International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #84
December 1st 2011

Summary
Cloughjordan: An Irish Eco-village

Message from the Editorial Team

In this newsletter Judith describes the only Eco-village in Ireland. It is situated in Cloughjordan, a little over an hour’s drive from the capital, Dublin.

The interest of this project is that it reaches beyond the strict framework of organic agriculture or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

The holistic approach of a local community is typical of the types of initiatives that we have written about in previous issues, and strengthens our conviction that a better world is not only possible, but is being built on a daily basis in many parts of our planet.

Our next Newsletter will be published on February 1st 2012.

Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut

Cloughjordan: an Irish Eco-Village

By Judith Hitchman

Cloughjordan is Ireland’s first and so far only Eco-Village. It is situated in North-West Tipperary, just over an hour’s drive from Dublin, but a good 3 hours from my family home in County Waterford. Fergal Anderson, who has just left his job in Brussels with the Via Campesina to start working his own farm in Galway and I were warmly welcomed by Davie Philips, Chair of the Cloughjordan Community Farm. We also met other members of the Board, and visited the lower farm. The weather and time constraints conspired to stop us from visiting the upper farm.

Origins

Born in 1999 - the initial members were involved in the Dublin Food Coop, and met there – the project is an overall concept that was designed as a model for sustainable living. The site was chosen for a number of reasons: it is easy to access Ireland’s capital, Dublin; there is a train station, the existing community is one of religious diversity, so tolerance is higher… The village includes 50 families, essentially neo-rural rather than of rural origin. 80 of the 130 potential sites have been sold. It also includes a 32-bed hostel, which is used not only for visitors, but for the many training courses run in the village (Agro-ecology, bio-dynamic agriculture, permaculture, community resilience, leadership etc…). There are plans to develop part of the site to include a green social enterprise community. As the overall principles of both the village and the farm are based on co-ownership and community development in the best sense of the term, the added value of such a project would be enormous. A traditional wood-fired bakery is about to open on the site. The baker is already famous in Dublin for his bread.

Much has already been written about the Eco-Village per se. It is situated on a site some 67 acres of land. What makes it very unique is that unlike many other such projects, it is actually right in an existing small old village, and rather than create friction and making locals flee, it has revitalised the existing community, who, although initially wary, have moved on from wariness to genuine acceptance of many of the “strange” things that are all a work in progress. This includes Ireland’s only community solar panel array and renewable energy district heating system providing hot water and heat to all the houses, genuine participatory community decision-making and self-built housing of various kinds (cob, hemp and lime…). Sadly the Local Authorities declined to give a discharge licence for a reed bed system for purifying sewerage, although this method has been accepted elsewhere in Ireland, where all Local Authorities are independent decision-making bodies…

Activities

The main aim of this article is to describe the somewhat unique Community Supported Agriculture project that is part of the Eco-Village. It is a separate project from the Eco-Village, but is nevertheless part of the same overall approach, with 60% of the CSA’s members coming from the Eco-Village. While Grow-it-Yourself and Allotments and even Community gardens have become very popular in Ireland, Cloughjordan is Ireland’s first genuinely structured CSA farm. There are now an increasing number of box schemes and other CSA projects being operated in Ireland. The farm is not certified organic. There is just no need to go through any costly process as the consumers are also the owners of the produce and the farm is therefore not selling anything; it is very much a trust-based community project. The farm does however use organic and biodynamic principles. There are two parts to the farm (upper and lower). The land is leased, with 12 acres on the lower site, 28 on the upper. The farm also organises many educational projects: cookery classes, picking sessions, activities for schools and children of all ages.

The unique nature of the farm is that it is contiguous to the village. It is right behind the houses. This means that for the most part, the 57 families involved are far more involved and aware than is usually the case. Although there is a very reasonable weekly contribution based on family size and income, when I visited, the fresh vegetables were being put in the open, unlocked collection shed three times a week, and members are free to help themselves to what they want and need. There have been no problems with this either. In other seasons, the veggies are dropped off only twice a week. A few members of the scheme come from neighbouring towns like Nenagh, situated 10 km away. This means that there is also a need to have a box scheme that operates once or twice a week..

