Newsletter #44
December 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Inner City Development Cooperative (Quezon City, Philippines)
An original savings and loans initiative for the urban poor
******
Message from the Editorial Team
On October 16th, 2007 Yvon Poirier accompanied Giovanni Acquati and Viviane Vandemeulbroucke of INAISE (International Association of Investors in the Social Economy) during a visit to the area of Tatalon in Quezon City. The ground visit in this shantytown has helped to understand how this community works to emerge from extreme poverty through the activities of cooperative development. And this is achieved notably by activities of savings and microfinance.
The visit was conducted at the time of the first Asian Forum on Solidarity Economy held in the Philippines from October 17th to 20th. The meeting, which we shall revisit in a later newsletter was a great success, with 700 participants including nearly 100 people from outside the Philippines (26 countries in all).
Next issue: February 1, 2008
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
Inner City Development Cooperative (Quezon City, Philippines)
An original savings and loans initiative for the urban poor
Tatalon is one of the 39 barangays (local communities) of the 4th District of Quezon City. Altogether, Quezon City has four districts and has a total population of 2.4 million, and it is the largest of the 17 municipalities of the Manila metropolitan region (total population over 11 million).
Most of the Tatalon population (about 30,000) is either poor or extremely poor. In fact, Tatalon is one on the poorest communities in the Manila region. Most people live in slum-like dwellings and are not owners of the land. Many live in areas that are regularly flooded.
Origins
In 1989, a group of tricycle drivers decided to organize themselves. Realizing the need to break away from the endless cycle of hand to mouth existence, a savings and loan fund was introduced among the members and it became official in 1996. The members were encouraged to practice the values of thrift, resourcefulness, discipline and self-reliance using the cooperative way of life. This led to a change in attitudes of the members, which gave them hope, dignity, and self-respect. Gradually, they were able to improve their living conditions.
They gradually realised that they needed to extend this approach to other members of the community. Inspired by microfinance technology in Bangladesh, the savings and loan fund changed into the INNER CITY DEVELOPMENT COOPERATIVE (ICDC) on August 25, 2005. It seeks to replicate the success achieved by the savings and loan fund by helping the small entrepreneurs increase their income capabilities, enabling families improve their quality of life and helping them deal with their own problems by becoming a productive and caring community.
In just over two years, the Cooperative has progressed much. Today, about 2,600 individuals (mostly women) benefit from the microfinance activities. Each individual has a savings account. This is an obligation before obtaining a loan. Some people only have a savings account since they don’t need loans, and they know that the money will be lent to other people in the community.
Present activities
The Philippines cooperative law has provisions that allow coops to be multi-purpose coops. For example, ICDC operates mainly in savings and loans, but it could also get involved for example in housing, or funeral services. Another provision of the law allows ICDC to have savings accounts. This distinguishes ICDC from many microfinance institutions in other countries since most legislation prohibits savings accounts in non-financial institutions.
ICDC pays a 7% annual interest rate on savings (based on lowest monthly balance at the end of the year). This provision encourages participants to keep their savings as stable as possible.
The cooperative has four (4) types of loans. The first three are microfinance loans (no collateral needed):
HOPE Product
1,000 - 10,000 PhP: payable in 41 days with interest rate of 2.5%
LOVE Product
2,000 - 120,000 PhP: payable in 85 days with interest rate of 6.5 %
FAITH Product
4,000 - 50,000 PhP: payable in 23 weeks with 15% interest rate
Note: The Philippine Peso (PhP) exchange rate is 1 Euro = 62 Peso
A fourth type of loan, with collateral is called Quick loans for needs such as house repair, emergencies (like a funeral), education, etc. This type of loan is not a microfinance operation. It is like a regular banking loan.
Usually the members start with the HOPE product and they graduate to other loan cycles. Some members are already in their sixth loan cycle. As of October 2007, ICDC had a total loan portfolio of 8.5 M PhP and the repayment rate is about 97%.
Total savings of members amounts to 4 M PhP. To encourage savings, a member must have savings that amount to 40% of the loan. This limits the amount of the microfinance loan, and at the same time acts as a safety net for the cooperative. Many members have almost as much savings as they have in loans.
To become full members, with all voting rights in meetings, they need to own a common share of 1,000 Pesos. All others are associate members. With each loan, they need to put aside a minimum of 50 Pesos to be able one day to own a common share.
Children are also encouraged to save. The Dream Savers, children over 6 years old, need to save 1 peso each day. Others, in schools can save different amounts. Since children get their weekly allowance on Sunday, the savings are collected on Mondays and Tuesdays!
The cooperative is much more than microfinance and loans. They have organized the members in 77 Centers. Each Center consists of minimum of 15 members and maximum of 30 with center coordinators and a center secretary elected by the group teams. These team leaders have monthly training in leadership and management.
Impact
In just over two years, ICDC has observed many positive impacts within the community. The lives of the people are being changed on such matters as: identity, behavioral change, increased Income, regular Sources of income, reduced vulnerability and acquisition of social capital.
And, at the same time, the community is being transformed in the following way:
Ø Social Cohesion
Ø Peace and Order
Ø Economic Activities
Ø Values change
Ø Improved Community Governance
Future plans
The cooperative hopes to expand its operations in the future. Many other people in Tatalon barangay want to join ICDC since they need microfinance loans. Since total savings are not enough to finance all loans (about 50%), the cooperative has to borrow money. Since the cooperative needs to pay 13% interest rate per annum on money they borrow, this hinders greatly the development of activities. ICDC is trying to find a soft loan (a lower interest rate) in order to develop more Centers. For example, if they had a soft loan of 2 M PhP, they would be able to make loans to 500 new members (mostly mothers). They are hoping the organizations in the solidarity finance sector, either in the Philippines or in other countries will respond.
Conclusion
Inner City Development Cooperative is unique in the Philippines. Their activities clearly show how a cooperative, using microfinance as a tool, can help the people and the community empower themselves. The path to fight and overcome poverty will be long. However, the positive impacts already observed in the Tatalon community clearly show that the community and its members are more positive about their future and that through collective economic and social actions within the cooperative, hope is being transformed into improvement in daily lives.
Author: Yvon Poirier
Contact: Zeny De Jesus [zenydejesus2003@yahoo.com]
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Friday, November 02, 2007
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #43
November 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Local development as democratic and productive mobilization
Opinion – perspective from Brazil
******
Message from the Editorial Team
We thought it appropriate to share with you an opinion article by Caio Silveira, coordinator of Expo Brasil. The challenges outlined for local development in Brazil are often the same in all countries.
This year's meeting, Expo Brasil VI, will be held from December 3rd to 5th in Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
We wish much success to our friends in Brazil who work in local development.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
***********
Local development as democratic and productive mobilization
Opinion – perspective from Brazil
The centralizing and client-centred political culture still predominant in Brazil is put into check in many spheres of the country by democratic and participatory dynamics, which are opening new development alternatives. This is where we see the thrust for local development: understanding that the mechanisms producing inequality and exclusion cannot be deconstructed from the top or by systems of decision-making outside the constituent power of local populations.
Such is the hypothesis, such is the challenge: to mobilize democratic and productive territories as a means of social transformation. There are fundamental questions - which are not limited to one country or region of the world - which allow the emergence of this hypothesis. They reside to a large extent, in the current context which combines productive restructuring, crisis in society of salaried work and the primacy of non-material labor (information, communication, knowledge). They reside particularly in the potential which is opening - taking the opposite view of the dynamics of domination and exclusion – to achieve an over-lapping between the deepening of democracy and the creation of new opportunities for productive cooperation. In other words, for the growth of democratic and productive territories. In this way, one can articulate the hypothesis of development from the local level.
The displacement of a logic of sectoral or punctual actions towards a systemic logic of territorial development is presented here as a vigorous path of social inclusion. Without cooperation in the territory, without collective intelligence circulating in the local networks, will it be possible to include and give impetus to the "bottom level” of the lower circuit of the economy, beyond the reproduction of the informal and the precarious?
The emphasis on democratic mobilization and productive territories is inseparable from the perception that economic growth, while essential, while accompanied by some redistribution of income, does not guarantee social inclusion and the reduction of inequalities. Rather, one should distribute with the goal to develop. And not only distribute income, but also knowledge and power – and this cannot be done from the top towards the bottom or from the outside towards the inside.
This means moving towards strategic agendas outside the parameters focusing on the market or the state. Local development expresses this inflection, by differentiating itself from market forces, as well as centralized and sectoral planning models. It is important to perceive the territories, not just as places of intervention (to use the jargon which still predominates in our institutions), but as an environment to constitute new movements, deconstructing the association still so common between vertical action and structural change.
This is not an idea out of context. On the contrary, this is something that is already there, that is made visible by the profusion of initiatives and experiments showing that the capacity exists to establish new democratic and productive territories from the bases of society.
The obstacles and resistances to the processes of this nature are numerous, beginning with our political culture, strongly client-centred, centralizing and corporate. Even so, Brazil is today the scene of lively innovative actions where local communities are the protagonists. These are certainly embryonic actions, with advances, setbacks and new challenges, but which already indicate development alternatives which have their bases in social networks and in local democracy.
More than a mere tactic refuge (while the "grand destinies" would be plotted by others), the search for alternative territorial and basic development touch fundamental questions, because it relates directly and concretely to the mechanisms which reproduce domination, social segregation and environmental damage.
There are reasons for the strengthening of the perception that the profound social changes - that is, changes that are not imposed, changes are not just replacements of "the men of power" - require democratic mobilization and productive territories, require the power of local realities in synergy, as forces capable of generating politics, the economy and culture in the form of new bonds.
It is in this context of initiation of alternatives that Expo Brazil Local Development is now on the national scene, proposing to be a channel of visibility, debate, learning, networking of actors and strengthening of actions relating to local development. And it is indicative, very encouraging, that every year so many people attend this event: people from all over Brazil as well as other countries and continents.
Caio Silveira is a sociologist, coordinator of special projects of Rits - Information Network for the Third Sector and coordinator of the Expo Brazil Local Development.
http://www.expobrasil.org.br/
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
November 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Local development as democratic and productive mobilization
Opinion – perspective from Brazil
******
Message from the Editorial Team
We thought it appropriate to share with you an opinion article by Caio Silveira, coordinator of Expo Brasil. The challenges outlined for local development in Brazil are often the same in all countries.
This year's meeting, Expo Brasil VI, will be held from December 3rd to 5th in Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
We wish much success to our friends in Brazil who work in local development.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
***********
Local development as democratic and productive mobilization
Opinion – perspective from Brazil
The centralizing and client-centred political culture still predominant in Brazil is put into check in many spheres of the country by democratic and participatory dynamics, which are opening new development alternatives. This is where we see the thrust for local development: understanding that the mechanisms producing inequality and exclusion cannot be deconstructed from the top or by systems of decision-making outside the constituent power of local populations.
Such is the hypothesis, such is the challenge: to mobilize democratic and productive territories as a means of social transformation. There are fundamental questions - which are not limited to one country or region of the world - which allow the emergence of this hypothesis. They reside to a large extent, in the current context which combines productive restructuring, crisis in society of salaried work and the primacy of non-material labor (information, communication, knowledge). They reside particularly in the potential which is opening - taking the opposite view of the dynamics of domination and exclusion – to achieve an over-lapping between the deepening of democracy and the creation of new opportunities for productive cooperation. In other words, for the growth of democratic and productive territories. In this way, one can articulate the hypothesis of development from the local level.
The displacement of a logic of sectoral or punctual actions towards a systemic logic of territorial development is presented here as a vigorous path of social inclusion. Without cooperation in the territory, without collective intelligence circulating in the local networks, will it be possible to include and give impetus to the "bottom level” of the lower circuit of the economy, beyond the reproduction of the informal and the precarious?
The emphasis on democratic mobilization and productive territories is inseparable from the perception that economic growth, while essential, while accompanied by some redistribution of income, does not guarantee social inclusion and the reduction of inequalities. Rather, one should distribute with the goal to develop. And not only distribute income, but also knowledge and power – and this cannot be done from the top towards the bottom or from the outside towards the inside.
This means moving towards strategic agendas outside the parameters focusing on the market or the state. Local development expresses this inflection, by differentiating itself from market forces, as well as centralized and sectoral planning models. It is important to perceive the territories, not just as places of intervention (to use the jargon which still predominates in our institutions), but as an environment to constitute new movements, deconstructing the association still so common between vertical action and structural change.
This is not an idea out of context. On the contrary, this is something that is already there, that is made visible by the profusion of initiatives and experiments showing that the capacity exists to establish new democratic and productive territories from the bases of society.
The obstacles and resistances to the processes of this nature are numerous, beginning with our political culture, strongly client-centred, centralizing and corporate. Even so, Brazil is today the scene of lively innovative actions where local communities are the protagonists. These are certainly embryonic actions, with advances, setbacks and new challenges, but which already indicate development alternatives which have their bases in social networks and in local democracy.
More than a mere tactic refuge (while the "grand destinies" would be plotted by others), the search for alternative territorial and basic development touch fundamental questions, because it relates directly and concretely to the mechanisms which reproduce domination, social segregation and environmental damage.
There are reasons for the strengthening of the perception that the profound social changes - that is, changes that are not imposed, changes are not just replacements of "the men of power" - require democratic mobilization and productive territories, require the power of local realities in synergy, as forces capable of generating politics, the economy and culture in the form of new bonds.
It is in this context of initiation of alternatives that Expo Brazil Local Development is now on the national scene, proposing to be a channel of visibility, debate, learning, networking of actors and strengthening of actions relating to local development. And it is indicative, very encouraging, that every year so many people attend this event: people from all over Brazil as well as other countries and continents.
Caio Silveira is a sociologist, coordinator of special projects of Rits - Information Network for the Third Sector and coordinator of the Expo Brazil Local Development.
http://www.expobrasil.org.br/
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #42
October 1st, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Social Forums and the construction of another globalisation
An outline of the debates
4th International Forum on the Globalisation of Solidarity
Taking up the challenges
******
Message from the Editorial Team
With this issue, we wish to share with you, even briefly, a debate in progress in relation to the World Social Forums. Yvon Poirier felt the relevance in keeping our readers apprised of these discussions, having taken part in the Social Forum of Quebec, last August. At the time of the meeting in Montreal, with more than 5,000 participants, many people were asking the very same questions!
In addition, Martine Théveniaut, member of the European Steering Committee of the 4th International Forum on the Globalisation of Solidarity will share the ambition of the forum and the host organization, the European Institute for Solidarity based Economy of Luxembourg.
Lastly, we are very happy to announce an invaluable collaboration: the Web site Dialogues, proposals, stories for a global citizenship is a data bank of more than 7,000 files/articles dedicated to the construction of a responsible world of solidarities. Thus, the DPH site, which is in four languages like our newsletter, has reproduced ten of our articles from the newsletters of the past three years and has converted them into files. We are happy to take part in this sharing of knowledge towards the construction of this responsible world of solidarities to which we mutually aspire.
http://www.d-p-h.info/
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
Social Forums and the construction of another globalisation
An outline of the debates
Since the advent of Social Forums in 2001, an important debate has developed throughout the alternate globalisation movement regarding strategies to be put into place, on approaches and processes, in order to build this new globalisation. The meetings at the Social Forums include more and more movements and participants in this space of open meetings. However, some question the relevance of the Forums because they find that the meetings do not give sufficient concrete results. Others go even as far as questioning the Forums themselves, and to wonder whether it is relevant to participate in them.
Patrick Bond from the Centre for Civil Society, South Africa summed up the four positions in a message posted May 9th, 2007 on WSFDiscuss List.
There is the "top-down" approach. The Bamako Appeal of 2006 prepared by a group of intellectuals, identified as anti or alternate globalisation leaders launched an explicitly political program as an alternative to neo-liberal globalisation.
Others critically dissected reasons not to adopt a political program, drawing upon the autonomist critique of 20th century universalist ideologies.
Another current recommends a resolutely socialist strategy in the direction of nationalization of the services and a major role for the state in the various spheres of the society.
