 2009 policy and the implementation of agreements under the Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif that formal partnerships between local authorities, through the CRÉs and social economy leaders in various regions, have developed, in part to promote and strengthen the social economy. In most regions, such partnerships are still in an initial phase and much remains to be done to consolidate them; however, they are already opening up an expansive work area to develop social economy businesses in each region that are capable of meeting citizen needs in every municipality of Quebec, whether in the environmental sector, sustainable transportation, or local services.
Original article (in French and English) published in magazine Développement Social, Volume 12, No. 2, October 2011
http://www.revueds.ca/
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Sunday, October 02, 2011
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #82
October 1st 2011
Summary
Nyeleni Europe: an important step forward for the European Food Sovereignty movement
Foundation Congress of RIPESS Europe, Solidarity Economy Network Barcelona, September 8th, 9th and 10th 2011
Message from the Editorial Team
Judith presents the progress of the food sovereignty movement in Europe. We are encouraged by the development of this approach, in all the different continents.
We are also glad to share good news – the foundation of RIPESS Europe. Martine and Judith participated in this historic meeting, last September 8 to 10 in Barcelona.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Nyeleni Europe: an important step forward
for the European Food Sovereignty movement.
From August 16th – 22nd, over 500 participants from 40 countries came together in Krems - Austria, to share their experience and develop the future of both networks and actions for increased food sovereignty in Europe.
Methodology and content
The methodology, based on the first Nyeleni meeting held in Mali in 2007, ensured that all the groups and sub-groups were highly interactive. The programme was divided into 5 strands, dealing respectively with models of production, markets and organisation of distribution chains and food networks, social aspects and work conditions, access to land and other resources, and public policies. Particular attention was paid to ensure that at least 30% of those attending were young people, as well as to gender balance. There were also regional and constituency (farmers. NGOs, etc.) meetings, and many self-organised activities, as well as an excellent awareness raising fair and actions in one of the town’s many squares in the historic quarter.
Volunteers
As befits such a meeting, food was all local and organic, and the excellent vegan (non-animal) meals were cooked by a team of volunteers, by far the highest standard of any catering for such large numbers that I have ever encountered. A large team of very dedicated volunteer interpreters covered a wide range of Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern European languages.
Characteristics of the week’s work
The predominant aspect of the meeting was the dedicated working atmosphere, and how hard all the participants worked, in a quiet, constructive way. Was it because we were in a Central European country? The fact that there were so many incredibly committed young people present? Or the fact that in this time of crisis, that the obvious solution seems not just to criticise, but rather to build genuine alternatives to the neo-liberal system?
Many networks like the Via Campesina, Urgenci, (the International Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) network), Friends of the Earth and other members of the Food Sovereignty movement were key actors in the process. Questions like CSA and other forms of direct sales, access to public procurement for local small-scale producers, participatory guarantee systems (PGS) as peer-to-peer alternative certification for organic producers, the need for regulations that favour small-scale family farming and processing rather than industrialisation, GMO-free agriculture and freedom to exchange and sell farm seeds, were all perceived as the way forward to a European Food Sovereignty movement of economic and social alternatives, and a move towards territorial social dialogue between multiple stakeholders at all levels.
It was an inspiring week, particularly with so many energetic and dedicated young people present.
The Nyeleni Europe Final Declaration can be found on the website at www.nyelenieurope.net.
Judith Hitchman
Foundation Congress of RIPESS Europe, Solidarity Economy Network Barcelona, September 8th, 9th and 10th 2011.
In line with the RIPESS International strategy, and two years after the 4th meeting of Globalisation of Solidarity that was held in the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, around a hundred delegates and representatives of European Networks founded RIPESS Europe. This event was held on a shoetring budget, and could not have succeeded without the mobilisation and efficient, convivial organisation by XES, Xarxa Economia Solidaria, both members of the Spanish REAS network. Around 50 people were accommodated in people’s homes! The countries present were : Belgium, Catalunya, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Romania. There was also a delegation from the neighbouring Mediterranean countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.
The Congress agenda included the discussion and validation of proposals that had been prepared by a Committee of active members involved in the preparation of the European Lux’09 Forum in April 2009. They included a Manifesto, and the Articles of Association. A first Organising Committee was designated. It is made up of a balanced panel of national platforms, regional and inter-regional, sectorial and inter-sectorial networks, resource people and researchers.
The broad outlines of the activities for the next two years were determined based after sharing the work that was carried out in 6 Work Groups:
GT1-- Mapping, extension, identity and cooperation
GT2 Social Services of General Interest (SSGI), the relationship between the public sector and SSE.
GT3 - Territorial development, solidarity economy, food sovereignty, local pacts : what convergence for building collective solutions?
GT4 – Responsible consumption, fair trade and solidarity tourism, ethical finance: building a social market.
GT5 - SSE as an alternative to the capitalist market
GT6 – RIPESS Europe : strategies, positions, methods and added value: how to be fully present in the European debate.
The transversal territorial approach particularly emphasized by the European P’ACTES plays an important part in the foundation process: with Priscila Soarès, a woman with 30 years experience in participatory regional development in the Algarve, in the South of Portugal as female delegate, and France Joubert. GT3 set the objective of creating convergence through learning journeys, as a useful tool for learning from one another. 2 or 3 are planned for 2012: Morocco, Catalunya, and Romania.