The farm also provides raw milk from Kerry cows to its members. This is possible, in spite of the constraints of EU regulations that now forbid the sale of raw milk, as it is not sold: the members are actually considered owners through their membership of the collective scheme. It includes eggs and grains as well as the vegetables. A number of heritage and heirloom varieties are grown as part of the scheme. There are plans to develop “edible gardens” throughout the village. For those members that are not vegetarian, there is a meat-share scheme, whereby for an additional sum members can share a pig or lamb. I counted about 15 different varieties of vegetables growing in the fields, which is a good range for the area’s climatic possibilities. Wwoofers (an international network of volunteers in organic farming) from all over the world also visit and help with the work. There have been several different people in charge of the farm in the past, but this has now stabilised. One of the most amusing features is how the crops are stocked: an old container truck was bought for a mere 200 euros. The inside has been converted into a storage shed, with compartments for all the different vegetables. It is well aired, and out of reach to the wild animals that might otherwise help themselves.
Local farmers who were originally wary of the innovations involved on the farm were initially sceptical. The fact that it works, that the quality of the vegetables is so high, has gradually gained acceptance for the approach that is used.

The decision-making method used on both the farm and indeed in the village is an adapted form of VSM (Viable Systems Model). The adaptation enables those involved to have a maximum autonomy; it also facilitates engagement and organisation amongst the members. The result is genuine participatory democracy that has a coherent organisational structure. The level of genuine involvement in the various different projects has led to truly sustainable community-driven thriving and sustainable local development.

The farm is planning to hold an all-Ireland CSA conference next February. The idea is to create an Irish network, and to map what exists in various forms. Cloughjordan farm is now a member of Urgenci, and has invited Urgenci to participate. We are already looking forward to that!

http://www.cloughjordancommunityfarm.ie/
http://thevillage.ie/
http://www.cloughjordan.ie/mainpage/index.htm
http://www.wwoof.org/

About the Newsletter
This Newsletter is published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, It has been produced on a totally voluntary basis since the first issue in 2003.
The Editorial team wishes to thank the following volunteers for their support in translation and revision:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)

We also wish to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the Japanese translation.

Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/

To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #83
November 1st 2011
Summary

The social economy and municipal authorities: For sustainable development in local communities

Message from the Editorial Team

Ever since we first started publishing our Newsletter in 2003, we have stated that solutions need to be built bottom-up by communities and local resources; this is the path that leads to a true perspective of human justice and sustainable development.
This article by Yvon was written for the magazine called Développement Social in Quebec. It was published in the special number for the International Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (FIESS), that took place in Montreal from 17th – 20th October last. Yvon examines the relationships of various socio-economic actors who have organised at municipal or other levels in the province of Quebec; the second largest in Canada with a population of 8 million (Canada 34,5 M). The full issue, including the article, is available in English and French on the magazine website at www.revueds.ca.
His article is well researched and precise. It illustrates how the local development tools in Quebec work: they all have the support of a legitimate legal framework, use collective joint management systems, implement an entrepreneurial development strategy that may connect from different sources, financial tools for investment. It has a framework that is specifically adapted to solidarity economy (this is known as social economy in Quebec), which is fully recognised in Quebec. As these tools were created many years ago, it means that it is now possible to measure the results in terms of job and enterprise-creation as well as their sustainability over a period of time. The philosophy behind the system recognises profit but it is not considered as THE end goal (lucrative for a few to the detriment of the community). The method involves local authorities in a participatory process and stimulates general mobilisation. The article confirms the maturity of the economic alternative. The FIESS has highlighted this by bringing together all the achievements that are providing bottom-up responses to essential needs at global level.

Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut

The social economy and municipal authorities: For sustainable development in local communities

By Yvon Poirier

In Quebec, the relationship between the social economy and municipal authorities – and by extension local communities – is original and worth examining. This connection between municipalities and the social economy exists in part through local development centres (CLD) and regional committees of elected officials (Conférences régionales des élus – CRÉ) which each support in their own way the existence of the social economy.

CLDs: Technical and financial support for the social economy
In Quebec, responsibility for local development and entrepreneurial support belongs to regional county municipalities (municipalités régionales de comté – MRC) and larger cities. However, the law specifies that this work can be delegated to a local development centre. There are 120 such centres in Quebec: 111 CLDs proper and in some areas of Montreal 9 community economic development corporations (CEDECs) that have a CLD mandate . They are all non-profit organizations whose role is to accompany private and collective entrepreneurs in accomplishing their business projects and to provide a set of front-line services for businesses. CLDs and CEDECs form a link between the municipal world and social economy.