Lastly, the foundational critiques of capitalist neo-liberalism are already located in the struggles and documents of globally connected activists. In past decades, "internationals" were forged from labour, socialist, women, youth, anti-racism/colonialism, anti-war, environment, etc. Patrick Bond shares this position.
According to him, future international initiatives will more tightly link organizations devoted to minority rights, civil rights, democracy, indigenous people, cultural freedom, human rights, sexual identity, disability rights, and elder and youth rights, just to name a few.
Through Social Forums and other ways, we must develop more coherence not only for networking among these movements, but also in finding sites of interlock where political programs can be drawn on for the sake of a larger – and firmly grounded – manifesto that would inspire a new generation of coordinated global/national/local activism. The example of the anti-war demonstrations in the first months of 2003 is an example of the potential of such a movement. Space to develop these exchanges and coordination is found in the Social Forums. If it is not done there, it will not be done elsewhere.
More recently, at the Social Forum of Quebec, Chico Whitaker, one of the cofounders of the World Social Forum, expressed in another way the idea that the construction of another globalisation cannot be built from the top.
Last August 25th, in an interview with Radio-Canada, he added that another logic must necessarily be developed. It is not by creating a movement with a new leader that one will manage to change the neo-liberal logic of competitiveness and rivalry. But to the contrary, it is by solidarity and co-operation that one will reach this goal. Not otherwise.
According to him, the great changes did not come from the top. The major changes come from inside societies, through cultural and behavioural changes, in the way of seeing the world. It is by developing the consciences of active citizens that we will gradually change the dominating system. It is through networks that these active citizens in social movements will manage to modify the system. Mr. Whitaker gave another example of such a fight. In 1998, in fact it was the social movements which blocked the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI).
Chico Whitaker remains resolutely optimistic since everywhere on planet, organized citizens fight to defend their rights and those of others. It is through this process that will be built progressively, a world which will meet the aspirations of people and which will be liveable for all.
Author : Yvon Poirier
Patrick Bond is director of the Centre for Civil Society, South Africa.
http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs (English only)
Archives of wsfdiscuss list (English only)
http://mail.openspaceforum.net/mailman/listinfo/worldsocialforum-discuss_openspaceforum.net
Chico Whitaker published a book entitled Changing the world, new user’s guide. It initially appeared in Brazil in 2005. Thereafter, a Spanish translation was published and more recently a French version.
Interview with Radio-Canada (in French)
http://www.radio-canada.ca/radio/maisonneuve/27082007/91488.shtml
The European Institute for Solidarity based Economy (INEES) takes up the challenge of organizing the 4th Forum on the “Globalisation of Solidarity”
Created in 1998, INEES brings together researchers and experts from Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, France and Switzerland. It has committed to carry forward the preparation of this 4th edition of meetings of RIPESS, from April 26th to May 2nd, 2009 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. By undertaking the organization of this event, its ambition is that Forum LUX' 09 will affirm high and strong that there is a third way. Yes, another economy exists between neo-liberalism and managed economy. This alternative economic model is also a philosophy of action that places “respect for men, women and the environment” at the forefront. It does not represent a demand to take the place of those who are already in a position of power; rather it is a new vision of society and social relations between men and women. It returns money to its rightful place, namely as an instrument that facilitates exchanges, rather than an instrument of financial speculation that may be a destructive force from a social and environmental point of view. The simplest ideas often being the best, this basis is also a philosophy of life. (INEES - Newsletter #10, October 2007 – to be published)
At this point, it is time to leave the fringes of the systems in place and to install a dialogue with the decision makers on this basis.
The innovations of the social solidarity economy do more than attest; they precede this other possible world. They show the merits of this way of proceeding to produce and guarantee the common good. They have become credible through the strength of the economic alternatives to which they gave birth and the sheer number of people who apply these practices, particularly since this number is constantly increasing. In terms of activities, they introduce an innovative approach to the production of goods and services, particularly in areas that have been abandoned by the State or the market; in its capacity to bring about a “hybridisation of market sector, non-market sector and non-monetary resources.” They involve users in the construction of responses that are tailored to meet with their needs and aspirations. They refuse to accept exclusion as the price to be paid for economic globalisation. For those who have been cast aside by a highly selective labour market, they open up new prospects for professional and personal fulfilment. They pioneer and experiment with new forms of exchanges, so as to emerge from the impasses that weigh so heavily on the lives of populations as a result of the constant efforts made to increase production and the overexploitation of natural resources.
A European Steering Committee was set up, on the initiative of the INEES, led by Eric Lavillunière.
The process of construction is truly participative and asks the networks to be involved, to make proposals and to lead discussion. Banished from our vocabulary are terms such as “there is only”, “we must” and “it would be good if,” to replace them with acts of commitment and responsibility, along with simple and clear rules such as gender equality and North/South equality… and a way of doing things which is open and collegial. “The real stars of this event will be the participants, whilst those involved in the organisation will be facilitators who will strive to guarantee the values and coherence of the overall approach.”
The work program, the sets of themes and the means and ways have just been put into place, in a process of discussions and feedback between the European Steering Committee and RIPESS. This information will be presented to you in a forthcoming newsletter, to allow our readers to determine how they may bring their share of success to this European stage for a globalisation with a human face.
For further information: European Institute for Solidarity based Economy,a.s.b.l.
1, rue du Moulin, L-3857 Schifflange, Luxembourg
Tel.: (+352) 53 04 45 0 ; Fax: (+352) 53 04 45 510
E-mail: info@inees.org Internet: www.inees.org
Martine Theveniaut : Lux’09 European Steering Committee on behalf of « Pactes Locaux » networks in France and the European network EURONETZ
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Newsletter #42
October 1st, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Social Forums and the construction of another globalisation
An outline of the debates
4th International Forum on the Globalisation of Solidarity
Taking up the challenges
******
Message from the Editorial Team
With this issue, we wish to share with you, even briefly, a debate in progress in relation to the World Social Forums. Yvon Poirier felt the relevance in keeping our readers apprised of these discussions, having taken part in the Social Forum of Quebec, last August. At the time of the meeting in Montreal, with more than 5,000 participants, many people were asking the very same questions!
In addition, Martine Théveniaut, member of the European Steering Committee of the 4th International Forum on the Globalisation of Solidarity will share the ambition of the forum and the host organization, the European Institute for Solidarity based Economy of Luxembourg.
Lastly, we are very happy to announce an invaluable collaboration: the Web site Dialogues, proposals, stories for a global citizenship is a data bank of more than 7,000 files/articles dedicated to the construction of a responsible world of solidarities. Thus, the DPH site, which is in four languages like our newsletter, has reproduced ten of our articles from the newsletters of the past three years and has converted them into files. We are happy to take part in this sharing of knowledge towards the construction of this responsible world of solidarities to which we mutually aspire.
http://www.d-p-h.info/
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
Social Forums and the construction of another globalisation
An outline of the debates
Since the advent of Social Forums in 2001, an important debate has developed throughout the alternate globalisation movement regarding strategies to be put into place, on approaches and processes, in order to build this new globalisation. The meetings at the Social Forums include more and more movements and participants in this space of open meetings. However, some question the relevance of the Forums because they find that the meetings do not give sufficient concrete results. Others go even as far as questioning the Forums themselves, and to wonder whether it is relevant to participate in them.
Patrick Bond from the Centre for Civil Society, South Africa summed up the four positions in a message posted May 9th, 2007 on WSFDiscuss List.
There is the "top-down" approach. The Bamako Appeal of 2006 prepared by a group of intellectuals, identified as anti or alternate globalisation leaders launched an explicitly political program as an alternative to neo-liberal globalisation.
Others critically dissected reasons not to adopt a political program, drawing upon the autonomist critique of 20th century universalist ideologies.
Another current recommends a resolutely socialist strategy in the direction of nationalization of the services and a major role for the state in the various spheres of the society.
Lastly, the foundational critiques of capitalist neo-liberalism are already located in the struggles and documents of globally connected activists. In past decades, "internationals" were forged from labour, socialist, women, youth, anti-racism/colonialism, anti-war, environment, etc. Patrick Bond shares this position.
According to him, future international initiatives will more tightly link organizations devoted to minority rights, civil rights, democracy, indigenous people, cultural freedom, human rights, sexual identity, disability rights, and elder and youth rights, just to name a few.
Through Social Forums and other ways, we must develop more coherence not only for networking among these movements, but also in finding sites of interlock where political programs can be drawn on for the sake of a larger – and firmly grounded – manifesto that would inspire a new generation of coordinated global/national/local activism. The example of the anti-war demonstrations in the first months of 2003 is an example of the potential of such a movement. Space to develop these exchanges and coordination is found in the Social Forums. If it is not done there, it will not be done elsewhere.
More recently, at the Social Forum of Quebec, Chico Whitaker, one of the cofounders of the World Social Forum, expressed in another way the idea that the construction of another globalisation cannot be built from the top.
Last August 25th, in an interview with Radio-Canada, he added that another logic must necessarily be developed. It is not by creating a movement with a new leader that one will manage to change the neo-liberal logic of competitiveness and rivalry. But to the contrary, it is by solidarity and co-operation that one will reach this goal. Not otherwise.
According to him, the great changes did not come from the top. The major changes come from inside societies, through cultural and behavioural changes, in the way of seeing the world. It is by developing the consciences of active citizens that we will gradually change the dominating system. It is through networks that these active citizens in social movements will manage to modify the system. Mr. Whitaker gave another example of such a fight. In 1998, in fact it was the social movements which blocked the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI).
Chico Whitaker remains resolutely optimistic since everywhere on planet, organized citizens fight to defend their rights and those of others. It is through this process that will be built progressively, a world which will meet the aspirations of people and which will be liveable for all.
Author : Yvon Poirier
Patrick Bond is director of the Centre for Civil Society, South Africa.
http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs (English only)
Archives of wsfdiscuss list (English only)
http://mail.openspaceforum.net/mailman/listinfo/worldsocialforum-discuss_openspaceforum.net
Chico Whitaker published a book entitled Changing the world, new user’s guide. It initially appeared in Brazil in 2005. Thereafter, a Spanish translation was published and more recently a French version.
Interview with Radio-Canada (in French)
http://www.radio-canada.ca/radio/maisonneuve/27082007/91488.shtml
The European Institute for Solidarity based Economy (INEES) takes up the challenge of organizing the 4th Forum on the “Globalisation of Solidarity”
Created in 1998, INEES brings together researchers and experts from Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, France and Switzerland. It has committed to carry forward the preparation of this 4th edition of meetings of RIPESS, from April 26th to May 2nd, 2009 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. By undertaking the organization of this event, its ambition is that Forum LUX' 09 will affirm high and strong that there is a third way. Yes, another economy exists between neo-liberalism and managed economy. This alternative economic model is also a philosophy of action that places “respect for men, women and the environment” at the forefront. It does not represent a demand to take the place of those who are already in a position of power; rather it is a new vision of society and social relations between men and women. It returns money to its rightful place, namely as an instrument that facilitates exchanges, rather than an instrument of financial speculation that may be a destructive force from a social and environmental point of view. The simplest ideas often being the best, this basis is also a philosophy of life. (INEES - Newsletter #10, October 2007 – to be published)
At this point, it is time to leave the fringes of the systems in place and to install a dialogue with the decision makers on this basis.
The innovations of the social solidarity economy do more than attest; they precede this other possible world. They show the merits of this way of proceeding to produce and guarantee the common good. They have become credible through the strength of the economic alternatives to which they gave birth and the sheer number of people who apply these practices, particularly since this number is constantly increasing. In terms of activities, they introduce an innovative approach to the production of goods and services, particularly in areas that have been abandoned by the State or the market; in its capacity to bring about a “hybridisation of market sector, non-market sector and non-monetary resources.” They involve users in the construction of responses that are tailored to meet with their needs and aspirations. They refuse to accept exclusion as the price to be paid for economic globalisation. For those who have been cast aside by a highly selective labour market, they open up new prospects for professional and personal fulfilment. They pioneer and experiment with new forms of exchanges, so as to emerge from the impasses that weigh so heavily on the lives of populations as a result of the constant efforts made to increase production and the overexploitation of natural resources.
A European Steering Committee was set up, on the initiative of the INEES, led by Eric Lavillunière.
The process of construction is truly participative and asks the networks to be involved, to make proposals and to lead discussion. Banished from our vocabulary are terms such as “there is only”, “we must” and “it would be good if,” to replace them with acts of commitment and responsibility, along with simple and clear rules such as gender equality and North/South equality… and a way of doing things which is open and collegial. “The real stars of this event will be the participants, whilst those involved in the organisation will be facilitators who will strive to guarantee the values and coherence of the overall approach.”
The work program, the sets of themes and the means and ways have just been put into place, in a process of discussions and feedback between the European Steering Committee and RIPESS. This information will be presented to you in a forthcoming newsletter, to allow our readers to determine how they may bring their share of success to this European stage for a globalisation with a human face.
For further information: European Institute for Solidarity based Economy,a.s.b.l.
1, rue du Moulin, L-3857 Schifflange, Luxembourg
Tel.: (+352) 53 04 45 0 ; Fax: (+352) 53 04 45 510
E-mail: info@inees.org Internet: www.inees.org
Martine Theveniaut : Lux’09 European Steering Committee on behalf of « Pactes Locaux » networks in France and the European network EURONETZ
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Monday, September 03, 2007
Newsletter #41
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
September 1st, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
A US Network on Solidarity Economy is born during the 2007 US Social Forum
First International Meeting on “Workers’ Economy”
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters – University of Buenos Aires, July 19th -21st, 2007
Message from the Editorial Team
With this issue, we are beginning the fifth year of publication of our newsletter. Indeed, since the first number appeared in November 2003, which was only in French and in English, we have added Portuguese and Spanish versions with the help of new volunteers.
We wish to thank our subscribers for their faithfulness. We have approximately 200 subscribers, who often transmit it to their own entourage. Therefore, we count approximately 600 readers. In addition, we wish to express our gratitude to Léo Dayan who uploads all versions of our most current newsletters for downloading on the APREIS website: http://www.apreis.org/. We wish to note that the audience for the newsletter is growing. It is relayed on several websites and regularly disseminated to their members by networks in various countries or regions of the world. This increases the persons reached by our small publication to a significant degree.
Lastly, we wish to reiterate our thanks to our volunteer translators without whose collaboration, we could not continue our publication.
In this issue, we are reproducing two articles which were conveyed to us. Moreover, we wish to reiterate our interest in receiving texts from our subscribers. However, our capacity for translation is limited. As we received the second text already translated in all four languages of publication, it was easy to insert it.
The first article concerning the birth of a new network, the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network (SEN), was written by members of the working group of this network. The enthusiasm shown in this article testifies well to the climate, which prevailed at the time of the meetings of U.S. Social Forum held last June in Atlanta, at which Yvon Poirier participated. It is necessary to understand that the prospect of creating a broad network in the United States, after so many years of “great darkness” in this country dominated by neo-liberalism offers a stimulating glimmer of hope. Now, there remains for these militants to channel their enthusiasm in the construction of a solid network. Most would agree that this is not an easy task.
The other article comes to us from contacts in Latin America. The Argentine experience of self-managed companies seems to us appealing, and obviously creates much interest. This is why we thought it worthy to share this information. However, we point out that the English and French versions are a little bit different than the original version in Spanish. Even if we did not have enough time to prepare identical versions, we prefer to publish anyway, since they are essentially similar. We extend our regrets for this mistake which is entirely ours.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
********************************
U.S. Solidarity Economy Network is Born at the U.S. Social Forum 2007
Most of the over 10,000 people who traveled to the first-ever U.S. Social Forum, in Atlanta last June 27-30, would consider ourselves activists, and most are acutely aware of the many systemic problems that our country faces, from increasing inequality and persistent poverty to environmental degradation, from a corrupt political system to an unjust war, from the continuing struggle with racism and sexism to the intolerant policies enacted against immigrants and gay / lesbian / trans-gendered people. We know these issues are present, but we tend to prioritize some over others, sometimes missing opportunities to form alliances with activists with similar values and different issues. Often we lose sight of the fact that “we are all in this together”.