From a collective of actors to a collective actor, the conditions are now right for Europe to make its contribution to the great transition!
Announcement
The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) has a new website, in French, in English and in Spanish.
www.ripess.orgi
It will be updated regularly with news and announcements.
Take note that you can now subscribe on the website for regular updates and news.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Newsletter #82
October 1st 2011
Summary
Nyeleni Europe: an important step forward for the European Food Sovereignty movement
Foundation Congress of RIPESS Europe, Solidarity Economy Network Barcelona, September 8th, 9th and 10th 2011
Message from the Editorial Team
Judith presents the progress of the food sovereignty movement in Europe. We are encouraged by the development of this approach, in all the different continents.
We are also glad to share good news – the foundation of RIPESS Europe. Martine and Judith participated in this historic meeting, last September 8 to 10 in Barcelona.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Nyeleni Europe: an important step forward
for the European Food Sovereignty movement.
From August 16th – 22nd, over 500 participants from 40 countries came together in Krems - Austria, to share their experience and develop the future of both networks and actions for increased food sovereignty in Europe.
Methodology and content
The methodology, based on the first Nyeleni meeting held in Mali in 2007, ensured that all the groups and sub-groups were highly interactive. The programme was divided into 5 strands, dealing respectively with models of production, markets and organisation of distribution chains and food networks, social aspects and work conditions, access to land and other resources, and public policies. Particular attention was paid to ensure that at least 30% of those attending were young people, as well as to gender balance. There were also regional and constituency (farmers. NGOs, etc.) meetings, and many self-organised activities, as well as an excellent awareness raising fair and actions in one of the town’s many squares in the historic quarter.
Volunteers
As befits such a meeting, food was all local and organic, and the excellent vegan (non-animal) meals were cooked by a team of volunteers, by far the highest standard of any catering for such large numbers that I have ever encountered. A large team of very dedicated volunteer interpreters covered a wide range of Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern European languages.
Characteristics of the week’s work
The predominant aspect of the meeting was the dedicated working atmosphere, and how hard all the participants worked, in a quiet, constructive way. Was it because we were in a Central European country? The fact that there were so many incredibly committed young people present? Or the fact that in this time of crisis, that the obvious solution seems not just to criticise, but rather to build genuine alternatives to the neo-liberal system?
Many networks like the Via Campesina, Urgenci, (the International Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) network), Friends of the Earth and other members of the Food Sovereignty movement were key actors in the process. Questions like CSA and other forms of direct sales, access to public procurement for local small-scale producers, participatory guarantee systems (PGS) as peer-to-peer alternative certification for organic producers, the need for regulations that favour small-scale family farming and processing rather than industrialisation, GMO-free agriculture and freedom to exchange and sell farm seeds, were all perceived as the way forward to a European Food Sovereignty movement of economic and social alternatives, and a move towards territorial social dialogue between multiple stakeholders at all levels.
It was an inspiring week, particularly with so many energetic and dedicated young people present.
The Nyeleni Europe Final Declaration can be found on the website at www.nyelenieurope.net.
Judith Hitchman
Foundation Congress of RIPESS Europe, Solidarity Economy Network Barcelona, September 8th, 9th and 10th 2011.
In line with the RIPESS International strategy, and two years after the 4th meeting of Globalisation of Solidarity that was held in the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, around a hundred delegates and representatives of European Networks founded RIPESS Europe. This event was held on a shoetring budget, and could not have succeeded without the mobilisation and efficient, convivial organisation by XES, Xarxa Economia Solidaria, both members of the Spanish REAS network. Around 50 people were accommodated in people’s homes! The countries present were : Belgium, Catalunya, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Romania. There was also a delegation from the neighbouring Mediterranean countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.
The Congress agenda included the discussion and validation of proposals that had been prepared by a Committee of active members involved in the preparation of the European Lux’09 Forum in April 2009. They included a Manifesto, and the Articles of Association. A first Organising Committee was designated. It is made up of a balanced panel of national platforms, regional and inter-regional, sectorial and inter-sectorial networks, resource people and researchers.
The broad outlines of the activities for the next two years were determined based after sharing the work that was carried out in 6 Work Groups:
GT1-- Mapping, extension, identity and cooperation
GT2 Social Services of General Interest (SSGI), the relationship between the public sector and SSE.
GT3 - Territorial development, solidarity economy, food sovereignty, local pacts : what convergence for building collective solutions?
GT4 – Responsible consumption, fair trade and solidarity tourism, ethical finance: building a social market.
GT5 - SSE as an alternative to the capitalist market
GT6 – RIPESS Europe : strategies, positions, methods and added value: how to be fully present in the European debate.
The transversal territorial approach particularly emphasized by the European P’ACTES plays an important part in the foundation process: with Priscila Soarès, a woman with 30 years experience in participatory regional development in the Algarve, in the South of Portugal as female delegate, and France Joubert. GT3 set the objective of creating convergence through learning journeys, as a useful tool for learning from one another. 2 or 3 are planned for 2012: Morocco, Catalunya, and Romania.
From a collective of actors to a collective actor, the conditions are now right for Europe to make its contribution to the great transition!