The Government of Quebec adopted Bill 171, creating CLDs, in December 1997. The bill followed Quebec’s Summit on Economy and Employment in 1996, which recognized social economy as a strategic area for development. The effort was in part to adapt business support policies. Under the legislation, CLDs have the mandate to prepare a strategy for entrepreneurial growth, including the social economy. At the same time, the government gave each organization an economic development fund, called Fonds de développement des entreprises d’économie sociale (FDEÉS), for specific support to social economy businesses. The organizations no longer have the obligation to keep such a FDEÉS, but a large majority nonetheless maintains a specific financial tool for the social economy. According to data from the ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation, more than $100 million has been invested through the FDEÉS in social economy businesses in 10 years (1998-2008), creating and maintaining more than 47 000 jobs and 5700 businesses.

Quebec City and the social economy
In 2008, the Government of Quebec adopted the Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif to increase the positive effects of collective entrepreneurship. It seeks to give leaders in this area concrete means that are adapted to their realities, to enhance the strength of the regions and to meet community needs according to a sustainable development approach.

The plan is for each CRÉ to sign a specific social economy agreement. Under its mandate, the Chantier de l’économie sociale du Québec guides the implementation of these agreements, particularly by supporting the creation of regional social economy poles in each region, a strategy which is also specified in the action plan.

In the Quebec City area, social enterprises have a social economy pole composed of 27 members. It adopted a number of rules for that composition, including balance between cooperatives and non-profit organizations, parity between men and women, representation of the sub-regions (Charlevoix, Portneuf), and representation of the various activity sectors. The organization is part of the CRÉ de la Capitale-Nationale, and the latter confirmed the rules set for nomination of pole members .

For the Quebec City region, the social economy offers a promising model, since the rate of survival for regular businesses after 10 years is just 19.5%, compared to 44% for cooperatives . Further more, because social economy businesses work so closely with their communities, they are committed to maintain their activities within the community and do not even think of ever “delocalizing”.

The City of Montreal’s policy
In 2009, the City of Montreal inaugurated its Social Economy Partnership for Community-Based Sustainable Development, the first public municipal policy in this area in Canada. The partnership is the result of cooperation between social economy leaders and the City of Montreal.

The partnership’s goals are to formally recognize the social economy’s contribution to the economic, social, and cultural development of the city; to support the social economy by drawing on the accomplishments of the past, by reinforcing existing means, and by adopting new methods to enable its growth; and to consolidate and increase the contribution of social economy members to the sustainable development of Quebec’s metropolis through the creation and development of collective businesses that meet citizen needs.

The partnership intends to function in five main areas, which are: support for collective entrepreneurship, solidarity supply practices, integrated promotion of the social economy, an increased role for the social economy in major metropolitan development projects, and an expanded role for the social economy in improving the quality of life of citizens through action in culture, recreation, tourism, housing, and sustainable development.

In 2007, turnover in the Montreal social economy was estimated at $2 billion. About 3600 establishments generated 61 500 jobs, representing 7% of total employment on the island of Montreal (as much as the tourism industry).

Cooperatives serving local populations
Outside large urban centres, social economy businesses are often key to the very survival of towns and villages.

Usually with the support of municipal governments, local populations have implemented activities to develop or maintain essential local services to avoid onerous travel and migration toward larger centres. These social economy initiatives prevent rural exodus and in some cases even reverse the trend.

In the past 15 years, for example, over 40 health cooperatives have been created and are still operating in various regions of Quebec. Most of these cooperatives were established to ensure better access to primary health services. Clinics therefore offer one or several physicians and sometimes other professionals, such as nurses and pharmacists. This is because, in smaller communities, doctors have been abandoning their private practices to set up in larger centres, leaving local populations without this essential service.

Citizens therefore created the cooperatives to establish a work infrastructure more appealing to doctors, including avoidance of lengthy travelling (50 to 100 kilometres) for basic medical attention. In most cases, either the municipality itself, the local Caisse Desjardins, or the two entities together, have initiated or guided the process of creating the cooperative (providing space, facilitating meetings for cooperative training, etc.). Usually, more than 80% of the local population is member of the cooperative. However, non-members have access to the services covered by the public health insurance plan.