The concept of the solidarity economy has the potential to unite these many progressive causes, not just annually in a certain physical location, but as part of a larger movement that recognizes the necessity of all types of transformative practice. At the first ever Social Forum in the United States, the Solidarity Economy Working Group for USSF2007 coordinated a track of workshops, and also convened caucuses to try to find ways to unite our common causes, and to build systemic economic transformation and strategic cooperation from the grassroots. The term “solidarity economy” is barely on the lips of activists in the U.S., even though the concept has inspired significant activism on all other continents. But the solidarity economy, which is more of a framework than a model, has great potential to link our many concerns about structural change, and to also strategically link organizing groups that are already engaged in transformative practices. The solidarity economy is held together by common values, such as cooperation, democracy, equality, justice, ecological sustainability, community, and respect for diversity. Ultimately, it is economics where human needs, human development, and solidarity form the center, instead of unfettered competition and an insatiable drive for profit.
The “Economic Alternatives and the Social/Solidarity Economy” activities at the U.S. Social Forum represented the culmination of months of work and collaboration by the Solidarity Economy Working Group. The Working Group involved a diverse coalition of academics, economists, grassroots organizers, and activists in the worker cooperative movement. Emily Kawano, Julie Matthaei, and Ethan Miller took the lead in the Working Group: Emily directs the Center for Popular Economics in Western Massachusetts, creating participatory workshops on neo-liberalism for activists; Julie, a professor of economics at Wellesley College, also works with Guramylay: Growing the Green Economy; and Ethan, from Maine, is involved in both Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO) and the Data Commons Project. Dan Swinney, from the Chicago-based Center for Community and Labor Research, works to promote the high road in business, government, and labor, and is co-founder of NANSE (North American Network for the Solidarity Economy). Another member, Jessica Gordon Nembhard, teaches at the University of Maryland, is affiliated with GEO, and additionally works with the Democracy Collaborative. Melissa Hoover directs the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and Heather Schoonover works at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Yvon Poirier of GESQ, Quebec’s Solidarity Economy Network, represented the Canadian experience in the group.
The Solidarity Economy Working Group organized a Solidarity Economy Caucus to which they invited activists from a broad range of organizations involved in economic transformation. The first caucus meeting, on the very first day of the Forum, was a time to meet one another, develop a shared knowledge base of Solidarity Economy concepts, values, principles, and practice, and then discuss some of the challenges and opportunities involved in creating a solidarity economy network in the United States. A key part of this meeting was presentations from Latin American and Canadian leaders about their well-established and vibrant social/solidarity economy movements, including Michael Lewis (CED, Canadian Community Economic Development Network), Éthel Côté (RIPESS, International Solidarity Economy Network), Nancy Neamtan (Social Economy Workshop/Chantier de l'économie Sociale, Quebec).
The Working Group also organized a block of 28 workshops, and a list of 53 associated workshops, which it printed up in a program. The content of the “Economic Alternatives and the Social/Solidarity Economy” workshops was exciting and diverse. On the first day of workshops, there were roundtable discussions about economic transformation in the United States, as well as presentations on everything from green building, to ethical consumption, to worker cooperatives. Many of these workshops were interactive, and positioned the solidarity economy as a concrete alternative to low-road neo-liberal policies. On the second day of workshops, for instance, the Center for Popular Economics and Grassroots Economic Organizing hosted a session entitled “Building a Solidarity Economy from Real World Practices”. This workshop reinforced how intuitive, organic, and rich with shared meaning these solidarity values really are. After a basic introduction, descriptions of lots of different initiatives were circulated on index cards, and we discussed them in small groups. Aside from worker cooperatives, there were descriptions of non-profit groups, pushes for progressive policy initiatives, ethical consumption networks, and new sustainable technologies – constellations of different creative ideas from vastly different fulcrums of change. When it came time to construct a framework out of these practices and to name the implicit values, however, it was easy for the participants to intuitively grasp the concepts – words like cooperation, sustainability, and community kept being repeated over and over. Organizers Emily Kawano and Ethan Miller left the workshop reassured that the term “solidarity economy” could easily be explained and easily become a way to bring different groups together. (More information on these workshops, including selected transcripts and videos, is posted at TransformationCentral.org)
On Saturday, after the third and final day of USSF workshops, the second Solidarity Economy caucus was held. Enriched with some new faces, and energized by our first meeting and the content of the workshops, we concretely resolved to found a U.S. Solidarity Economy Network, SEN. We want this network to be a broad tent, linking institutions, networks, and individuals who share the values of the Solidarity Economy. SEN will be a place to exchange practice and theory, to offer support to one another, and to push together for transformation. The existing working group was charged to come up with a more concrete structure, and to plan for a meeting in the summer of 2008.
Through the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network, we will continue the conversations and coalition-building that happened during the workshop sessions. The Solidarity Economy is all about building these connections; reminding us that, amidst our wonderful diversity, we are all related – as members of a society, as parts of an ecosystem, and, potentially, as creators of a new paradigm of economic life based on cooperation and solidarity as well as individuality and freedom. The Solidarity Economy activities at the U.S. Social Forum were an amazing first step at building these connections – bringing together people from all over the country and the world who are engaged in economic transformation in their own communities – and standing on the shoulders of the leaders of the Solidarity Economy movement in Canada and Latin America. The U.S. Solidarity Economy Network can help us further understand how our many ways of working towards economic transformation connect with and complement one another. It can provide us with opportunities to learn from one another as we strive to realize Solidarity Economy values. And, as part of RIPESS, the international solidarity economy network, SEN can help us make our dream of another, possible, solidarity economy a growing and thriving reality in the U.S. and across the world.
Jenna Allard and Julie Matthaei, Guramylay: Growing the Green Economy
July 2007
First International Meeting « The Worker’s Economy »
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters – University of Buenos Aires 19-21 July 2007
Three highly active days of meetings brought together 300 participants from Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Columbia, Chile, Brazil, Germany, Croatia, the United States and Canada. The group consisted of workers, managers and activists from social and political organisations, research personnel and academics. There was huge discussion on economy-related topics, based on self-managing experiments such as the Argentinean companies that have been taken over by the workers and struggles of the working class movement in the context of changes in the world of work at the global level in today’s phase of neo-liberal capitalism.
Following the introductory speeches, various presentations were made on the themes of the meeting: 1) Capital economy today: a stage of global capitalism viewed by popular movements; 2) Self-managed economy: a debate on self-managing experiments in the era of global capitalism (worker take-overs, rural co-operatives, solidarity self-managing projects, co-operative movements, exchange networks, fair trade etc.; 3) The challenge faced by popular governments in terms of social management of the economy and the State; 4) Critical evaluation of the co-operative movement ; 5) New challenges facing the Trade Union movements: unions, workers’ groups, co-management and participation in decision-making processes.
The richness of the debate was also shown in the way the discussion space was shared between workers and research personnel from the different countries. Exchange is useful for developing political action and worker’s organisation, theoretical analysis, worker’s self-management, union struggles. The debate touched on the limits and possibilities of the process of self-management in the framework of capitalist economies and the possibilities of reconstructing politico-economic projects focussed on self-managed experiments. Another lively discussion was on the subject of what is called social economy. One aspect was on how to bring to life the project of social economy as the possibility of building economic alternatives to social exclusion. An alternative aspect, which outlined facts, without examining the underlying characteristics and possibilities for self-management as part of “an economy for the poor” that takes the precarious nature of work into account, as well as the new forms of overexploitation of the global economy. The representatives of the workers’ organisations insisted on the fact that these experiments form a part of the reconstructions of a politico-economic worker’s alternative; this was one of the important conclusions of the debates.
The high level of participation in the discussions following the presentations was remarkable, and the size of the programme reached beyond the organisers’ expectations. It proved necessary to implement strict time-management. Students from the Open Faculty (many of whom made presentations) also contributed a great deal of voluntary work, as did the Babels interpreters, thus enabling language barriers to be overcome.
The final speeches by the different organisations that took part showed an expression of interest in a follow-up process to this type of meeting.
Around 50 presentations can be viewed on the Documentary Centre of the companies that have been taken over in the Open Faculty Programme (http://www.recuperadasdoc.com.ar/).
Andrés Ruggeri
Director of the Open Faculty Programme
Head organiser of the event
Secretariat for University Extension
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters
University of Buenos Aires
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
September 1st, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
A US Network on Solidarity Economy is born during the 2007 US Social Forum
First International Meeting on “Workers’ Economy”
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters – University of Buenos Aires, July 19th -21st, 2007
Message from the Editorial Team
With this issue, we are beginning the fifth year of publication of our newsletter. Indeed, since the first number appeared in November 2003, which was only in French and in English, we have added Portuguese and Spanish versions with the help of new volunteers.
We wish to thank our subscribers for their faithfulness. We have approximately 200 subscribers, who often transmit it to their own entourage. Therefore, we count approximately 600 readers. In addition, we wish to express our gratitude to Léo Dayan who uploads all versions of our most current newsletters for downloading on the APREIS website: http://www.apreis.org/. We wish to note that the audience for the newsletter is growing. It is relayed on several websites and regularly disseminated to their members by networks in various countries or regions of the world. This increases the persons reached by our small publication to a significant degree.
Lastly, we wish to reiterate our thanks to our volunteer translators without whose collaboration, we could not continue our publication.
In this issue, we are reproducing two articles which were conveyed to us. Moreover, we wish to reiterate our interest in receiving texts from our subscribers. However, our capacity for translation is limited. As we received the second text already translated in all four languages of publication, it was easy to insert it.
The first article concerning the birth of a new network, the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network (SEN), was written by members of the working group of this network. The enthusiasm shown in this article testifies well to the climate, which prevailed at the time of the meetings of U.S. Social Forum held last June in Atlanta, at which Yvon Poirier participated. It is necessary to understand that the prospect of creating a broad network in the United States, after so many years of “great darkness” in this country dominated by neo-liberalism offers a stimulating glimmer of hope. Now, there remains for these militants to channel their enthusiasm in the construction of a solid network. Most would agree that this is not an easy task.
The other article comes to us from contacts in Latin America. The Argentine experience of self-managed companies seems to us appealing, and obviously creates much interest. This is why we thought it worthy to share this information. However, we point out that the English and French versions are a little bit different than the original version in Spanish. Even if we did not have enough time to prepare identical versions, we prefer to publish anyway, since they are essentially similar. We extend our regrets for this mistake which is entirely ours.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
********************************
U.S. Solidarity Economy Network is Born at the U.S. Social Forum 2007
Most of the over 10,000 people who traveled to the first-ever U.S. Social Forum, in Atlanta last June 27-30, would consider ourselves activists, and most are acutely aware of the many systemic problems that our country faces, from increasing inequality and persistent poverty to environmental degradation, from a corrupt political system to an unjust war, from the continuing struggle with racism and sexism to the intolerant policies enacted against immigrants and gay / lesbian / trans-gendered people. We know these issues are present, but we tend to prioritize some over others, sometimes missing opportunities to form alliances with activists with similar values and different issues. Often we lose sight of the fact that “we are all in this together”.
The concept of the solidarity economy has the potential to unite these many progressive causes, not just annually in a certain physical location, but as part of a larger movement that recognizes the necessity of all types of transformative practice. At the first ever Social Forum in the United States, the Solidarity Economy Working Group for USSF2007 coordinated a track of workshops, and also convened caucuses to try to find ways to unite our common causes, and to build systemic economic transformation and strategic cooperation from the grassroots. The term “solidarity economy” is barely on the lips of activists in the U.S., even though the concept has inspired significant activism on all other continents. But the solidarity economy, which is more of a framework than a model, has great potential to link our many concerns about structural change, and to also strategically link organizing groups that are already engaged in transformative practices. The solidarity economy is held together by common values, such as cooperation, democracy, equality, justice, ecological sustainability, community, and respect for diversity. Ultimately, it is economics where human needs, human development, and solidarity form the center, instead of unfettered competition and an insatiable drive for profit.
The “Economic Alternatives and the Social/Solidarity Economy” activities at the U.S. Social Forum represented the culmination of months of work and collaboration by the Solidarity Economy Working Group. The Working Group involved a diverse coalition of academics, economists, grassroots organizers, and activists in the worker cooperative movement. Emily Kawano, Julie Matthaei, and Ethan Miller took the lead in the Working Group: Emily directs the Center for Popular Economics in Western Massachusetts, creating participatory workshops on neo-liberalism for activists; Julie, a professor of economics at Wellesley College, also works with Guramylay: Growing the Green Economy; and Ethan, from Maine, is involved in both Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO) and the Data Commons Project. Dan Swinney, from the Chicago-based Center for Community and Labor Research, works to promote the high road in business, government, and labor, and is co-founder of NANSE (North American Network for the Solidarity Economy). Another member, Jessica Gordon Nembhard, teaches at the University of Maryland, is affiliated with GEO, and additionally works with the Democracy Collaborative. Melissa Hoover directs the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and Heather Schoonover works at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Yvon Poirier of GESQ, Quebec’s Solidarity Economy Network, represented the Canadian experience in the group.
The Solidarity Economy Working Group organized a Solidarity Economy Caucus to which they invited activists from a broad range of organizations involved in economic transformation. The first caucus meeting, on the very first day of the Forum, was a time to meet one another, develop a shared knowledge base of Solidarity Economy concepts, values, principles, and practice, and then discuss some of the challenges and opportunities involved in creating a solidarity economy network in the United States. A key part of this meeting was presentations from Latin American and Canadian leaders about their well-established and vibrant social/solidarity economy movements, including Michael Lewis (CED, Canadian Community Economic Development Network), Éthel Côté (RIPESS, International Solidarity Economy Network), Nancy Neamtan (Social Economy Workshop/Chantier de l'économie Sociale, Quebec).
The Working Group also organized a block of 28 workshops, and a list of 53 associated workshops, which it printed up in a program. The content of the “Economic Alternatives and the Social/Solidarity Economy” workshops was exciting and diverse. On the first day of workshops, there were roundtable discussions about economic transformation in the United States, as well as presentations on everything from green building, to ethical consumption, to worker cooperatives. Many of these workshops were interactive, and positioned the solidarity economy as a concrete alternative to low-road neo-liberal policies. On the second day of workshops, for instance, the Center for Popular Economics and Grassroots Economic Organizing hosted a session entitled “Building a Solidarity Economy from Real World Practices”. This workshop reinforced how intuitive, organic, and rich with shared meaning these solidarity values really are. After a basic introduction, descriptions of lots of different initiatives were circulated on index cards, and we discussed them in small groups. Aside from worker cooperatives, there were descriptions of non-profit groups, pushes for progressive policy initiatives, ethical consumption networks, and new sustainable technologies – constellations of different creative ideas from vastly different fulcrums of change. When it came time to construct a framework out of these practices and to name the implicit values, however, it was easy for the participants to intuitively grasp the concepts – words like cooperation, sustainability, and community kept being repeated over and over. Organizers Emily Kawano and Ethan Miller left the workshop reassured that the term “solidarity economy” could easily be explained and easily become a way to bring different groups together. (More information on these workshops, including selected transcripts and videos, is posted at TransformationCentral.org)
On Saturday, after the third and final day of USSF workshops, the second Solidarity Economy caucus was held. Enriched with some new faces, and energized by our first meeting and the content of the workshops, we concretely resolved to found a U.S. Solidarity Economy Network, SEN. We want this network to be a broad tent, linking institutions, networks, and individuals who share the values of the Solidarity Economy. SEN will be a place to exchange practice and theory, to offer support to one another, and to push together for transformation. The existing working group was charged to come up with a more concrete structure, and to plan for a meeting in the summer of 2008.