Announcement
The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) has a new website, in French, in English and in Spanish.
www.ripess.orgi
It will be updated regularly with news and announcements.
Take note that you can now subscribe on the website for regular updates and news.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Monday, September 05, 2011
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #81
September 1st 2011
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
In this issue, we are pleased to present an article on social and solidarity economy in China. It is the summary of the academic work of a Chinese student (who prefers to remain anonymous) at an American university. As you will see, people in China have also realised that cooperation and pooling energy and resources is the best way to achieving collective and individual improvement. This is in spite of the official ideology that has been implemented since 1979. This was when everything was privatised in China. Towns were broken up into individual properties and companies established with capitalist articles of incorporation, including shareholders. Nevertheless in the Chinese rural areas, some people failed to accept this turn of affairs, and maintained a shared collective approach. Others came back to it after some time. These villages became a reference in the poor rural areas of China. The per capita income was often ten times higher than the national average. More recently, many small-scale farmers’ cooperatives have been created to sell local produce, which helps protect individual producers from middlemen. About 13% of Chinese small-scale farmers are members of these cooperatives, and the income of these families is higher than that of individual farmers. This shows remarkable progress, as in many cases these cooperatives were created without the support of local authorities. The Central Government is beginning to admit that this is a positive development, and has established dedicated funds to support such projects. One major consideration is obviously to avoid any further increase to the rural migration to urban areas. It is indeed a recognised fact that it is rural poverty that causes this migration.
We never cease to wonder at the strength of local community-driven initiatives throughout the world, when people realise how much their situation and lives can be improved by pooling their efforts. Even in China, in spite of the reigning individualism, farmers and fisherfolk, coffee and banana growers are deciding to improve their living conditions by working together. As we have often shown in previous articles, when people decide to work together, they often start paying attention to other vital issues like housing, health and education. This also leads to a sustainable approach to their future and that of our planet, one that is similar to that of indigenous peoples who have a proverb that says “Development should be thought out for seven generations”.
We are not trying to pretend that this is the antidote to all capitalist markets. Nevertheless, it is obvious that this represents both a means of resisting and building solidarity and cooperation, that we believe will eventually replace the current dominant predatory and unsustainable model.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Social Solidarity Economy in Rural China
Under the new communist leadership, China implemented a full land reform from 1949 to 1953. Land was taken from the landlords and distributed to the peasants. Starting in 1958, the government organised communes so that the peasants could organise large-scale farming with machinery, marketing and some manufacturing. In 1979, the new leadership decided to privatize the land to the farmers and the collectively owned industries were sold to private capitalists.
The reason invoked for this change was that the peasants in the communes had no individual motivation. This new system was called Household Responsibility System. In most communes, peasants agreed, or were forced to agree to the new system. However, a few refused and decided to remain as communes. For many of those who went to the new system, they went backwards. Tractors and other machinery were scrapped since they were not needed. But, many farmers could not even afford to buy a horse or an ox for work. This led to much poverty and this is recognized as one to the reasons that has forced tens of millions of people to move to large industrial urban areas in China.
Today, some of these communes show great success:
• The 30,000 villagers of Huaxi now have reached a total yearly income of 10 billion yuan (approximately 1.5 billion US). Besides farming, they own a steel plant, a horticulture company, a clothing plant, and others. The total sales revenue in 2010 was 50 billion yuan (8 billion US). This allows the village to provide free health services, education (up to PHD), housing, retirement benefits and other needs of the villagers.
• Nanjie village is located in a poor, agricultural province, Henan. The villagers collectively own Nanjie Group, which consists of 29 companies involved in food processing, ink production, pharmaceuticals, handicrafts, plastics, printing, farming and travel services. Similar to Huaxi, all basic public services, such as education, health care, housing and retirement benefits are freely provided by the commune. The village population is 3400, yet there are 7260 employees. Interestingly, jobs in agriculture are better paid than in factories since its considered harder work. The household income is about ten times more that average villages in the region.
• Xixiakou village, a commune in Shandong has a population of 1300. Over a 40-year span since 1970, this fishing village has accumulated more than 6 billion yuans worth of assets. Most households have private cars and the commune also built the largest zoo in Shandong Province.
• Liuzhuang, a commune in Henan with a population of 1700, was still deep in poverty in the 1980s. By 2009, it has raised the disposable income of members to 23,000 yuans per capita, more than ten times the national average.
In recent years, there has been a huge increase in collective enterprises, using the name «cooperative» which is less politically sensitive than «commune» which is identified to the Maoist era.
In Shanxi Province alone, there were more than 24,000 rural cooperatives (Han Yuhai, Peking University, 2010). Since 2003, the central government, understanding that relying only on individual households was not the best option has recognized that organising rural cooperatives was a way for these peasants to grow out of poverty. Otherwise, the peasants are pushed away from their land through forced land sales and renting. The government has devoted special funds to help reorganize rural households into cooperatives. By 2006, rural cooperatives covered 13.8% of the Chinese rural population. Even if much smaller in scale than the communes mentioned above, the income of their members is at least 20-30% higher than peasants who are not involved in any cooperative. The rationale behind the cooperatives is the same as communes – collective savings, higher investment, and shared profit. For example, they can buy vehicles to transport products instead of being totally dependant on middlemen. They can collectively own machinery and purchase goods.