In many small towns and villages, essential services such as gas stations and grocery stores disappear due to their lack of sufficient returns for large corporate owners whose only criteria is economic profitability. Again, to avoid costly travel and loss of time, citizens and municipalities have worked together to create multi-service cooperatives to provide the community with basic services, including postal counters and Automated Teller Machines. The vast majority of these projects adopts a solidarity cooperative approach, which involves more than one category of member.

Challenges remain
Although relations between local authorities and the social economy sector have been growing since 1998 through CLDs and CEDECs, they have often remained occasional or indirect, especially in regions where the social economy lacks a strong network.

In the rural world, municipalities are often very active in implementing and supporting collective businesses. In many sectors, such as housing, recreation, culture, local and citizen services, and waste management, municipalities depend on social economy businesses to meet community needs.

In urban areas, it has only been through the adoption of Montreal’s 2009 policy and the implementation of agreements under the Plan d’action gouvernemental pour l’entrepreneuriat collectif that formal partnerships between local authorities, through the CRÉs and social economy leaders in various regions, have developed, in part to promote and strengthen the social economy. In most regions, such partnerships are still in an initial phase and much remains to be done to consolidate them; however, they are already opening up an expansive work area to develop social economy businesses in each region that are capable of meeting citizen needs in every municipality of Quebec, whether in the environmental sector, sustainable transportation, or local services.

Original article (in French and English) published in magazine Développement Social, Volume 12, No. 2, October 2011
http://www.revueds.ca/

Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/

Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #82
October 1st 2011
Summary

Nyeleni Europe: an important step forward for the European Food Sovereignty movement

Foundation Congress of RIPESS Europe, Solidarity Economy Network Barcelona, September 8th, 9th and 10th 2011
Message from the Editorial Team

Judith presents the progress of the food sovereignty movement in Europe. We are encouraged by the development of this approach, in all the different continents.
We are also glad to share good news – the foundation of RIPESS Europe. Martine and Judith participated in this historic meeting, last September 8 to 10 in Barcelona.


Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut

Nyeleni Europe: an important step forward
for the European Food Sovereignty movement.

From August 16th – 22nd, over 500 participants from 40 countries came together in Krems - Austria, to share their experience and develop the future of both networks and actions for increased food sovereignty in Europe.

Methodology and content

The methodology, based on the first Nyeleni meeting held in Mali in 2007, ensured that all the groups and sub-groups were highly interactive. The programme was divided into 5 strands, dealing respectively with models of production, markets and organisation of distribution chains and food networks, social aspects and work conditions, access to land and other resources, and public policies. Particular attention was paid to ensure that at least 30% of those attending were young people, as well as to gender balance. There were also regional and constituency (farmers. NGOs, etc.) meetings, and many self-organised activities, as well as an excellent awareness raising fair and actions in one of the town’s many squares in the historic quarter.

Volunteers

As befits such a meeting, food was all local and organic, and the excellent vegan (non-animal) meals were cooked by a team of volunteers, by far the highest standard of any catering for such large numbers that I have ever encountered. A large team of very dedicated volunteer interpreters covered a wide range of Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern European languages.

Characteristics of the week’s work

The predominant aspect of the meeting was the dedicated working atmosphere, and how hard all the participants worked, in a quiet, constructive way. Was it because we were in a Central European country? The fact that there were so many incredibly committed young people present? Or the fact that in this time of crisis, that the obvious solution seems not just to criticise, but rather to build genuine alternatives to the neo-liberal system?

Many networks like the Via Campesina, Urgenci, (the International Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) network), Friends of the Earth and other members of the Food Sovereignty movement were key actors in the process. Questions like CSA and other forms of direct sales, access to public procurement for local small-scale producers, participatory guarantee systems (PGS) as peer-to-peer alternative certification for organic producers, the need for regulations that favour small-scale family farming and processing rather than industrialisation, GMO-free agriculture and freedom to exchange and sell farm seeds, were all perceived as the way forward to a European Food Sovereignty movement of economic and social alternatives, and a move towards territorial social dialogue between multiple stakeholders at all levels.
It was an inspiring week, particularly with so many energetic and dedicated young people present.

The Nyeleni Europe Final Declaration can be found on the website at www.nyelenieurope.net.

Judith Hitchman

Foundation Congress of RIPESS Europe, Solidarity Economy Network Barcelona, September 8th, 9th and 10th 2011.