Through the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network, we will continue the conversations and coalition-building that happened during the workshop sessions. The Solidarity Economy is all about building these connections; reminding us that, amidst our wonderful diversity, we are all related – as members of a society, as parts of an ecosystem, and, potentially, as creators of a new paradigm of economic life based on cooperation and solidarity as well as individuality and freedom. The Solidarity Economy activities at the U.S. Social Forum were an amazing first step at building these connections – bringing together people from all over the country and the world who are engaged in economic transformation in their own communities – and standing on the shoulders of the leaders of the Solidarity Economy movement in Canada and Latin America. The U.S. Solidarity Economy Network can help us further understand how our many ways of working towards economic transformation connect with and complement one another. It can provide us with opportunities to learn from one another as we strive to realize Solidarity Economy values. And, as part of RIPESS, the international solidarity economy network, SEN can help us make our dream of another, possible, solidarity economy a growing and thriving reality in the U.S. and across the world.
Jenna Allard and Julie Matthaei, Guramylay: Growing the Green Economy
July 2007
First International Meeting « The Worker’s Economy »
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters – University of Buenos Aires 19-21 July 2007
Three highly active days of meetings brought together 300 participants from Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Columbia, Chile, Brazil, Germany, Croatia, the United States and Canada. The group consisted of workers, managers and activists from social and political organisations, research personnel and academics. There was huge discussion on economy-related topics, based on self-managing experiments such as the Argentinean companies that have been taken over by the workers and struggles of the working class movement in the context of changes in the world of work at the global level in today’s phase of neo-liberal capitalism.
Following the introductory speeches, various presentations were made on the themes of the meeting: 1) Capital economy today: a stage of global capitalism viewed by popular movements; 2) Self-managed economy: a debate on self-managing experiments in the era of global capitalism (worker take-overs, rural co-operatives, solidarity self-managing projects, co-operative movements, exchange networks, fair trade etc.; 3) The challenge faced by popular governments in terms of social management of the economy and the State; 4) Critical evaluation of the co-operative movement ; 5) New challenges facing the Trade Union movements: unions, workers’ groups, co-management and participation in decision-making processes.
The richness of the debate was also shown in the way the discussion space was shared between workers and research personnel from the different countries. Exchange is useful for developing political action and worker’s organisation, theoretical analysis, worker’s self-management, union struggles. The debate touched on the limits and possibilities of the process of self-management in the framework of capitalist economies and the possibilities of reconstructing politico-economic projects focussed on self-managed experiments. Another lively discussion was on the subject of what is called social economy. One aspect was on how to bring to life the project of social economy as the possibility of building economic alternatives to social exclusion. An alternative aspect, which outlined facts, without examining the underlying characteristics and possibilities for self-management as part of “an economy for the poor” that takes the precarious nature of work into account, as well as the new forms of overexploitation of the global economy. The representatives of the workers’ organisations insisted on the fact that these experiments form a part of the reconstructions of a politico-economic worker’s alternative; this was one of the important conclusions of the debates.
The high level of participation in the discussions following the presentations was remarkable, and the size of the programme reached beyond the organisers’ expectations. It proved necessary to implement strict time-management. Students from the Open Faculty (many of whom made presentations) also contributed a great deal of voluntary work, as did the Babels interpreters, thus enabling language barriers to be overcome.
The final speeches by the different organisations that took part showed an expression of interest in a follow-up process to this type of meeting.
Around 50 presentations can be viewed on the Documentary Centre of the companies that have been taken over in the Open Faculty Programme (http://www.recuperadasdoc.com.ar/).
Andrés Ruggeri
Director of the Open Faculty Programme
Head organiser of the event
Secretariat for University Extension
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters
University of Buenos Aires
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Monday, July 02, 2007
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #40
July 1st, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Linking the Global and the Local
The vision of the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-Operative Union (Japan)
Message from the Editorial Team
As we did in the last issue, we are presenting another organization which has a long experience in developing a more just and sustainable society.
By working in the food consumption sector, the Seikatsu Club has developed a whole series of activities linked to local community development, with a sustainable development perspective.
During a study tour in Québec City this past June; Yvon Poirier got to know the Siekatsu Club better through a series of meetings and exchanges. The objective of the tour for the delegates was to gain a deeper knowledge of social and solidarity economy in the province of Quebec in order to prepare a more important visit next fall for a group of 12-15 people. In June, the two-man delegation was led by Mr. Takashi Sawaguchi from the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of the Seikatsu Club. However, the group coming next autumn will be made up of a majority of women.
The delegation visited the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, which we presented in the last issue. Even if both organizations work in different fields, they share the same values concerning solidarity economy as a perspective to transform our societies, from the local level to the global.
NEST ISSUE – September 1st
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
Linking the Global and the Local
The vision the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-Operative Union (Japan)
Origins
In 1965, a citizens’ movement of women consumers emerged around the issue of food security. The quality of food (chemicals, mercury pollution, etc.) had become a major preoccupation. The movement understood very early on that just demanding stricter rules from the government was not enough. Therefore, transforming itself into a consumer coop was a natural step. At first, their activity focused on the collective purchase of milk. Since then, the co-operative has extended its activities to about 3,000 products, mainly in basic foods such as rice, chicken and pork meat, vegetable oil, soy sauce and eggs.
It’s important to specify that the word «Seikatsu» means «life» in Japanese. Therefore, even if the movement has become a union of consumers’ coops, the basic philosophy is still rooted in this linkage to life.
Today
As of June 2007, the Seikatsu Club is a union of 30 local co-operatives with a total membership of over 290,000 members, 99.9% being women. This is explained by the fact that Japanese society is in some regards very traditional. Therefore, social pressure strongly incites married women with children to quit the labour market, such as was the case in North America and in Western Europe a generation or two ago. This explains why the domestic consumption sphere is mostly a woman’s realm.
As mentioned in a previous issue (#38), pre-order collective purchasing is still the main activity of this organization. However, the issues of food security and sustainable development are still at the heart of their activities. Therefore, to get accreditation as milk, meat or cereal producers, the agricultural practices must be as healthy as possible. For example, producers do not use feed stock containing GMOs, chicken are not treated with antibiotics, etc.
Relating to these activities, the organisation naturally embraced sustainable development practices. For example, milk is distributed in glass bottles. Their recycling rate is over 77%. There is no packaging with materials containing PVCs and campaigns are organized with others, such as «Stop GMOs».
The Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union has established three jointly owned milk plants with milk farmers and also owns poultry (chicken) farms with farmers. In Japan this is the only consumers’ co-operative which has done such initiatives. At this time, the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union is going to launch a new project: consumers in urban area as “the part time farmers” to support farming in rural areas in order to preserve Japanese agriculture and the environment. One of the reasons for this is that over 60% of Japanese farmers are 65 years old or more. The philosophy of the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union is that if consumers want to have a sustainable society and safe foods, consumers should have responsibilities for production processes along with producers. As a result of these practices, the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union is not only a consumers’ co-operative but also a producers’ co-operative.
New social initiatives
Over the years, the members have launched workers’ collectives. There are now over 700 collectives, with nearly 20,000 members. Since there is no law in Japan for workers’ co-operatives, the members had to use the non-profit organisation (NPO) status. However, they function as if they were a coop (working ownership). The range of activities is very broad: preparing meals for elderly people, homecare, kindergartens, handicrafts, recycling, etc.
Having understood that merely making demands to local authorities was not enough, some members decided to get directly involved in politics by presenting candidates for local assemblies in the Tokyo Metropolitan region. The name they chose «Seikatsusha Network», means People who live in the sense of «inhabitants». Today, there are over 140 elected members in local assemblies, all women, who work to push these concerns.
At the local level: a Community Cooperative Council
The Seikatsu Club considers that to make a global change to society, a «cooperative» society, a society that works together has to be put in place. The plan is to create local Community Cooperative Councils, especially in Tokyo, composed of all organisations in a given territory: cooperatives, local producers, citizens’ movements, unions, workers collectives, associations, educational institutions, etc. The objective is that the community takes charge of itself. The principles are quite similar to sustainable local development or community economic development as known in Canada.
At the global level: a transformative vision of the public arena
Having realized that economic and social issues are linked, that all has become «glocal»; that the global and the local are so interlinked that we must act at all levels, from the local to the global. To have an impact on issues such as GMOs, the WTO rules, poverty and war, we are forced to imagine a «global community» similar to how we conceive local or national communities. Their vision is affirmed in the following manner (excerpt from a PowerPoint presentation):
We believe it is now the time for co-operatives to play a big role, both in their various communities and as the world’s largest NPO, in building the new glocal public sphere.
International actions
The Seikatsu Club has been active for over 20 years in the field of influencing global issues. Since 1983, close links have been developed with similar organisations in Korea and Taiwan. The organisation participated in the 1992 World Summit in Rio and in a UN conference on disarmament.
The organisation is giving priority to develop exchanges and solidarity actions with similar organisations.
Author: Yvon Poirier
For information (in English) www.seikatsuclub.coop/english/index.html
News briefs
«How do we want to produce and live? The Solidarity-Based Economy in a Globalized Capitalism».
As we had announced in Newsletter #35, all international presentations made during the German Solidarity Conference held last November 24 to 26 at the Berlin Technical University are now on the EURONETZ website, in their original languages. Articles deal with India, Africa, Brazil, Canada, Eastern and Central Europe, Italy, France, Luxembourg and Greece.
To download all presentations:
http://www.european-network.de/%20englisch/news.htm
http://www.european-network.de/franz/actualite.htm
International symposium: «Socio-economic innovation. The contemporary debate »
The market economy co-exists with a public economy and allowances made on the level of reciprocity and equality. There is also « another economy » based on solidarities. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the citizens and popular university of Paris (CNAM) has identified knowledge of this «other» economy for its program of 2007-2008 meetings. A first meeting was held last June 25 and 26, 2007. The contemporary debate was approached in an international manner on two levels: at the practical level by taking into account all economic and enterprise types that cannot only be analysed with a utilitarian prism. On the theoretical level, the second day was dedicated to «Revisiting Polanyi», a major author for a new approach to relations between society and economy.
For more information: sed@lise.cnrs.fr or Cnam, Relations Service Chair – 55 rue de Turbigo – Case 255 – 75003 Paris
Martine Théveniaut
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
July 1st, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Linking the Global and the Local
The vision of the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-Operative Union (Japan)
Message from the Editorial Team
As we did in the last issue, we are presenting another organization which has a long experience in developing a more just and sustainable society.
By working in the food consumption sector, the Seikatsu Club has developed a whole series of activities linked to local community development, with a sustainable development perspective.
During a study tour in Québec City this past June; Yvon Poirier got to know the Siekatsu Club better through a series of meetings and exchanges. The objective of the tour for the delegates was to gain a deeper knowledge of social and solidarity economy in the province of Quebec in order to prepare a more important visit next fall for a group of 12-15 people. In June, the two-man delegation was led by Mr. Takashi Sawaguchi from the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of the Seikatsu Club. However, the group coming next autumn will be made up of a majority of women.
The delegation visited the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, which we presented in the last issue. Even if both organizations work in different fields, they share the same values concerning solidarity economy as a perspective to transform our societies, from the local level to the global.
NEST ISSUE – September 1st
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
Linking the Global and the Local
The vision the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-Operative Union (Japan)
Origins
In 1965, a citizens’ movement of women consumers emerged around the issue of food security. The quality of food (chemicals, mercury pollution, etc.) had become a major preoccupation. The movement understood very early on that just demanding stricter rules from the government was not enough. Therefore, transforming itself into a consumer coop was a natural step. At first, their activity focused on the collective purchase of milk. Since then, the co-operative has extended its activities to about 3,000 products, mainly in basic foods such as rice, chicken and pork meat, vegetable oil, soy sauce and eggs.
It’s important to specify that the word «Seikatsu» means «life» in Japanese. Therefore, even if the movement has become a union of consumers’ coops, the basic philosophy is still rooted in this linkage to life.
Today
As of June 2007, the Seikatsu Club is a union of 30 local co-operatives with a total membership of over 290,000 members, 99.9% being women. This is explained by the fact that Japanese society is in some regards very traditional. Therefore, social pressure strongly incites married women with children to quit the labour market, such as was the case in North America and in Western Europe a generation or two ago. This explains why the domestic consumption sphere is mostly a woman’s realm.
As mentioned in a previous issue (#38), pre-order collective purchasing is still the main activity of this organization. However, the issues of food security and sustainable development are still at the heart of their activities. Therefore, to get accreditation as milk, meat or cereal producers, the agricultural practices must be as healthy as possible. For example, producers do not use feed stock containing GMOs, chicken are not treated with antibiotics, etc.
Relating to these activities, the organisation naturally embraced sustainable development practices. For example, milk is distributed in glass bottles. Their recycling rate is over 77%. There is no packaging with materials containing PVCs and campaigns are organized with others, such as «Stop GMOs».
The Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union has established three jointly owned milk plants with milk farmers and also owns poultry (chicken) farms with farmers. In Japan this is the only consumers’ co-operative which has done such initiatives. At this time, the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union is going to launch a new project: consumers in urban area as “the part time farmers” to support farming in rural areas in order to preserve Japanese agriculture and the environment. One of the reasons for this is that over 60% of Japanese farmers are 65 years old or more. The philosophy of the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union is that if consumers want to have a sustainable society and safe foods, consumers should have responsibilities for production processes along with producers. As a result of these practices, the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union is not only a consumers’ co-operative but also a producers’ co-operative.
New social initiatives
Over the years, the members have launched workers’ collectives. There are now over 700 collectives, with nearly 20,000 members. Since there is no law in Japan for workers’ co-operatives, the members had to use the non-profit organisation (NPO) status. However, they function as if they were a coop (working ownership). The range of activities is very broad: preparing meals for elderly people, homecare, kindergartens, handicrafts, recycling, etc.
Having understood that merely making demands to local authorities was not enough, some members decided to get directly involved in politics by presenting candidates for local assemblies in the Tokyo Metropolitan region. The name they chose «Seikatsusha Network», means People who live in the sense of «inhabitants». Today, there are over 140 elected members in local assemblies, all women, who work to push these concerns.
At the local level: a Community Cooperative Council
The Seikatsu Club considers that to make a global change to society, a «cooperative» society, a society that works together has to be put in place. The plan is to create local Community Cooperative Councils, especially in Tokyo, composed of all organisations in a given territory: cooperatives, local producers, citizens’ movements, unions, workers collectives, associations, educational institutions, etc. The objective is that the community takes charge of itself. The principles are quite similar to sustainable local development or community economic development as known in Canada.
At the global level: a transformative vision of the public arena
Having realized that economic and social issues are linked, that all has become «glocal»; that the global and the local are so interlinked that we must act at all levels, from the local to the global. To have an impact on issues such as GMOs, the WTO rules, poverty and war, we are forced to imagine a «global community» similar to how we conceive local or national communities. Their vision is affirmed in the following manner (excerpt from a PowerPoint presentation):
We believe it is now the time for co-operatives to play a big role, both in their various communities and as the world’s largest NPO, in building the new glocal public sphere.
International actions
The Seikatsu Club has been active for over 20 years in the field of influencing global issues. Since 1983, close links have been developed with similar organisations in Korea and Taiwan. The organisation participated in the 1992 World Summit in Rio and in a UN conference on disarmament.
The organisation is giving priority to develop exchanges and solidarity actions with similar organisations.
Author: Yvon Poirier
For information (in English) www.seikatsuclub.coop/english/index.html
News briefs
«How do we want to produce and live? The Solidarity-Based Economy in a Globalized Capitalism».
As we had announced in Newsletter #35, all international presentations made during the German Solidarity Conference held last November 24 to 26 at the Berlin Technical University are now on the EURONETZ website, in their original languages. Articles deal with India, Africa, Brazil, Canada, Eastern and Central Europe, Italy, France, Luxembourg and Greece.
To download all presentations:
http://www.european-network.de/%20englisch/news.htm
http://www.european-network.de/franz/actualite.htm
International symposium: «Socio-economic innovation. The contemporary debate »
The market economy co-exists with a public economy and allowances made on the level of reciprocity and equality. There is also « another economy » based on solidarities. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the citizens and popular university of Paris (CNAM) has identified knowledge of this «other» economy for its program of 2007-2008 meetings. A first meeting was held last June 25 and 26, 2007. The contemporary debate was approached in an international manner on two levels: at the practical level by taking into account all economic and enterprise types that cannot only be analysed with a utilitarian prism. On the theoretical level, the second day was dedicated to «Revisiting Polanyi», a major author for a new approach to relations between society and economy.