Rural areas in China are facing huge challenges in irrigation. Individual households cannot take care of this system. Allocation of water to each lot of land is a huge problem. In a few rural areas, such as in Jiangxi Province, farmers still collectively run the irrigation system. In most of China, the irrigation system is in bad shape. This is why the central government is planning to spend 620 billion dollars in the next ten years on irrigation, since it has to pay for everything. This is why collective management and maintenance of irrigation is the only long-term approach to sustainable growth of agricultural production (Li Changping). Since the People’s daily has articles on these subjects, it shows growing awareness in China about these alternatives approaches.
The Chinese student says in her closing remarks. The prospect of the rural cooperatives is yet to be confirmed by future developments. Nevertheless, it is increasingly clear that a system where everyone cares about nothing other than one’s self interest does not truly maximize the welfare of individuals.
Yvon Poirier
News about Nanjie (in English)
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8278128.stm
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Newsletter #81
September 1st 2011
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
In this issue, we are pleased to present an article on social and solidarity economy in China. It is the summary of the academic work of a Chinese student (who prefers to remain anonymous) at an American university. As you will see, people in China have also realised that cooperation and pooling energy and resources is the best way to achieving collective and individual improvement. This is in spite of the official ideology that has been implemented since 1979. This was when everything was privatised in China. Towns were broken up into individual properties and companies established with capitalist articles of incorporation, including shareholders. Nevertheless in the Chinese rural areas, some people failed to accept this turn of affairs, and maintained a shared collective approach. Others came back to it after some time. These villages became a reference in the poor rural areas of China. The per capita income was often ten times higher than the national average. More recently, many small-scale farmers’ cooperatives have been created to sell local produce, which helps protect individual producers from middlemen. About 13% of Chinese small-scale farmers are members of these cooperatives, and the income of these families is higher than that of individual farmers. This shows remarkable progress, as in many cases these cooperatives were created without the support of local authorities. The Central Government is beginning to admit that this is a positive development, and has established dedicated funds to support such projects. One major consideration is obviously to avoid any further increase to the rural migration to urban areas. It is indeed a recognised fact that it is rural poverty that causes this migration.
We never cease to wonder at the strength of local community-driven initiatives throughout the world, when people realise how much their situation and lives can be improved by pooling their efforts. Even in China, in spite of the reigning individualism, farmers and fisherfolk, coffee and banana growers are deciding to improve their living conditions by working together. As we have often shown in previous articles, when people decide to work together, they often start paying attention to other vital issues like housing, health and education. This also leads to a sustainable approach to their future and that of our planet, one that is similar to that of indigenous peoples who have a proverb that says “Development should be thought out for seven generations”.
We are not trying to pretend that this is the antidote to all capitalist markets. Nevertheless, it is obvious that this represents both a means of resisting and building solidarity and cooperation, that we believe will eventually replace the current dominant predatory and unsustainable model.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Social Solidarity Economy in Rural China
Under the new communist leadership, China implemented a full land reform from 1949 to 1953. Land was taken from the landlords and distributed to the peasants. Starting in 1958, the government organised communes so that the peasants could organise large-scale farming with machinery, marketing and some manufacturing. In 1979, the new leadership decided to privatize the land to the farmers and the collectively owned industries were sold to private capitalists.
The reason invoked for this change was that the peasants in the communes had no individual motivation. This new system was called Household Responsibility System. In most communes, peasants agreed, or were forced to agree to the new system. However, a few refused and decided to remain as communes. For many of those who went to the new system, they went backwards. Tractors and other machinery were scrapped since they were not needed. But, many farmers could not even afford to buy a horse or an ox for work. This led to much poverty and this is recognized as one to the reasons that has forced tens of millions of people to move to large industrial urban areas in China.
Today, some of these communes show great success:
• The 30,000 villagers of Huaxi now have reached a total yearly income of 10 billion yuan (approximately 1.5 billion US). Besides farming, they own a steel plant, a horticulture company, a clothing plant, and others. The total sales revenue in 2010 was 50 billion yuan (8 billion US). This allows the village to provide free health services, education (up to PHD), housing, retirement benefits and other needs of the villagers.
• Nanjie village is located in a poor, agricultural province, Henan. The villagers collectively own Nanjie Group, which consists of 29 companies involved in food processing, ink production, pharmaceuticals, handicrafts, plastics, printing, farming and travel services. Similar to Huaxi, all basic public services, such as education, health care, housing and retirement benefits are freely provided by the commune. The village population is 3400, yet there are 7260 employees. Interestingly, jobs in agriculture are better paid than in factories since its considered harder work. The household income is about ten times more that average villages in the region.
• Xixiakou village, a commune in Shandong has a population of 1300. Over a 40-year span since 1970, this fishing village has accumulated more than 6 billion yuans worth of assets. Most households have private cars and the commune also built the largest zoo in Shandong Province.
• Liuzhuang, a commune in Henan with a population of 1700, was still deep in poverty in the 1980s. By 2009, it has raised the disposable income of members to 23,000 yuans per capita, more than ten times the national average.
In recent years, there has been a huge increase in collective enterprises, using the name «cooperative» which is less politically sensitive than «commune» which is identified to the Maoist era.
In Shanxi Province alone, there were more than 24,000 rural cooperatives (Han Yuhai, Peking University, 2010). Since 2003, the central government, understanding that relying only on individual households was not the best option has recognized that organising rural cooperatives was a way for these peasants to grow out of poverty. Otherwise, the peasants are pushed away from their land through forced land sales and renting. The government has devoted special funds to help reorganize rural households into cooperatives. By 2006, rural cooperatives covered 13.8% of the Chinese rural population. Even if much smaller in scale than the communes mentioned above, the income of their members is at least 20-30% higher than peasants who are not involved in any cooperative. The rationale behind the cooperatives is the same as communes – collective savings, higher investment, and shared profit. For example, they can buy vehicles to transport products instead of being totally dependant on middlemen. They can collectively own machinery and purchase goods.
Rural areas in China are facing huge challenges in irrigation. Individual households cannot take care of this system. Allocation of water to each lot of land is a huge problem. In a few rural areas, such as in Jiangxi Province, farmers still collectively run the irrigation system. In most of China, the irrigation system is in bad shape. This is why the central government is planning to spend 620 billion dollars in the next ten years on irrigation, since it has to pay for everything. This is why collective management and maintenance of irrigation is the only long-term approach to sustainable growth of agricultural production (Li Changping). Since the People’s daily has articles on these subjects, it shows growing awareness in China about these alternatives approaches.
The Chinese student says in her closing remarks. The prospect of the rural cooperatives is yet to be confirmed by future developments. Nevertheless, it is increasingly clear that a system where everyone cares about nothing other than one’s self interest does not truly maximize the welfare of individuals.
Yvon Poirier
News about Nanjie (in English)
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8278128.stm
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Sunday, July 03, 2011
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #80
July 1st 2010
Summary
Objectives of the RIO+20 Summit
Message from the Editorial Team
The 1992 Rio Summit can be credited with putting environmental concerns and principles of sustainable development on the agenda of global policy issues. The representatives of the socio-economic world, states and civil society have been obliged to confront reality: how to transform the production model and consumption to ensure a viable future for both humanity and the biosphere. Twenty years later, we have come to the realization that resources are limited, and we know that the classical solutions of economic recovery will be powerless to solve problems. Globally, the situation has worsened: there is more enduring poverty, and extreme poverty is increasing in less developed countries. Food dependency has risen, social and economic inequalities are more marked. There is a loss of biodiversity, unsustainable pressures on ecosystems, accelerating climate change and global warming.
The question is whether we are now able to break away from the political schizophrenia, with one side promoting fair and sustainable green solutions, and the other demanding strategies and actions that are clearly heading in the opposite direction, in the name of competitiveness and free trade. The real challenge of RIO + 20 will be to redefine the debate on the basis of these realities. The event is scheduled to take place in Brazil, June 4th – 6th 2012. It will indeed be difficult to achieve a political determination to reach consensus. If we, as society, allow ourselves to become trapped in the cacophony of partial or biased views or expert solutions that have no democratic basis, if we do not bring concrete systemic proposals to the negotiation table, who will do so? As we wrote in the Newsletter #78 (May 2011), we believe that alternative approaches are more realistic than the irresponsibility that currently prevails at the top, and that has generated the current crisis. The urgent outcry of "freedom" by people to abolish autocratic and self-proclaimed regimes and the indignation of the world's youth whose future is at stake, are good reasons not to despair. The new generation is taking its place, and asking how it can transform the unacceptable into hope.
This issue of our Newsletter is devoted to initiatives involved in the framework of preparation for the Earth Summit. Until June 2012, we plan to relay those specific dynamics that assert citizens’ participation as a viable political choice. Active participation of communities is an essential aspect if we are to successfully change course. People need to solve the issues that concern them. The global and the local cannot be separated.
RIPESS International will contribute to the intercontinental exchange: The FBES (Brazilian Forum of Solidarity Economy) is actively involved in the umbrella organization of Brazilian NGOs and social movements that is leading the preparation of a People's Summit to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro from June 4th – 6th 2012. It is a call to join and contribute to "Reinvent the world."
The next issue will be published on September 1st
We are pleased to inform you that our newsletter is now available in Japanese. It is translated by Yuko Wada of the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of the Seikatsu Club Co-operative Union of Japan. The latest available issue is number 78. It is available on request.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
The Objectives of the RIO+20 Summit
According to the UN resolution A/RES/64/236 - the Conference has three objectives: to obtain a renewed political commitment for sustainable development, evaluate progress and difficulties in the implementation of desired outcomes, and meet new and emerging challenges. The Conference will have two official themes: 1) green economy in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable development and, 2) the institutional framework for sustainable development. It is clear that we need to go further than this.
The green economy, a new oxymoron, does not guarantee the fundamental principle of sustainability or the commitment to fight consumerism, individualism or short-termism. The concept does not fit with democracy, the fourth component added to the Curitiba Charter in 1992 to the 3 others (economic, ecological and social). It remains a very weak link, used to launch the implementation of Agenda 21. A critical and constructive assessment at international level would be of great interest to all.
The institutional framework, the principle of national sovereignty and the right to compete for economic activities are inappropriate or contrary to the implementation of the principles of higher interest. We hope to advance this idea by promoting binding agreements.