For more information: sed@lise.cnrs.fr or Cnam, Relations Service Chair – 55 rue de Turbigo – Case 255 – 75003 Paris
Martine Théveniaut
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Friday, June 01, 2007
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #39
June 1st, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins
A unique financial institution
Message from the Editorial Team
In this issue we are presenting a very active financial institution in the field of social economy. This Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins (credit union) is one of the major levers for entrepreneurship at the service of community development in Quebec.
Very few financial institutions act as a banking institution (deposits and loans, mortgages, bank cards, etc.) and at the same time as an agent to support local initiatives. Since very few financial institutions adopt this type of social role, it is difficult to promote projects of social and solidarity economy on a large scale. This issue of the Newsletter is entirely devoted to this topic.
It should be noted that Yvon Poirier, author of the article and member of our team, is also a member of the Caisse since its inception. This has enabled him to have access to complete and up to date information.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins
A unique financial institution
Operating under the relatively traditional legal status of financial institutions, and within the Québécois statutory framework, the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins (Desjardins Solidarity Credit Union) is one of the rare savings and credit co-operatives to use the financial framework to develop the social and solidarity economy. But anchoring itself in collective action and dreams does not make it an amateur! Within the Desjardins network, the Caisse ranks number one as a group credit union and 49th of some 550 Desjardins Credit Unions in terms of average assets. 97% of all funds lent by this credit union over the years, were fully reimbursed, which makes it the best performing financial institution in Quebec in this regard.
But what makes it such a unique financial institution is its networking. The Caisse is one of the economic development organizations, established through the CSN initiative (Confédération des syndicats nationaux), the second biggest trade union confederation in Quebec. Together, the three most important organizations, the Caisse, the Fondaction Workers Fund and the National Union retirement Committee of Bâtirente channel assets of $1.3 billion (850 € million) annually. In addition to the fact that they were all created by the CSN, these institutions jointly share the same vision of sustainable and solidarity development centred on workers’ and communities’ participation.
Origins
Union militants of the CSN founded this credit union in 1971 in Quebec City. Apart from meeting their needs for a financial institution, it targeted social transformation. It later amalgamated with two other credit unions, also founded by the trade unions. It is useful to know that in Quebec, a credit union is territorial, whereas a group credit union is linked to the employees from one or more organizations. Its activity extends throughout the territory of Quebec, the second biggest province of Canada.
Mission and vision
Due to its social mission, many organizations and community associations, either cultural or co-operative became members over the years. At the end of 2006, the Caisse had 2,500 collective members (non-profit businesses, co-operatives, community organizations and unions) as well as 7,137 individual members (usually employees of the collective members). It is important to stress that there is no restriction to becoming a member of this type of credit union by buying shares, contrary to the example of the United Kingdom where this possibility is restricted to individual members only. However the same principle of “one member - one vote” applies, even if it is an organization or an important business.
In the 2006 Annual Report, the Caisse affirms its vision:
The four founding options of our organization are living together, ecology, solidarity and democracy.
These four options constitute both the pillars that provide the basic momentum of our action and the end-objectives on which the vision of the society to which we aspire are founded and to which we aim to contribute. We propose to fundamentally measure wealth with the following criteria: democracy, solidarity, the respect for living beings in their environment, and our capacity to accommodate others, respectful of their difference. This is how we see sustainable solidarity development for our society.
In this vision, economic action is resituated in its rightful place of being secondary compared with human objectives - economy should serve more fundamental projects both for us as human beings, and for our planet.
The Caisse’s entrepreneurial spirit
The spirit of entrepreneurship guiding us is grounded in deep human and social motivation. Its principal nature is not primarily to start businesses, but rather to solve problems. It is an entrepreneurship which tries to establish justice, which aims to solve the problem of poverty as well as the problem of development and which tries to provide answers to human needs. When we consider the current state of the world, with its immense economic and social challenges, we believe that only a spirit of entrepreneurship of this nature is able to convey the high and generous values required to generate adequate and sustainable solutions.
The commitment of the Caisse towards its community
Beyond service provision to its members, its Aid Fund for Community Development openly demonstrates the commitment of the Caisse to the community and to society. Like all credit unions, it sets aside sums for donations and partnerships. But, what basically distinguishes this credit union from the others is how members use their surplus from operations. In almost all other credit unions, the practice is to distribute a rebate to members (in proportion to their financial activity). However, since its creation, members have voted in their annual general meetings to forego this rebate. In this way in 2006, the Caisse devoted over $800,000 to community development based on the fundamental principles stated above, bringing the total devoted by the Caisse to its mission of solidarity economy to more than $1.2 million for the entire year.
Some exemplary actions
The Caisse has constantly innovated in several spheres of activity. For example, this credit union is highly recognized in the field of culture. In this respect, the leaders of the credit union are proud to recall that they granted a first loan to the two young people who created the Cirque du Soleil. The Caisse is also the financial institution of the Federation of the 14 Inuit Co-operatives of Nunavik (the northern part of Quebec). In the context of establishing a territorial government, the Caisse is currently collaborating in the setting up of an independent financial institution in Nunavik.
Finally, the Caisse works for the development of solidarity finance at international level. It has an active partnership with Banca Etica in Italy and is member of INAISE (International Association of Investors in the Social Economy). They have jointly participated in projects in Brazil.
Like any institution, the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins is the product of its own society. In this sense, it is unique and cannot be reproduced as such elsewhere. Nevertheless, its solidarity practice can provide inspiration in the field of finance.
Author – Yvon Poirier
www.cecosol.coop
http://www.fondaction.com/
www.bancaetica.com/
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael for the Spanish translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Newsletter #39
June 1st, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins
A unique financial institution
Message from the Editorial Team
In this issue we are presenting a very active financial institution in the field of social economy. This Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins (credit union) is one of the major levers for entrepreneurship at the service of community development in Quebec.
Very few financial institutions act as a banking institution (deposits and loans, mortgages, bank cards, etc.) and at the same time as an agent to support local initiatives. Since very few financial institutions adopt this type of social role, it is difficult to promote projects of social and solidarity economy on a large scale. This issue of the Newsletter is entirely devoted to this topic.
It should be noted that Yvon Poirier, author of the article and member of our team, is also a member of the Caisse since its inception. This has enabled him to have access to complete and up to date information.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins
A unique financial institution
Operating under the relatively traditional legal status of financial institutions, and within the Québécois statutory framework, the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins (Desjardins Solidarity Credit Union) is one of the rare savings and credit co-operatives to use the financial framework to develop the social and solidarity economy. But anchoring itself in collective action and dreams does not make it an amateur! Within the Desjardins network, the Caisse ranks number one as a group credit union and 49th of some 550 Desjardins Credit Unions in terms of average assets. 97% of all funds lent by this credit union over the years, were fully reimbursed, which makes it the best performing financial institution in Quebec in this regard.
But what makes it such a unique financial institution is its networking. The Caisse is one of the economic development organizations, established through the CSN initiative (Confédération des syndicats nationaux), the second biggest trade union confederation in Quebec. Together, the three most important organizations, the Caisse, the Fondaction Workers Fund and the National Union retirement Committee of Bâtirente channel assets of $1.3 billion (850 € million) annually. In addition to the fact that they were all created by the CSN, these institutions jointly share the same vision of sustainable and solidarity development centred on workers’ and communities’ participation.
Origins
Union militants of the CSN founded this credit union in 1971 in Quebec City. Apart from meeting their needs for a financial institution, it targeted social transformation. It later amalgamated with two other credit unions, also founded by the trade unions. It is useful to know that in Quebec, a credit union is territorial, whereas a group credit union is linked to the employees from one or more organizations. Its activity extends throughout the territory of Quebec, the second biggest province of Canada.
Mission and vision
Due to its social mission, many organizations and community associations, either cultural or co-operative became members over the years. At the end of 2006, the Caisse had 2,500 collective members (non-profit businesses, co-operatives, community organizations and unions) as well as 7,137 individual members (usually employees of the collective members). It is important to stress that there is no restriction to becoming a member of this type of credit union by buying shares, contrary to the example of the United Kingdom where this possibility is restricted to individual members only. However the same principle of “one member - one vote” applies, even if it is an organization or an important business.
In the 2006 Annual Report, the Caisse affirms its vision:
The four founding options of our organization are living together, ecology, solidarity and democracy.
These four options constitute both the pillars that provide the basic momentum of our action and the end-objectives on which the vision of the society to which we aspire are founded and to which we aim to contribute. We propose to fundamentally measure wealth with the following criteria: democracy, solidarity, the respect for living beings in their environment, and our capacity to accommodate others, respectful of their difference. This is how we see sustainable solidarity development for our society.
In this vision, economic action is resituated in its rightful place of being secondary compared with human objectives - economy should serve more fundamental projects both for us as human beings, and for our planet.
The Caisse’s entrepreneurial spirit
The spirit of entrepreneurship guiding us is grounded in deep human and social motivation. Its principal nature is not primarily to start businesses, but rather to solve problems. It is an entrepreneurship which tries to establish justice, which aims to solve the problem of poverty as well as the problem of development and which tries to provide answers to human needs. When we consider the current state of the world, with its immense economic and social challenges, we believe that only a spirit of entrepreneurship of this nature is able to convey the high and generous values required to generate adequate and sustainable solutions.
The commitment of the Caisse towards its community
Beyond service provision to its members, its Aid Fund for Community Development openly demonstrates the commitment of the Caisse to the community and to society. Like all credit unions, it sets aside sums for donations and partnerships. But, what basically distinguishes this credit union from the others is how members use their surplus from operations. In almost all other credit unions, the practice is to distribute a rebate to members (in proportion to their financial activity). However, since its creation, members have voted in their annual general meetings to forego this rebate. In this way in 2006, the Caisse devoted over $800,000 to community development based on the fundamental principles stated above, bringing the total devoted by the Caisse to its mission of solidarity economy to more than $1.2 million for the entire year.
Some exemplary actions
The Caisse has constantly innovated in several spheres of activity. For example, this credit union is highly recognized in the field of culture. In this respect, the leaders of the credit union are proud to recall that they granted a first loan to the two young people who created the Cirque du Soleil. The Caisse is also the financial institution of the Federation of the 14 Inuit Co-operatives of Nunavik (the northern part of Quebec). In the context of establishing a territorial government, the Caisse is currently collaborating in the setting up of an independent financial institution in Nunavik.
Finally, the Caisse works for the development of solidarity finance at international level. It has an active partnership with Banca Etica in Italy and is member of INAISE (International Association of Investors in the Social Economy). They have jointly participated in projects in Brazil.
Like any institution, the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins is the product of its own society. In this sense, it is unique and cannot be reproduced as such elsewhere. Nevertheless, its solidarity practice can provide inspiration in the field of finance.
Author – Yvon Poirier
www.cecosol.coop
http://www.fondaction.com/
www.bancaetica.com/
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael for the Spanish translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #38
May 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Food Sovereignty – A tool for local development
Discovering two organizations
Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union
Nepal Federation of Savings & Credit Co-operative Unions Ltd. (NEFSCUN)
Message from the Editorial Team
The question of food supply constitutes the principal subject of this issue. We are presenting an article which deals with an initiative originating from producers known as food sovereignty, and an initiative coming from consumers, the Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative in Japan.
From our point of view, they are both cases of exemplary initiatives which rest on the assumption of responsibility, either by the producers, or by the consumers, themselves, in their respective communities.
In both cases, one sees an approach different from that which is dictated by globalized markets. It is encouraging and stimulating.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
Food Sovereignty – Tool for local development
Food sovereignty is a term originally coined by members of Via Campesina (an international movement) in 1996 to refer to a policy framework advocated by a number of farmers', peasants', pastoralists', fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples', womens', rural youth and environmental organizations, namely the claimed "right of peoples to define their own food, agriculture, livestock and fisheries systems," in contrast to having food largely subject to international market forces.
At the Forum for Food Sovereignty in Sélingué, Mali, 27 February 2007, about 500 delegates from more than 80 countries adopted the Declaration of Nyéléni, which says in part:
Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations. It defends the interests and inclusion of the next generation. It offers a strategy to resist and dismantle the current corporate trade and food regime, and directions for food, farming, pastoral and fisheries systems determined by local producers. Food sovereignty prioritises local and national economies and markets and empowers peasant and family farmer-driven agriculture, artisanal fishing, pastoralist-led grazing, and food production, distribution and consumption based on environmental, social and economic sustainability. Food sovereignty promotes transparent trade that guarantees just income to all peoples and the rights of consumers to control their food and nutrition. It ensures that the rights to use and manage our lands, territories, waters, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those of us who produce food. Food sovereignty implies new social relations free of oppression and inequality between men and women, peoples, racial groups, social classes and generations. (1)
This Forum, while respecting many of the fundamental principles of the World Social Forum in terms of democratic practice and diversity, was also highly innovative. Firstly, the methodology used was highly complex and also very effective, working on a bottom-up approach and crossing themes, sectors and specific interests in such as way as to allow real in-depth participation and enhancing of ideas.
Observing the way in which the work progressed from the ‘bird’s eye’ vantage point of the interpreter’s booth, what struck me most was not necessarily the novelty of the work carried out (although there were some interesting new ideas that can be read on the Nyeleni site), but rather the appropriation of the work by the different interest groups and the strengthening of networks that had not necessarily worked together in close co-operation in the past. For example, fishing issues and pastoralists’ preoccupations had never before been pooled so effectively with women’s concerns (particularly land ownership), rights of indigenous peoples etc.
Behind all these questions lies the right of people to self-determination and control of their own forms of sustainable local development. This means a significant effort can now be made to work together to jointly fight the multinational corporations’ ever-increasing pressure, be it in terms of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), industrial aquaculture or expropriation of ancestral forests for industrial-scale farming.
Ultimately, it is only through such strengthening of international networks that truly effective pressure can be brought to bear at a local level to preserve and protect rights and achieve full food sovereignty.
Author – Judith Hitchman
Interpretor and consultant
For further information
(1) http://www.abcburkina.net/content/view/359/56/
(2) http://www.nyeleni2007.org/spip.php?article286
Discovering two organizations
Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union
This consumers’ co-operative in Japan is an extremely large scale example of the direct bond between consumers and producers. This co-operative of 268,400 members, most of whom are women, rests on the principle of pre-ordering collective purchases.
Therefore, foods such as rice, milk and meat are transported directly and quickly (less than 48 hours) from producers to consumers. Thus, the products are always fresh and are at reasonable prices. Moreover, there is a total assurance that the products do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), nor antibiotic vaccinations for poultry, etc.
Also, this co-operative conducts campaigns against GMOs and the respect of the environment. For example, glass bottles are used for milk.
In the next months, we will present more details on the activities of this co-operative, which I will meet in September during a study trip in Quebec. I am collaborating in organizing this event.
Author: Yvon Poirier
For further information :
http://www.seikatsuclub.coop/english/index.html
Nepal Federation of Savings & Credit Co-operative Unions Ltd. (NEFSCUN)
Last March 22nd, in Montreal I met Suman Khanal, CEO of NEFSCUN. Suman Khanal is also a member of the Board of Directors of RIPESS, which we frequently referred to in previous issues.
This federation, with 19 years of existence, has over 150,000 individual members in the 450 affiliated co-operatives. The members of the federation are present in 52 of the 75 districts of Nepal. The website gives detailed information on the activities of NEFSCUN, including links with partners from several countries.
As there will soon be a Constituent Assembly in order to write a new constitution, following the mass upsurge that rolled back the king’s direct rule, the federation has deferred to later its effort to equip Nepal with a first law on Savings and Credit Co-operatives. Indeed, as such a law does not exist; the federation is not able to offer all the usual services.
With the overthrow of absolute monarchism, the capacity of the Nepalese organizations to act is facilitated.