Finally, how can we establish legitimate authority in a world where interactions are enmeshed? What is our individual responsibility in terms of economy, society, culture and nature? How can we link these major areas with one another and to our own lives?
The unprecedented context requires us to invent new answers.
The creation of the French RIO + 20 Collective
In late 2010, a small group of organizations led by the 4D Association began the initiative of involving as many actors as possible in the transition towards a new state of the world in the twenty-first century. It now brings together many different civil society actors as well as trade unions. It has two objectives:
Consider possible change and make concrete proposals in 5 working groups. Each group will produce a 10-page discussion paper, highlighting both disagreement and consensus. This will then feed into proposals for formal negotiations aimed at stimulating debate and public discussion.
Prepare to mobilize by examining events in France from an international perspective, working jointly with our international partners on other continents to input content that is relevant to the general public, as well as on projects that create change and a shift to a different paradigm, that support the transition, and advocate the need for international solidarity.
Since March 2011, the Europeans P'ACTS have joined the Work Group on the green economy.
Their involvement on this subject has enabled the collective to put forward its views to:
1. The French RIO + 20 Collective to illustrate ideas through examples and declarations and to propose Rebuilding the Economy on a territorial basis. :
"Territories perform core functions in the coordination of relations between actors and between different levels and scales in society; they also allow people to invent answers to key issues in the real economy and invent ways for “how to live together”. Territories must therefore be recognized as social and economic actors in their own right.
Organised answers to issues of employment, food, sustainable local development, culture, funding, local services, transportation, and citizenship all exist at territorial level.... These projects already act as a lever for the local economy. The organisations involved have various legal statuses, both for profit and non-profit making; they all reject and work outside the existing economic system that is solely aimed at profit making. They also produce and reinvest profits and create territorial social capital”.
2. The European debate: Priscila Soares, Project Coordinator at In LOCO Association (Algarve, Portugal), a member of P'ACTS, participated in the «Public Consultation on the EU position for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development»
Two proposals she made are of particular interest:
The place of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in the transition:
“The Global Compact Initiative mainly involves big corporations (…), but it would be much needed to mobilize the Small and Medium Enterprises too. Nor UN neither one of its bodies can reach them directly but it is possible to approach, to promote and to encourage experiences and movements all over the world that count on the involvement of SME in local and regional processes oriented towards sustainable development and participatory democracy. This option will open to the understanding of how SME serve the communities and territories they are associated with and how they are interconnected with other actors also implied in the same experiences and movements.”
The second is how P’ACTS targets a specific European level:
“The European Union needs to be a more coherent reality – in political, social and economic terms – in order to play a key role at the Summit. Without an intrinsic change in that direction UE will lose the capacity to furnish new ideas and the credibility to mobilize citizens, civil society organizations or states around them. How can Europe ensure a generous financial support for governance and capacity building if there is no common European position in relation to the financing of UN and its bodies?
EU can and should mobilize the European civil society for a deep engagement in the preparation of the Summit, in the event and in the subsequent dynamics.
Following its tradition EU can and should propose and promote a large and deep participation of civil society in the process of achieving Sustainable Development at European, national, regional and local levels. By doing so Europe will pursue this main goal within its territory and will provide examples and models of governance that can be useful and inspiring at international level.
In parallel EU can promote the integration of sustainability responsibilities into corporate social responsibility, improving and enlarging its conceptual and for-action framework.
Equally important it would be to integrate the European Sustainable Development Strategy in the European Strategy 2020, overcoming a fragmented and sectoral approach to sustainable development.
On the other side, it seems clearly necessary to strengthen UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) but the possibility of creating a World Environmental Organisation has to be pondered in order to avoid multiplying the UN bodies without assuring the transversal coordination among them?”
3- The roadmap for the European Network of Social and Solidarity Economy that plans to hold its Foundation Congress in Barcelona, September 9th and 10th 2011. P’ACTS will jointly be leading a work group with the Catalonia Solidarity Economy Network « Xarxa d'economia solidària » (XES) on SSE, territorial development, and food sovereignty: what convergence can we jointly build?
In French: http://wiki.ripesseu.net/index.php/Groupe_de_travail_3
4- Share useful information through the international Newsletter
Information on civil society mobilisation :
Article 21 of Resolution 64/236 of March 2010: « …Commits all major groups to active participation in the preparatory activities at all stages ». A stakeholder Forum will take place beforehand to promote the participation of civil society organisations with links to the UN. It is worth bearing in mind that the UN considers NGOs, trade unions, companies, Local Authorities, scientific communities, women, youth, farmers, indigenous peoples as these major civil society groups.
http://www.earthsummit2012.org
Existing mobilisation:
The facilitation Committee of Brazilian civil society was founded on 3rd November 2010 at the instigation of Brazilian environmental and social organisations and Brazilian social movements. It is called « The Peoples’ Summit » and is characterised by « its independence. It aims to combine plurality with the possibility to dialogue with official bodies and other dynamic sectors ».
http://www.ong-ngo.org/IMG/pdf/CALL_FOR_CSFC_RIO20_final.pdf
http://vitaecivilis.org/rio2012/images/stories/pub/Venez_reinventer_le_monde_a_Rio.pdf
The Peoples’ Summit has essentially been initiated and supported by IBASE. (Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas) (in Portuguese) http://www.ibase.br/
The Foundation for the Progress of Humankind is devoting its resources and those of several of their partners’ to the preparation of the Peoples’ Summit. The following website has been created to « provide an overall vision of international mobilisation. »
www.rio20.net in 4 languages
Martine Theveniaut
For more information (in French and partially in English)
www.association4d.org/
www.affinitiz.net/space/rio2012 a space to facilitate exchanges between members of the RIO+20 Collective
The following are available in English and Portuguese:
Calendar of events concerning Rio-2012
http://collectif-france.rio20.net/files/2011/06/Agenda_RIO_20_2011_2012.pdf
UNEP Green Economy report: http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese translation
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for the English translation
Judith Hitchman for the final revision of the English version.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Newsletter #80
July 1st 2010
Summary
Objectives of the RIO+20 Summit
Message from the Editorial Team
The 1992 Rio Summit can be credited with putting environmental concerns and principles of sustainable development on the agenda of global policy issues. The representatives of the socio-economic world, states and civil society have been obliged to confront reality: how to transform the production model and consumption to ensure a viable future for both humanity and the biosphere. Twenty years later, we have come to the realization that resources are limited, and we know that the classical solutions of economic recovery will be powerless to solve problems. Globally, the situation has worsened: there is more enduring poverty, and extreme poverty is increasing in less developed countries. Food dependency has risen, social and economic inequalities are more marked. There is a loss of biodiversity, unsustainable pressures on ecosystems, accelerating climate change and global warming.
The question is whether we are now able to break away from the political schizophrenia, with one side promoting fair and sustainable green solutions, and the other demanding strategies and actions that are clearly heading in the opposite direction, in the name of competitiveness and free trade. The real challenge of RIO + 20 will be to redefine the debate on the basis of these realities. The event is scheduled to take place in Brazil, June 4th – 6th 2012. It will indeed be difficult to achieve a political determination to reach consensus. If we, as society, allow ourselves to become trapped in the cacophony of partial or biased views or expert solutions that have no democratic basis, if we do not bring concrete systemic proposals to the negotiation table, who will do so? As we wrote in the Newsletter #78 (May 2011), we believe that alternative approaches are more realistic than the irresponsibility that currently prevails at the top, and that has generated the current crisis. The urgent outcry of "freedom" by people to abolish autocratic and self-proclaimed regimes and the indignation of the world's youth whose future is at stake, are good reasons not to despair. The new generation is taking its place, and asking how it can transform the unacceptable into hope.
This issue of our Newsletter is devoted to initiatives involved in the framework of preparation for the Earth Summit. Until June 2012, we plan to relay those specific dynamics that assert citizens’ participation as a viable political choice. Active participation of communities is an essential aspect if we are to successfully change course. People need to solve the issues that concern them. The global and the local cannot be separated.
RIPESS International will contribute to the intercontinental exchange: The FBES (Brazilian Forum of Solidarity Economy) is actively involved in the umbrella organization of Brazilian NGOs and social movements that is leading the preparation of a People's Summit to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro from June 4th – 6th 2012. It is a call to join and contribute to "Reinvent the world."
The next issue will be published on September 1st
We are pleased to inform you that our newsletter is now available in Japanese. It is translated by Yuko Wada of the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of the Seikatsu Club Co-operative Union of Japan. The latest available issue is number 78. It is available on request.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
The Objectives of the RIO+20 Summit
According to the UN resolution A/RES/64/236 - the Conference has three objectives: to obtain a renewed political commitment for sustainable development, evaluate progress and difficulties in the implementation of desired outcomes, and meet new and emerging challenges. The Conference will have two official themes: 1) green economy in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable development and, 2) the institutional framework for sustainable development. It is clear that we need to go further than this.
The green economy, a new oxymoron, does not guarantee the fundamental principle of sustainability or the commitment to fight consumerism, individualism or short-termism. The concept does not fit with democracy, the fourth component added to the Curitiba Charter in 1992 to the 3 others (economic, ecological and social). It remains a very weak link, used to launch the implementation of Agenda 21. A critical and constructive assessment at international level would be of great interest to all.
The institutional framework, the principle of national sovereignty and the right to compete for economic activities are inappropriate or contrary to the implementation of the principles of higher interest. We hope to advance this idea by promoting binding agreements.
Finally, how can we establish legitimate authority in a world where interactions are enmeshed? What is our individual responsibility in terms of economy, society, culture and nature? How can we link these major areas with one another and to our own lives?
The unprecedented context requires us to invent new answers.
The creation of the French RIO + 20 Collective
In late 2010, a small group of organizations led by the 4D Association began the initiative of involving as many actors as possible in the transition towards a new state of the world in the twenty-first century. It now brings together many different civil society actors as well as trade unions. It has two objectives:
Consider possible change and make concrete proposals in 5 working groups. Each group will produce a 10-page discussion paper, highlighting both disagreement and consensus. This will then feed into proposals for formal negotiations aimed at stimulating debate and public discussion.