Author – Yvon Poirier
For further information:
http://www.nefscun.org.np
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Sunday, April 01, 2007
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #37
April 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
City of God (Cidade de Deus) in Rio de Janeiro
The challenge of local development linked to community action
World Social Forum
Interpretation and sustainable development
Message from the Editorial Team
The Local Development Agency set up by the Community Committee of the City of God, an important shantytown (favela) of Rio de Janeiro is a very interesting initiative, because it shows once more that the true development of a community can be carried out only by the involvement of the vital forces which the inhabitants have given themselves. In this sense, this experience has many similarities with the ones which we already presented in former issues, particularly in India or in Canada.
Community development is also at the heart of the community interpreters’ initiative. Displacements of populations, voluntarily or not is an expanding phenomenon everywhere on our planet. This situation creates at the same time problems and opportunities for involvement and participation for the displaced populations in their new countries. The initiative of the community interpreters is very positive in this regard.
We wish to reiterate our invitation to forward us articles or announcements which we could share with our subscribers.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
City of God (Cidade de Deus) in Rio de Janeiro
The challenge of local development linked to community action
The creation of a Local Development Agency managed by community organizations in the City of God in Rio de Janeiro, represents one of the contemporary outstanding efforts in the Brazilian context. It has fostered the creation of new ways of development able to overcome discrimination and social exclusion in difficult districts of large cities.
City of God is a district located in the western part of the city of Rio de Janeiro, which evolved from a process of eradication of shantytowns (favelas) in 1966. Today with a population of almost 50 thousand inhabitants, City of God presents social indicators which are among the most critical in Rio de Janeiro, although it is in the vicinity of one of the beautiful districts, Barra da Tijuca.
In 2002, the success of the film City of God portrayed the district in the media spotlight in such a way as to reinforce the stigma of a violent and dangerous community, thus supporting a wave of prejudices and discrimination.
On the other hand, throughout its history since the 1980’s, there emerged in the district various associations of inhabitants, groups of samba, sporting clubs, theatre companies, magazines, film clubs, active churches, dance troupes and the black movement.
Since 2003, various processes joined to build new conditions of organization and articulation having for goal the transformation of the reality of City of God. After an intensive process of debates, the Community Committee of City of God was born that year. The Committee gathered various local organizations to overcome isolation and divisions which marked their actions.
The Community Committee affirmed itself during its three years of existence as an important lieu for articulation of actions in the district and institutional interlocution. As of 2004, its action resulted in two important achievements:
a) an initial account of the requests of the local population which included topics like: Work, Employment and Income, Education, Health, Environment, Social Advancement, Communication, Culture and Sport.
b) elaboration of a first Plan for the development of City of God, endorsed by a broader community forum, with directives set for a five year period (until 2009), as an instrument to advance towards the articulation of programs, projects and social actions already implemented in the district, as well as new initiatives for the benefit of the community.
Starting from this acquired knowledge, one of the challenges to overcome was the consolidation on new bases of integrated socio-institutional clusters which matured these past years, particularly for the formation of an executive authority able to integrate actions and projects in this urban space, in the shape of a legal body (City of God Local Development Agency), understood as a key factor of the sustainability of all the process.
In 2006, the Agency was legally made up as a non-profit organization, having as associates and directors the organizations and leaders linked to the Community Committee. This fact, in itself, is an expressive result of the process of organization and articulation brought to term these last three years. The concretization of this Agency was realized from the technical and financial support of a federal government program (Finep - Financing of Studies and Projects) and of an organization of the civil society (Ibase - Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analyses), which also represents an example of the capacity of institutional interlocution of the local community.
Directly related to the constitution of the development agency, a number of achievements and results can already be underlined, in particular since 2006. Among these are integrated actions in various fields such as:
Training of local managers. Conceptual and administrative training of the agents directly involved in the Community Committee and the Development Agency, utilizing courses based on participative methods.
Work and solidarity economy. Identification of potentials for the creation of co-operatives, training sessions with workers and inhabitants, with future steps to eventually create a non-profit and self-managing enterprise in the construction sector.
Education. Mobilization and coordination between local institutions and partners to discuss the quality of education in City of God and to build an integrated plan for the sector with the participation of the community, thus a global plan including the various levels of education.
Social housing. As an action of largest social impact, it is necessary to underline the housing project which will currently meet the needs of 618 families without minimal conditions of dwelling, in the sector of City of God called Rocinha II. This project is developed with the direct participation of the local community, starting with the Community Committee and the Agency, and its realization is due to support of a federal public body of development, the National Savings Bank and municipality of Rio de Janeiro.
Communication. This process is in its infancy. It is being constituted, within the framework of the agency, necessitating an internal and external communication system which includes various integrated elements - community radio programming, production of videos, website and community newspaper.
The actions of the Agency will have a very broad social guarantee to assure the semi-annual meetings of the Community Forum of City of God, which will involve hundreds of actors of the district (linked to various movements and associations), to re-orientate the broad guidelines and priorities of the local development plan in City of God.
At stake is a socio-institutional cluster which proposes an integrated range of projects and actions, having City of God as the territorial reference, while considering its articulation with the adjacent districts and the city.
In broader terms, the case of City of God brings to light the key problem of the fight against inequalities and social exclusion in impoverished popular communities, very often stigmatized and historically subjected, when not completely abandonned, to political mechanisms of fragmentation and domination. The history of City of God is emblematic of this type of problem, and the strides made here for its resolution, in addition to benefiting its own inhabitants, can provide guidance for other territories with common characteristics, especially in the metropolitan contexts.
Author – Caio Silveira
World Social Forum
Interpretation and Sustainable Development
One of the big challenges that always faces any Social Forum is what legacy if any and what lasting impacts will remain, follow or be enacted in terms of sustainable local development after such an event.
While many of the meetings that occur during a Social Forum – be it regional, such as the African or European Social Forum or a full-scale World Social Forum – enable global networks to develop and grow, it is notoriously difficult to measure the concrete impacts on the ground of such an event at local level.
This short article in no way purports to measure overall effects that WSF2007 in Nairobi had on sustainable local development. It merely highlights one rather interesting knock-on effect.
One of the key aspects in any Social Forum is always interpreting, as it represents a crucial aspect in any form of cross-cultural communication. In today’s global world it is often the lever that enables things to happen across borders and between communities.
In the run-up to the WSF, thanks to the excellent recruitment by the Kenyan Organising Committee’s interpreting commission, some 450 volunteer interpreters signed up for a short training course. Unlike the previous WSF events, they came from very diverse backgrounds indeed, ranging from professional interpreters and translators to university lecturers and teachers as well as members of various clergy (the various denominations in East Africa have traditionally been part of social activism). They came mainly from Kenya and Tanzania. There were also considerable numbers of political refugees from Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, who form a sizeable community in Kenya. During the Forum, there were also groups of interpreters from Senegal and Mali as well as a small group of Europeans present.
The impact of this training process – apart from developing skills for the Social Forum itself – created great interest at local level. The Ministry for Justice, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissariat for Refugees) and several NGOs have expressed their interest in funding what will hopefully become an accredited Community Interpreter Training course with a view to using some of the capacities developed.
Community interpreting is a relatively new phenomenon. It allows asylum seekers, refugees and members of minority ethnic communities to avail of interpreter services during court hearings and in all dealings with police, health and social services. At its best, it enables true representation and advocacy as well as a fair hearing. As such, in a world where there are many displaced peoples and minority ethnic communities present, it is a new profession that contributes to a more equitable form of integration. Countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom (particularly Northern Ireland) and the Republic of Ireland already have officially recognised Community Interpreters.
Therefore, if the Community Interpreting Courses currently being proposed, and for which participants are already being selected does take shape in Nairobi, it will be a small but significant legacy of the Forum that will allow the voice of these communities to be heard. It will strengthen the chances for asylum seekers and refugees in Kenya to have a fairer, more equitable representation. This is, after all, one way of encouraging the communities to integrate and contribute to a more sustainable future for themselves and their new homeland.
Author – Judith Hitchman
Interpretor and consultant
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to our translators:
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for the English version, Paul M. Makédonski (Peru) and Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish version, and Michel Collin (Brazil) for the Portuguese version
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Newsletter #37
April 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
City of God (Cidade de Deus) in Rio de Janeiro
The challenge of local development linked to community action
World Social Forum
Interpretation and sustainable development
Message from the Editorial Team
The Local Development Agency set up by the Community Committee of the City of God, an important shantytown (favela) of Rio de Janeiro is a very interesting initiative, because it shows once more that the true development of a community can be carried out only by the involvement of the vital forces which the inhabitants have given themselves. In this sense, this experience has many similarities with the ones which we already presented in former issues, particularly in India or in Canada.
Community development is also at the heart of the community interpreters’ initiative. Displacements of populations, voluntarily or not is an expanding phenomenon everywhere on our planet. This situation creates at the same time problems and opportunities for involvement and participation for the displaced populations in their new countries. The initiative of the community interpreters is very positive in this regard.
We wish to reiterate our invitation to forward us articles or announcements which we could share with our subscribers.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
City of God (Cidade de Deus) in Rio de Janeiro
The challenge of local development linked to community action
The creation of a Local Development Agency managed by community organizations in the City of God in Rio de Janeiro, represents one of the contemporary outstanding efforts in the Brazilian context. It has fostered the creation of new ways of development able to overcome discrimination and social exclusion in difficult districts of large cities.
City of God is a district located in the western part of the city of Rio de Janeiro, which evolved from a process of eradication of shantytowns (favelas) in 1966. Today with a population of almost 50 thousand inhabitants, City of God presents social indicators which are among the most critical in Rio de Janeiro, although it is in the vicinity of one of the beautiful districts, Barra da Tijuca.
In 2002, the success of the film City of God portrayed the district in the media spotlight in such a way as to reinforce the stigma of a violent and dangerous community, thus supporting a wave of prejudices and discrimination.
On the other hand, throughout its history since the 1980’s, there emerged in the district various associations of inhabitants, groups of samba, sporting clubs, theatre companies, magazines, film clubs, active churches, dance troupes and the black movement.
Since 2003, various processes joined to build new conditions of organization and articulation having for goal the transformation of the reality of City of God. After an intensive process of debates, the Community Committee of City of God was born that year. The Committee gathered various local organizations to overcome isolation and divisions which marked their actions.
The Community Committee affirmed itself during its three years of existence as an important lieu for articulation of actions in the district and institutional interlocution. As of 2004, its action resulted in two important achievements:
a) an initial account of the requests of the local population which included topics like: Work, Employment and Income, Education, Health, Environment, Social Advancement, Communication, Culture and Sport.
b) elaboration of a first Plan for the development of City of God, endorsed by a broader community forum, with directives set for a five year period (until 2009), as an instrument to advance towards the articulation of programs, projects and social actions already implemented in the district, as well as new initiatives for the benefit of the community.
Starting from this acquired knowledge, one of the challenges to overcome was the consolidation on new bases of integrated socio-institutional clusters which matured these past years, particularly for the formation of an executive authority able to integrate actions and projects in this urban space, in the shape of a legal body (City of God Local Development Agency), understood as a key factor of the sustainability of all the process.
In 2006, the Agency was legally made up as a non-profit organization, having as associates and directors the organizations and leaders linked to the Community Committee. This fact, in itself, is an expressive result of the process of organization and articulation brought to term these last three years. The concretization of this Agency was realized from the technical and financial support of a federal government program (Finep - Financing of Studies and Projects) and of an organization of the civil society (Ibase - Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analyses), which also represents an example of the capacity of institutional interlocution of the local community.
Directly related to the constitution of the development agency, a number of achievements and results can already be underlined, in particular since 2006. Among these are integrated actions in various fields such as:
Training of local managers. Conceptual and administrative training of the agents directly involved in the Community Committee and the Development Agency, utilizing courses based on participative methods.
Work and solidarity economy. Identification of potentials for the creation of co-operatives, training sessions with workers and inhabitants, with future steps to eventually create a non-profit and self-managing enterprise in the construction sector.
Education. Mobilization and coordination between local institutions and partners to discuss the quality of education in City of God and to build an integrated plan for the sector with the participation of the community, thus a global plan including the various levels of education.
Social housing. As an action of largest social impact, it is necessary to underline the housing project which will currently meet the needs of 618 families without minimal conditions of dwelling, in the sector of City of God called Rocinha II. This project is developed with the direct participation of the local community, starting with the Community Committee and the Agency, and its realization is due to support of a federal public body of development, the National Savings Bank and municipality of Rio de Janeiro.
Communication. This process is in its infancy. It is being constituted, within the framework of the agency, necessitating an internal and external communication system which includes various integrated elements - community radio programming, production of videos, website and community newspaper.
The actions of the Agency will have a very broad social guarantee to assure the semi-annual meetings of the Community Forum of City of God, which will involve hundreds of actors of the district (linked to various movements and associations), to re-orientate the broad guidelines and priorities of the local development plan in City of God.
At stake is a socio-institutional cluster which proposes an integrated range of projects and actions, having City of God as the territorial reference, while considering its articulation with the adjacent districts and the city.
In broader terms, the case of City of God brings to light the key problem of the fight against inequalities and social exclusion in impoverished popular communities, very often stigmatized and historically subjected, when not completely abandonned, to political mechanisms of fragmentation and domination. The history of City of God is emblematic of this type of problem, and the strides made here for its resolution, in addition to benefiting its own inhabitants, can provide guidance for other territories with common characteristics, especially in the metropolitan contexts.
Author – Caio Silveira
World Social Forum
Interpretation and Sustainable Development
One of the big challenges that always faces any Social Forum is what legacy if any and what lasting impacts will remain, follow or be enacted in terms of sustainable local development after such an event.
While many of the meetings that occur during a Social Forum – be it regional, such as the African or European Social Forum or a full-scale World Social Forum – enable global networks to develop and grow, it is notoriously difficult to measure the concrete impacts on the ground of such an event at local level.
This short article in no way purports to measure overall effects that WSF2007 in Nairobi had on sustainable local development. It merely highlights one rather interesting knock-on effect.
One of the key aspects in any Social Forum is always interpreting, as it represents a crucial aspect in any form of cross-cultural communication. In today’s global world it is often the lever that enables things to happen across borders and between communities.
In the run-up to the WSF, thanks to the excellent recruitment by the Kenyan Organising Committee’s interpreting commission, some 450 volunteer interpreters signed up for a short training course. Unlike the previous WSF events, they came from very diverse backgrounds indeed, ranging from professional interpreters and translators to university lecturers and teachers as well as members of various clergy (the various denominations in East Africa have traditionally been part of social activism). They came mainly from Kenya and Tanzania. There were also considerable numbers of political refugees from Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, who form a sizeable community in Kenya. During the Forum, there were also groups of interpreters from Senegal and Mali as well as a small group of Europeans present.
The impact of this training process – apart from developing skills for the Social Forum itself – created great interest at local level. The Ministry for Justice, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissariat for Refugees) and several NGOs have expressed their interest in funding what will hopefully become an accredited Community Interpreter Training course with a view to using some of the capacities developed.
Community interpreting is a relatively new phenomenon. It allows asylum seekers, refugees and members of minority ethnic communities to avail of interpreter services during court hearings and in all dealings with police, health and social services. At its best, it enables true representation and advocacy as well as a fair hearing. As such, in a world where there are many displaced peoples and minority ethnic communities present, it is a new profession that contributes to a more equitable form of integration. Countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom (particularly Northern Ireland) and the Republic of Ireland already have officially recognised Community Interpreters.
Therefore, if the Community Interpreting Courses currently being proposed, and for which participants are already being selected does take shape in Nairobi, it will be a small but significant legacy of the Forum that will allow the voice of these communities to be heard. It will strengthen the chances for asylum seekers and refugees in Kenya to have a fairer, more equitable representation. This is, after all, one way of encouraging the communities to integrate and contribute to a more sustainable future for themselves and their new homeland.
Author – Judith Hitchman
Interpretor and consultant
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to our translators:
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for the English version, Paul M. Makédonski (Peru) and Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish version, and Michel Collin (Brazil) for the Portuguese version
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Sunday, March 04, 2007
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #36
March 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Living Planet Report 2006
«It is not good news»
Upcoming events
First US Social Forum
Asian Forum for Solidarity Economy
Message from the Editorial Team
The state of our biosphere and our planet Earth is proving to be extremely alarming. The summary of a 2006 report by the WWF, one of the principal global ecological organizations confirms this fact. Thus, this situation affects the life of populations everywhere on the planet. All local communities are undergoing the effects, either directly or indirectly. The Stern Report on the economic effects of global warming, published by the British government, confirms that the warming is real, and now scientifically proven (the certainty has passed from 70 to 90%).
The nature of life on Earth shows that animal and plant species can disappear, when they proliferate excessively in a too restricted territory. Then, mankind is only a resource on the condition of making a calculated use of natural resources, contained within the limits of the possible. This is not yet an understood fact for everyone. We are becoming more aware in the context of a strongly growing demography and a new era marked by the perception of finiteness. The territoriality of humanity is surrounded by various types of borders. The current challenge is to find forms of governability of territories and to make possible the coexistence of a large humanity, in a universe of finite resources.
We have entered a new historical time: that of alter-localization. The members of our team, our readers, and more and more people, are persuaded that they are the social actors of tomorrow. Why? Because they seek concretely, tirelessly
• how to build concrete answers to the global questions in their territories of life,
• how to combine the capacity of collective action of a civil society which organizes itself, with the powers of territorial management which are exerted by local, traditional, or modern authorities according to their countries.
By the size of the problems, the results are modest, but they are significant as they indicate new approaches based on the everyday life of people. They show the way.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
The Living Planet Report 2006: « It is not good news. »
Begun in 1998, these reports by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are designed to show the state of the natural world and the impact of human activity. The Living Planet Report 2006 confirms that we are using the planet’s resources faster than they can be renewed.
Acceleration and overexploitation (overshoot) of Earth’s resources
Humanity’s Ecological Footprint has more than tripled since 1961. Our footprint now exceeds the world’s ability to regenerate by about 25 per cent. The Living Planet Index, shows a rapid and continuing loss of biodiversity – populations of vertebrate species have declined by about one third since 1970. The message of these two indices is clear and urgent: we have been exceeding the Earth’s ability to support our lifestyles for the past 20 years, and we need to stop. We must balance our consumption with the natural world’s capacity to regenerate and absorb our wastes. If we do not, we risk irreversible damage.
We are far from respecting the objective of sustainable development!
Comparing the Ecological Footprint with a recognized measure of human development, the United Nations Human Development Index, the report clearly shows that what we currently accept as “high development’’ is a long way away from the world’s stated aim of sustainable development. As countries improve the wellbeing of their people, they are bypassing the goal of sustainability and going into what we call “overshoot” – using far more resources than the planet can sustain. It is inevitable that this path will limit the abilities of poor countries to develop and of rich countries to maintain prosperity. It is time to make some vital choices. Change that improves living standards while reducing our impact on the natural world will not be easy. But we must recognize that choices we make now will shape our opportunities far into the future.
The good news is that a change of course remains possible, but we must want it!
We already have technologies that can lighten our footprint, including many that can significantly reduce climate-threatening carbon dioxide emissions. Leading companies and governments are working to stem biodiversity loss by protecting vital habitats on an unprecedented scale. But we must all do more. The message of the Living Planet Report 2006 is that we are living beyond our means, and that the choices each of us makes today will shape the possibilities for the generations which follow us.
The price of the ecological debt
Unlike financial capital, one type of which can easily be exchanged for another of matching monetary value, ecological assets are not readily interchangeable. Ecological debt is one measure of risk, namely that ecological resources and services will not be available in the future to meet humanity’s demands. The overuse of one ecological asset, such as fisheries, cannot always be offset by decreasing demand on another, such as forests. The Business-as-usual scenario evaluates the consequences of this continuous overexploitation by making the sum of all the annual deficits. By 2050, the debt would equal an amount corresponding to 34 years of the planet’s entire biological productivity – and the years of overshoot would still be far from over and the debt would continue to accumulate.
If we do not measure, we cannot effectively manage.
Without financial accounting, businesses would operate in the dark, risking bankruptcy. Without resource accounting, ecological deficits and overshoot go unnoticed and are likely to persist. By the time the effects of overshoot become apparent, it may be too late to change course and avoid ecological bankruptcy. The collapse of fisheries off the east coast of Canada and the severe effects of deforestation in Haiti are two unfortunate examples.
Focus on slow things first.
Within the framework of a transition towards a sustainable world, it is essential to take into account the delays for implementation. Efforts to stem this rapid escalation of overshoot and avoid ecosystem collapse must take into account the slow response times of human populations and infrastructure. The people born and the infrastructure built today will shape resource consumption for much of the rest of the century.
Report produced by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), experienced independent conservation organization, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries (www.panda.org) with the Zoological Society of London-ZSL, an international scientific, conservation, and educational organization (www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/ioz) and Global Footprint Network (GFN) which promotes a sustainable economy by advancing the Ecological Footprint, a tool that makes sustainability measurable (www.footprintnetwork.org).
Summary: Martine Theveniaut
UPCOMING EVENTS
First US Social Forum
Another USA is possible
The first Social Forum of the United States will take place from June 27th to July 1st, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia. Thousands of progressive individuals and people involved in the alternate globalisation movement will meet in this iconic city, which is so rich in historical ties to the US Civil Rights Movement. As in other social forums in the world, proposals for workshops are being accepted. The question of the war will be important.
For its part, the North American Network for Solidarity Economy (NANSE) is planning to organize workshops. Therefore, two organizations from Canada, GESQ (Solidarity Economy Group of Quebec) and the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) which are involved in the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) plan to participate.
http://www.ussf2007.org/ (EN and SP)
Announcement prepared by Yvon Poirier
Asian Forum for Solidarity Economy
A first meeting
From October 17th to 20th, 2007, in Manila, (Philippines) a first meeting will take place on the following theme: An interface for socially responsible investors and socially responsible companies.
As indicated in the preliminary program (see the Web site) presentations coming from several Asian countries, including China, are planned.
The meeting is sponsored by CSR EMS Asia (Socially responsible Small and Medium Enterprises - Asia) and the Foundation for Human Progress (FPH).
The person in charge of the event is Ben Quinones. The author of this announcement met with him at 2005 WSF and at the Dakar 2005 meeting.
www.asianforum2007.net
Announcement prepared by Yvon Poirier
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to our translators:
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for the English version, Paul M. Makédonski (Peru) and Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish version, and Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese version
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
March 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Living Planet Report 2006
«It is not good news»
Upcoming events
First US Social Forum
Asian Forum for Solidarity Economy
Message from the Editorial Team
The state of our biosphere and our planet Earth is proving to be extremely alarming. The summary of a 2006 report by the WWF, one of the principal global ecological organizations confirms this fact. Thus, this situation affects the life of populations everywhere on the planet. All local communities are undergoing the effects, either directly or indirectly. The Stern Report on the economic effects of global warming, published by the British government, confirms that the warming is real, and now scientifically proven (the certainty has passed from 70 to 90%).
The nature of life on Earth shows that animal and plant species can disappear, when they proliferate excessively in a too restricted territory. Then, mankind is only a resource on the condition of making a calculated use of natural resources, contained within the limits of the possible. This is not yet an understood fact for everyone. We are becoming more aware in the context of a strongly growing demography and a new era marked by the perception of finiteness. The territoriality of humanity is surrounded by various types of borders. The current challenge is to find forms of governability of territories and to make possible the coexistence of a large humanity, in a universe of finite resources.
We have entered a new historical time: that of alter-localization. The members of our team, our readers, and more and more people, are persuaded that they are the social actors of tomorrow. Why? Because they seek concretely, tirelessly
• how to build concrete answers to the global questions in their territories of life,
• how to combine the capacity of collective action of a civil society which organizes itself, with the powers of territorial management which are exerted by local, traditional, or modern authorities according to their countries.
By the size of the problems, the results are modest, but they are significant as they indicate new approaches based on the everyday life of people. They show the way.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
The Living Planet Report 2006: « It is not good news. »
Begun in 1998, these reports by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are designed to show the state of the natural world and the impact of human activity. The Living Planet Report 2006 confirms that we are using the planet’s resources faster than they can be renewed.
Acceleration and overexploitation (overshoot) of Earth’s resources
Humanity’s Ecological Footprint has more than tripled since 1961. Our footprint now exceeds the world’s ability to regenerate by about 25 per cent. The Living Planet Index, shows a rapid and continuing loss of biodiversity – populations of vertebrate species have declined by about one third since 1970. The message of these two indices is clear and urgent: we have been exceeding the Earth’s ability to support our lifestyles for the past 20 years, and we need to stop. We must balance our consumption with the natural world’s capacity to regenerate and absorb our wastes. If we do not, we risk irreversible damage.
We are far from respecting the objective of sustainable development!
Comparing the Ecological Footprint with a recognized measure of human development, the United Nations Human Development Index, the report clearly shows that what we currently accept as “high development’’ is a long way away from the world’s stated aim of sustainable development. As countries improve the wellbeing of their people, they are bypassing the goal of sustainability and going into what we call “overshoot” – using far more resources than the planet can sustain. It is inevitable that this path will limit the abilities of poor countries to develop and of rich countries to maintain prosperity. It is time to make some vital choices. Change that improves living standards while reducing our impact on the natural world will not be easy. But we must recognize that choices we make now will shape our opportunities far into the future.
The good news is that a change of course remains possible, but we must want it!
We already have technologies that can lighten our footprint, including many that can significantly reduce climate-threatening carbon dioxide emissions. Leading companies and governments are working to stem biodiversity loss by protecting vital habitats on an unprecedented scale. But we must all do more. The message of the Living Planet Report 2006 is that we are living beyond our means, and that the choices each of us makes today will shape the possibilities for the generations which follow us.
The price of the ecological debt
Unlike financial capital, one type of which can easily be exchanged for another of matching monetary value, ecological assets are not readily interchangeable. Ecological debt is one measure of risk, namely that ecological resources and services will not be available in the future to meet humanity’s demands. The overuse of one ecological asset, such as fisheries, cannot always be offset by decreasing demand on another, such as forests. The Business-as-usual scenario evaluates the consequences of this continuous overexploitation by making the sum of all the annual deficits. By 2050, the debt would equal an amount corresponding to 34 years of the planet’s entire biological productivity – and the years of overshoot would still be far from over and the debt would continue to accumulate.
If we do not measure, we cannot effectively manage.
Without financial accounting, businesses would operate in the dark, risking bankruptcy. Without resource accounting, ecological deficits and overshoot go unnoticed and are likely to persist. By the time the effects of overshoot become apparent, it may be too late to change course and avoid ecological bankruptcy. The collapse of fisheries off the east coast of Canada and the severe effects of deforestation in Haiti are two unfortunate examples.
Focus on slow things first.
Within the framework of a transition towards a sustainable world, it is essential to take into account the delays for implementation. Efforts to stem this rapid escalation of overshoot and avoid ecosystem collapse must take into account the slow response times of human populations and infrastructure. The people born and the infrastructure built today will shape resource consumption for much of the rest of the century.
Report produced by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), experienced independent conservation organization, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries (www.panda.org) with the Zoological Society of London-ZSL, an international scientific, conservation, and educational organization (www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/ioz) and Global Footprint Network (GFN) which promotes a sustainable economy by advancing the Ecological Footprint, a tool that makes sustainability measurable (www.footprintnetwork.org).
Summary: Martine Theveniaut
UPCOMING EVENTS
First US Social Forum
Another USA is possible
The first Social Forum of the United States will take place from June 27th to July 1st, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia. Thousands of progressive individuals and people involved in the alternate globalisation movement will meet in this iconic city, which is so rich in historical ties to the US Civil Rights Movement. As in other social forums in the world, proposals for workshops are being accepted. The question of the war will be important.
For its part, the North American Network for Solidarity Economy (NANSE) is planning to organize workshops. Therefore, two organizations from Canada, GESQ (Solidarity Economy Group of Quebec) and the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) which are involved in the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) plan to participate.
http://www.ussf2007.org/ (EN and SP)
Announcement prepared by Yvon Poirier
Asian Forum for Solidarity Economy
A first meeting
From October 17th to 20th, 2007, in Manila, (Philippines) a first meeting will take place on the following theme: An interface for socially responsible investors and socially responsible companies.
As indicated in the preliminary program (see the Web site) presentations coming from several Asian countries, including China, are planned.
The meeting is sponsored by CSR EMS Asia (Socially responsible Small and Medium Enterprises - Asia) and the Foundation for Human Progress (FPH).
The person in charge of the event is Ben Quinones. The author of this announcement met with him at 2005 WSF and at the Dakar 2005 meeting.
www.asianforum2007.net
Announcement prepared by Yvon Poirier
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to our translators:
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for the English version, Paul M. Makédonski (Peru) and Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish version, and Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese version
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
Saturday, February 03, 2007
International Newletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #35
February 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
German Conference on Social Solidarity Economy
International perspective
Local Development in Brazil
A multitude of initiatives
Newsbrief
LUX’09
Message from the Editorial Team
As we begin 2007, we wish to thank our readers for their faithfulness and we wish them success in their respective projects.
For our part, we are always as firmly convinced of the usefulness of our endeavour which serves as a place for horizontal and international exchanges. We are particularly convinced that it is useful to produce a newsletter in four languages, because we observe that what occurs in other languages than our own is often ignored, without mentioning knowing what occurs in other countries and continents.
In this issue, we are presenting articles on conferences in which we took part: Martine went to a meeting in Berlin at the end of November; Francisco and Yvon went to a meeting which was held in Salvador de Bahia in Brazil at the beginning of December.
We are also happy to announce that Michel Collin of Brazil has joined our team of volunteer translators. He will provide support for the translation of and into Portuguese.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
German Conference on Social Solidarity Economy
International perspective
In November 2006, the German ATTAC (Association for Taxation of Financial Transactions to Aid Citizens) groups organised a First National Congress on How do we want to produce and live? The Solidarity-Based Economy in a Globalized Capitalism.
Some 900 individuals registered for this conference and it was very successful. Berlin was the last stop for a week-long exchange in many cities of the country, in presence of international guests, among which the Canadian, Mike Lewis from CCEDNet and member of RIPESS. Points of view diverged on the concept of solidarity economy as they do elsewhere in Europe. But in Germany, Solidarity-Based Economy is not yet well known and acknowledged. Even if the sector employs almost two million people, it is not yet visible as such, because it is split up in a number of diverse milieus or approaches which do not know much about each other. Karl Birkhölzer, an economist, and president of the European network EURONET, says that in 40 years of teaching at the Berlin’s Technical University, the term has not been uttered once!
Workshop #7 : The solidarity based economy – a worldwide movement: international experiences and co-operation
This report cannot claim to be a synthesis of the debates. It relates information from a workshop having available translation in English, French and Spanish. By organizing this workshop, EURONET contributed to the success of the event in two ways.
1 - By bringing an international component to this event via relationships maintained by the network:
- Sam Chelladurai, Anekal Rehabilitation Education and Development (READ) Centre, Bangalore, India
- Norman Chipakupaku, Trade Africa 2000 Plus, Zambia and Hawick, Scotland
- Mike Lewis, Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet), Centre for Community Enterprise, Vancouver, Canada
- Ewa Les, Institute for Social Policy, Warsaw University, Poland
- Paul Singer, Secretary of State for Solidarity Economy, Sao Paolo, Brazil
- Giovanni Acquati representing RIPESS Europe in the absence of Marie-Caroline Collard, Solidarity for Wallones Alternatives / SAW, Belgium
In the hall, the situation as it presents itself in England, Belgium, Crete, Scotland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Sweden was presented by representatives involved in these various countries.
2 - By proposing an identical working method to all speakers, allowing for common points and views for convergence
Everyone had to prepare to answer the same questions. The challenge being global, the search for alternatives, answers and/or solutions must also have a global dimension. In reality, the majority of movements which were started to encourage the growth of solidarity economy in the world, even independently, developed similar or comparable strategies of economic Self-Help groups and/or resistance based on solidarity.