Prepare to mobilize by examining events in France from an international perspective, working jointly with our international partners on other continents to input content that is relevant to the general public, as well as on projects that create change and a shift to a different paradigm, that support the transition, and advocate the need for international solidarity.
Since March 2011, the Europeans P'ACTS have joined the Work Group on the green economy.
Their involvement on this subject has enabled the collective to put forward its views to:
1. The French RIO + 20 Collective to illustrate ideas through examples and declarations and to propose Rebuilding the Economy on a territorial basis. :
"Territories perform core functions in the coordination of relations between actors and between different levels and scales in society; they also allow people to invent answers to key issues in the real economy and invent ways for “how to live together”. Territories must therefore be recognized as social and economic actors in their own right.
Organised answers to issues of employment, food, sustainable local development, culture, funding, local services, transportation, and citizenship all exist at territorial level.... These projects already act as a lever for the local economy. The organisations involved have various legal statuses, both for profit and non-profit making; they all reject and work outside the existing economic system that is solely aimed at profit making. They also produce and reinvest profits and create territorial social capital”.
2. The European debate: Priscila Soares, Project Coordinator at In LOCO Association (Algarve, Portugal), a member of P'ACTS, participated in the «Public Consultation on the EU position for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development»
Two proposals she made are of particular interest:
The place of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in the transition:
“The Global Compact Initiative mainly involves big corporations (…), but it would be much needed to mobilize the Small and Medium Enterprises too. Nor UN neither one of its bodies can reach them directly but it is possible to approach, to promote and to encourage experiences and movements all over the world that count on the involvement of SME in local and regional processes oriented towards sustainable development and participatory democracy. This option will open to the understanding of how SME serve the communities and territories they are associated with and how they are interconnected with other actors also implied in the same experiences and movements.”
The second is how P’ACTS targets a specific European level:
“The European Union needs to be a more coherent reality – in political, social and economic terms – in order to play a key role at the Summit. Without an intrinsic change in that direction UE will lose the capacity to furnish new ideas and the credibility to mobilize citizens, civil society organizations or states around them. How can Europe ensure a generous financial support for governance and capacity building if there is no common European position in relation to the financing of UN and its bodies?
EU can and should mobilize the European civil society for a deep engagement in the preparation of the Summit, in the event and in the subsequent dynamics.
Following its tradition EU can and should propose and promote a large and deep participation of civil society in the process of achieving Sustainable Development at European, national, regional and local levels. By doing so Europe will pursue this main goal within its territory and will provide examples and models of governance that can be useful and inspiring at international level.
In parallel EU can promote the integration of sustainability responsibilities into corporate social responsibility, improving and enlarging its conceptual and for-action framework.
Equally important it would be to integrate the European Sustainable Development Strategy in the European Strategy 2020, overcoming a fragmented and sectoral approach to sustainable development.
On the other side, it seems clearly necessary to strengthen UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) but the possibility of creating a World Environmental Organisation has to be pondered in order to avoid multiplying the UN bodies without assuring the transversal coordination among them?”
3- The roadmap for the European Network of Social and Solidarity Economy that plans to hold its Foundation Congress in Barcelona, September 9th and 10th 2011. P’ACTS will jointly be leading a work group with the Catalonia Solidarity Economy Network « Xarxa d'economia solidària » (XES) on SSE, territorial development, and food sovereignty: what convergence can we jointly build?
In French: http://wiki.ripesseu.net/index.php/Groupe_de_travail_3
4- Share useful information through the international Newsletter
Information on civil society mobilisation :
Article 21 of Resolution 64/236 of March 2010: « …Commits all major groups to active participation in the preparatory activities at all stages ». A stakeholder Forum will take place beforehand to promote the participation of civil society organisations with links to the UN. It is worth bearing in mind that the UN considers NGOs, trade unions, companies, Local Authorities, scientific communities, women, youth, farmers, indigenous peoples as these major civil society groups.
http://www.earthsummit2012.org
Existing mobilisation:
The facilitation Committee of Brazilian civil society was founded on 3rd November 2010 at the instigation of Brazilian environmental and social organisations and Brazilian social movements. It is called « The Peoples’ Summit » and is characterised by « its independence. It aims to combine plurality with the possibility to dialogue with official bodies and other dynamic sectors ».
http://www.ong-ngo.org/IMG/pdf/CALL_FOR_CSFC_RIO20_final.pdf
http://vitaecivilis.org/rio2012/images/stories/pub/Venez_reinventer_le_monde_a_Rio.pdf
The Peoples’ Summit has essentially been initiated and supported by IBASE. (Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas) (in Portuguese) http://www.ibase.br/
The Foundation for the Progress of Humankind is devoting its resources and those of several of their partners’ to the preparation of the Peoples’ Summit. The following website has been created to « provide an overall vision of international mobilisation. »
www.rio20.net in 4 languages
Martine Theveniaut
For more information (in French and partially in English)
www.association4d.org/
www.affinitiz.net/space/rio2012 a space to facilitate exchanges between members of the RIO+20 Collective
The following are available in English and Portuguese:
Calendar of events concerning Rio-2012
http://collectif-france.rio20.net/files/2011/06/Agenda_RIO_20_2011_2012.pdf
UNEP Green Economy report: http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese translation
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for the English translation
Judith Hitchman for the final revision of the English version.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
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