- The first set asked the following questions for areas or countries represented: principal movements, why they were formed, their objectives, their public, their results. What is understood by the term solidarity economy and/or which (others) terms, concepts, traditions play an important role? , which prospects…
- The second set of questions concentrated on an alternative dimension to capitalism which makes up these movements.
- The third set of questions brought to the forefront the existing international networks of solidarity economy.
The review showed well the diversity of entry points. The origins are specific to each context. The definitions, the types of movements are marked by the cultures and the nature of the problems to be solved and by aspirations. But it also allowed to draw conclusions on the great resemblances in objectives and revealed tracks of convergence.
A strong idea can be underlined here: the distinction persists whatever the terms employed, between the co-operative movements in the social economy and another way of doing, whether it is called solidarity or new social economy. This idea affirmed its difference. It is sensitive in all communications. The members of the co-operative movement declared themselves as integral part of this movement, from within, and not on the sidelines. Their public acknowledgement will allow to better lay down the types, and the conditions, for mutual collaboration. This opens perspectives for collaboration in the 2009 process, largely evoked in the third set of questions.
A deeper understanding of the contents, stakes and substance of the debate will be presented in a forthcoming newsletter from the written contributions and the report of the exchanges. It is currently being prepared on the initiative of Karl Birkhölzer. Without claiming an extra definition, his synthesis proposes to give benchmarks, sufficiently structured to delimit what characterizes these new ways of doing. The dimension of social capital, in the spirit of English and German approaches on social audit, will certainly take a determining place.
ATTAC (Germany) http://www.attac.de/
ATTAC (international site) http://www.attac.org/
http://www.solidarische-oekonomie.de/ (En-FR-SP-PT)
EURONET (DE–FR–EN) http://www.european-network.de/
Summary: Martine Theveniaut
Local Development in Brazil
A multitude of initiatives
EXPOBRASIL V was held from December 6th – 8th, 2006 in Salvador, capital of Bahia, one of the 27 states of Brazil. The last five annual meetings were organized within the framework of REDLIS project (Network of integrated and sustainable local development). It is a project headed by the Information Network of the third-sector (RITS), which is a vast communication and exchange network very present everywhere in Brazil. Thus, it should be understood that the DLIS network is not a formal network, but rather a vast project of networking which manifests itself by broad annual meetings (between 1000 and 2000 participants each year) with the participation of the large majority of actors of local development in Brazil (base organizations, NGOs, municipalities, agencies and ministries, researchers, large public and private companies, etc.)
It is not possible to make a detailed report of this meeting. Nevertheless, three elements are of note.
Corporate Social Responsibility
For a non-Brazilian, a striking element of such meetings is the presence of large corporations, which are public or private. Thus, public corporations like PETROBRAS or Banco do Nordeste were strongly represented, and they were a part of the opening panel. It is important to note that currently in Brazil, there is a movement supported by the government of President Lula, in favour of a strong policy of corporate social responsibility. Therefore, these companies get involved in different ways, in projects to fight poverty, of support to small farmers, and in various other projects of local development.
Cooperating in Portuguese
Initiated during the 4th edition of EXPOBRASIL in 2005, exchanges between actors of local development of the Portuguese-speaking countries were materialized. Thus, this year Brazilians exchanged with participants from Portugal, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau. Alas, considering the difficulties for Africans to obtain visas, it was impossible for participants of Angola and Sao Tome and Principe to participate. It was the same for Eastern Timor.
During a workshop, the participants from various countries shared their experiences. It is interesting to mention that the experiences in Portugal and Cape Verde rested on an important participation of various sectors of civil society, while in Mozambique it is a co-operative which is the instrument of development for a significant number of women (we already devoted an article to this co-operative in Newsletter #19, published in 2005).
A proposed National Policy to support Local Development
Last September, after two years of work involving a great number of actors, a project for the elaboration of a National Policy to support local development was proposed to the Brazilian government.
As explained by Ladislau Dowbor, one of the authors of this policy, local development is not the sum of various local actions that ministries, agencies, municipalities, companies and associations undertake. Like in the majority of countries, governments are decentralizing or decentralize their policies and measures, but without an overall plan.
Thus, the assertion that local development is above all a process by which a local community takes charge of itself, where it decides and plans what it wants to become, is a fundamental assertion which joins us fully. Without empowerment of the people and the community, the social and cultural economic development will not be realized.
The following excerpt of the introduction to this project shows clearly its vision.
Development has always been regarded as a process which touches a region or which descends from higher spheres, in the form of public investments or the installation of private companies. Modernization, in the broadest sense of producing employment and income, of valuing small and medium-sized companies, of fighting against poverty, of reducing inequalities, of installing public policies of quality, tends to be seen as a dynamics coming from outside and that the community awaits in passivity.
However, decades of experience with development projects confirm that the capacity of local self-organization, the wealth of social capital, the participation of citizens and the feeling of appropriation of the process by the community are vital elements of its consolidation. Development is not only a set of projects directed towards economic growth. It is a cultural and political dynamics which transform social life.
Innumerable communes, communities, cities - the various subdivisions which compose local territories – have understood this dimension of the development. They have created spaces for democratic and productive mobilization, where social actors - public administrations, companies, trade unions, organizations of civil society – have organized themselves to mobilize the local potential. They have given up on waiting, they have started working fervently and have instigated a series of activities, based on new pacts and the mobilization of available resources. The external contributions are important, but they must exist to complement a dynamics which belongs to the local society itself.
Starting from this overall vision, the program of studies carried out concluded that the obstacles to local development and the proposals corresponding to exceed them can be grouped according to eight distinct axes, although very often synergistic or superimposed: 1 - Financing and marketing; 2 - Technology; 3 - Institutional development; 4 - Information; 5 - Communication; 6 - Education and training; 7 - Work, employment and income; 8 - Environmental sustainability
This meeting was inspiring and it indicates that the local development movement in Brazil is very active and mobilized.
http://www.rits.org.br/
http://expo.rededlis.org.br/
http://www.cooperaremportugues.org/
http://www.dowbor.org
Author : Yvon Poirier
Newsbrief
LUX’09
The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) is announcing that the mandate has been entrusted to the European Institute for Solidarity based Economy (INEES) to organize the 4th International Meeting of Globalisation of Solidarity in Luxembourg in 2009. The project is currently entitled LUX' 09. Information will follow in the next months.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Paul M. Makédonski and Brunilda Rafael for the Spanish translation
Michel Collin for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
February 1, 2007
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
German Conference on Social Solidarity Economy
International perspective
Local Development in Brazil
A multitude of initiatives
Newsbrief
LUX’09
Message from the Editorial Team
As we begin 2007, we wish to thank our readers for their faithfulness and we wish them success in their respective projects.
For our part, we are always as firmly convinced of the usefulness of our endeavour which serves as a place for horizontal and international exchanges. We are particularly convinced that it is useful to produce a newsletter in four languages, because we observe that what occurs in other languages than our own is often ignored, without mentioning knowing what occurs in other countries and continents.
In this issue, we are presenting articles on conferences in which we took part: Martine went to a meeting in Berlin at the end of November; Francisco and Yvon went to a meeting which was held in Salvador de Bahia in Brazil at the beginning of December.
We are also happy to announce that Michel Collin of Brazil has joined our team of volunteer translators. He will provide support for the translation of and into Portuguese.
Editorial Team
Francisco Botelho
Yvon Poirier
Martine Théveniaut
**************************************************************
German Conference on Social Solidarity Economy
International perspective
In November 2006, the German ATTAC (Association for Taxation of Financial Transactions to Aid Citizens) groups organised a First National Congress on How do we want to produce and live? The Solidarity-Based Economy in a Globalized Capitalism.
Some 900 individuals registered for this conference and it was very successful. Berlin was the last stop for a week-long exchange in many cities of the country, in presence of international guests, among which the Canadian, Mike Lewis from CCEDNet and member of RIPESS. Points of view diverged on the concept of solidarity economy as they do elsewhere in Europe. But in Germany, Solidarity-Based Economy is not yet well known and acknowledged. Even if the sector employs almost two million people, it is not yet visible as such, because it is split up in a number of diverse milieus or approaches which do not know much about each other. Karl Birkhölzer, an economist, and president of the European network EURONET, says that in 40 years of teaching at the Berlin’s Technical University, the term has not been uttered once!
Workshop #7 : The solidarity based economy – a worldwide movement: international experiences and co-operation
This report cannot claim to be a synthesis of the debates. It relates information from a workshop having available translation in English, French and Spanish. By organizing this workshop, EURONET contributed to the success of the event in two ways.
1 - By bringing an international component to this event via relationships maintained by the network:
- Sam Chelladurai, Anekal Rehabilitation Education and Development (READ) Centre, Bangalore, India
- Norman Chipakupaku, Trade Africa 2000 Plus, Zambia and Hawick, Scotland
- Mike Lewis, Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet), Centre for Community Enterprise, Vancouver, Canada
- Ewa Les, Institute for Social Policy, Warsaw University, Poland
- Paul Singer, Secretary of State for Solidarity Economy, Sao Paolo, Brazil
- Giovanni Acquati representing RIPESS Europe in the absence of Marie-Caroline Collard, Solidarity for Wallones Alternatives / SAW, Belgium
In the hall, the situation as it presents itself in England, Belgium, Crete, Scotland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Sweden was presented by representatives involved in these various countries.
2 - By proposing an identical working method to all speakers, allowing for common points and views for convergence
Everyone had to prepare to answer the same questions. The challenge being global, the search for alternatives, answers and/or solutions must also have a global dimension. In reality, the majority of movements which were started to encourage the growth of solidarity economy in the world, even independently, developed similar or comparable strategies of economic Self-Help groups and/or resistance based on solidarity.
- The first set asked the following questions for areas or countries represented: principal movements, why they were formed, their objectives, their public, their results. What is understood by the term solidarity economy and/or which (others) terms, concepts, traditions play an important role? , which prospects…
- The second set of questions concentrated on an alternative dimension to capitalism which makes up these movements.
- The third set of questions brought to the forefront the existing international networks of solidarity economy.
The review showed well the diversity of entry points. The origins are specific to each context. The definitions, the types of movements are marked by the cultures and the nature of the problems to be solved and by aspirations. But it also allowed to draw conclusions on the great resemblances in objectives and revealed tracks of convergence.
A strong idea can be underlined here: the distinction persists whatever the terms employed, between the co-operative movements in the social economy and another way of doing, whether it is called solidarity or new social economy. This idea affirmed its difference. It is sensitive in all communications. The members of the co-operative movement declared themselves as integral part of this movement, from within, and not on the sidelines. Their public acknowledgement will allow to better lay down the types, and the conditions, for mutual collaboration. This opens perspectives for collaboration in the 2009 process, largely evoked in the third set of questions.
A deeper understanding of the contents, stakes and substance of the debate will be presented in a forthcoming newsletter from the written contributions and the report of the exchanges. It is currently being prepared on the initiative of Karl Birkhölzer. Without claiming an extra definition, his synthesis proposes to give benchmarks, sufficiently structured to delimit what characterizes these new ways of doing. The dimension of social capital, in the spirit of English and German approaches on social audit, will certainly take a determining place.
ATTAC (Germany) http://www.attac.de/
ATTAC (international site) http://www.attac.org/
http://www.solidarische-oekonomie.de/ (En-FR-SP-PT)
EURONET (DE–FR–EN) http://www.european-network.de/
Summary: Martine Theveniaut
Local Development in Brazil
A multitude of initiatives
EXPOBRASIL V was held from December 6th – 8th, 2006 in Salvador, capital of Bahia, one of the 27 states of Brazil. The last five annual meetings were organized within the framework of REDLIS project (Network of integrated and sustainable local development). It is a project headed by the Information Network of the third-sector (RITS), which is a vast communication and exchange network very present everywhere in Brazil. Thus, it should be understood that the DLIS network is not a formal network, but rather a vast project of networking which manifests itself by broad annual meetings (between 1000 and 2000 participants each year) with the participation of the large majority of actors of local development in Brazil (base organizations, NGOs, municipalities, agencies and ministries, researchers, large public and private companies, etc.)
It is not possible to make a detailed report of this meeting. Nevertheless, three elements are of note.
Corporate Social Responsibility
For a non-Brazilian, a striking element of such meetings is the presence of large corporations, which are public or private. Thus, public corporations like PETROBRAS or Banco do Nordeste were strongly represented, and they were a part of the opening panel. It is important to note that currently in Brazil, there is a movement supported by the government of President Lula, in favour of a strong policy of corporate social responsibility. Therefore, these companies get involved in different ways, in projects to fight poverty, of support to small farmers, and in various other projects of local development.
Cooperating in Portuguese
Initiated during the 4th edition of EXPOBRASIL in 2005, exchanges between actors of local development of the Portuguese-speaking countries were materialized. Thus, this year Brazilians exchanged with participants from Portugal, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau. Alas, considering the difficulties for Africans to obtain visas, it was impossible for participants of Angola and Sao Tome and Principe to participate. It was the same for Eastern Timor.
During a workshop, the participants from various countries shared their experiences. It is interesting to mention that the experiences in Portugal and Cape Verde rested on an important participation of various sectors of civil society, while in Mozambique it is a co-operative which is the instrument of development for a significant number of women (we already devoted an article to this co-operative in Newsletter #19, published in 2005).
A proposed National Policy to support Local Development
Last September, after two years of work involving a great number of actors, a project for the elaboration of a National Policy to support local development was proposed to the Brazilian government.
As explained by Ladislau Dowbor, one of the authors of this policy, local development is not the sum of various local actions that ministries, agencies, municipalities, companies and associations undertake. Like in the majority of countries, governments are decentralizing or decentralize their policies and measures, but without an overall plan.
Thus, the assertion that local development is above all a process by which a local community takes charge of itself, where it decides and plans what it wants to become, is a fundamental assertion which joins us fully. Without empowerment of the people and the community, the social and cultural economic development will not be realized.
The following excerpt of the introduction to this project shows clearly its vision.
Development has always been regarded as a process which touches a region or which descends from higher spheres, in the form of public investments or the installation of private companies. Modernization, in the broadest sense of producing employment and income, of valuing small and medium-sized companies, of fighting against poverty, of reducing inequalities, of installing public policies of quality, tends to be seen as a dynamics coming from outside and that the community awaits in passivity.
However, decades of experience with development projects confirm that the capacity of local self-organization, the wealth of social capital, the participation of citizens and the feeling of appropriation of the process by the community are vital elements of its consolidation. Development is not only a set of projects directed towards economic growth. It is a cultural and political dynamics which transform social life.
Innumerable communes, communities, cities - the various subdivisions which compose local territories – have understood this dimension of the development. They have created spaces for democratic and productive mobilization, where social actors - public administrations, companies, trade unions, organizations of civil society – have organized themselves to mobilize the local potential. They have given up on waiting, they have started working fervently and have instigated a series of activities, based on new pacts and the mobilization of available resources. The external contributions are important, but they must exist to complement a dynamics which belongs to the local society itself.
Starting from this overall vision, the program of studies carried out concluded that the obstacles to local development and the proposals corresponding to exceed them can be grouped according to eight distinct axes, although very often synergistic or superimposed: 1 - Financing and marketing; 2 - Technology; 3 - Institutional development; 4 - Information; 5 - Communication; 6 - Education and training; 7 - Work, employment and income; 8 - Environmental sustainability
This meeting was inspiring and it indicates that the local development movement in Brazil is very active and mobilized.
http://www.rits.org.br/
http://expo.rededlis.org.br/
http://www.cooperaremportugues.org/
http://www.dowbor.org
Author : Yvon Poirier
Newsbrief
LUX’09
The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) is announcing that the mandate has been entrusted to the European Institute for Solidarity based Economy (INEES) to organize the 4th International Meeting of Globalisation of Solidarity in Luxembourg in 2009. The project is currently entitled LUX' 09. Information will follow in the next months.
Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/
Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Paul M. Makédonski and Brunilda Rafael for the Spanish translation
Michel Collin for the Portuguese translation
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca
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