In line with the RIPESS International strategy, and two years after the 4th meeting of Globalisation of Solidarity that was held in the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, around a hundred delegates and representatives of European Networks founded RIPESS Europe. This event was held on a shoetring budget, and could not have succeeded without the mobilisation and efficient, convivial organisation by XES, Xarxa Economia Solidaria, both members of the Spanish REAS network. Around 50 people were accommodated in people’s homes! The countries present were : Belgium, Catalunya, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Romania. There was also a delegation from the neighbouring Mediterranean countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

The Congress agenda included the discussion and validation of proposals that had been prepared by a Committee of active members involved in the preparation of the European Lux’09 Forum in April 2009. They included a Manifesto, and the Articles of Association. A first Organising Committee was designated. It is made up of a balanced panel of national platforms, regional and inter-regional, sectorial and inter-sectorial networks, resource people and researchers.

The broad outlines of the activities for the next two years were determined based after sharing the work that was carried out in 6 Work Groups:
GT1-- Mapping, extension, identity and cooperation
GT2 Social Services of General Interest (SSGI), the relationship between the public sector and SSE.
GT3 - Territorial development, solidarity economy, food sovereignty, local pacts : what convergence for building collective solutions?
GT4 – Responsible consumption, fair trade and solidarity tourism, ethical finance: building a social market.
GT5 - SSE as an alternative to the capitalist market
GT6 – RIPESS Europe : strategies, positions, methods and added value: how to be fully present in the European debate.

The transversal territorial approach particularly emphasized by the European P’ACTES plays an important part in the foundation process: with Priscila Soarès, a woman with 30 years experience in participatory regional development in the Algarve, in the South of Portugal as female delegate, and France Joubert. GT3 set the objective of creating convergence through learning journeys, as a useful tool for learning from one another. 2 or 3 are planned for 2012: Morocco, Catalunya, and Romania.
From a collective of actors to a collective actor, the conditions are now right for Europe to make its contribution to the great transition!

Announcement

The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) has a new website, in French, in English and in Spanish.
www.ripess.orgi
It will be updated regularly with news and announcements.
Take note that you can now subscribe on the website for regular updates and news.

Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/

Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.
To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #81
September 1st 2011
Summary


Message from the Editorial Team

In this issue, we are pleased to present an article on social and solidarity economy in China. It is the summary of the academic work of a Chinese student (who prefers to remain anonymous) at an American university. As you will see, people in China have also realised that cooperation and pooling energy and resources is the best way to achieving collective and individual improvement. This is in spite of the official ideology that has been implemented since 1979. This was when everything was privatised in China. Towns were broken up into individual properties and companies established with capitalist articles of incorporation, including shareholders. Nevertheless in the Chinese rural areas, some people failed to accept this turn of affairs, and maintained a shared collective approach. Others came back to it after some time. These villages became a reference in the poor rural areas of China. The per capita income was often ten times higher than the national average. More recently, many small-scale farmers’ cooperatives have been created to sell local produce, which helps protect individual producers from middlemen. About 13% of Chinese small-scale farmers are members of these cooperatives, and the income of these families is higher than that of individual farmers. This shows remarkable progress, as in many cases these cooperatives were created without the support of local authorities. The Central Government is beginning to admit that this is a positive development, and has established dedicated funds to support such projects. One major consideration is obviously to avoid any further increase to the rural migration to urban areas. It is indeed a recognised fact that it is rural poverty that causes this migration.

We never cease to wonder at the strength of local community-driven initiatives throughout the world, when people realise how much their situation and lives can be improved by pooling their efforts. Even in China, in spite of the reigning individualism, farmers and fisherfolk, coffee and banana growers are deciding to improve their living conditions by working together. As we have often shown in previous articles, when people decide to work together, they often start paying attention to other vital issues like housing, health and education. This also leads to a sustainable approach to their future and that of our planet, one that is similar to that of indigenous peoples who have a proverb that says “Development should be thought out for seven generations”.
We are not trying to pretend that this is the antidote to all capitalist markets. Nevertheless, it is obvious that this represents both a means of resisting and building solidarity and cooperation, that we believe will eventually replace the current dominant predatory and unsustainable model.

Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut

Social Solidarity Economy in Rural China

Under the new communist leadership, China implemented a full land reform from 1949 to 1953. Land was taken from the landlords and distributed to the peasants. Starting in 1958, the government organised communes so that the peasants could organise large-scale farming with machinery, marketing and some manufacturing. In 1979, the new leadership decided to privatize the land to the farmers and the collectively owned industries were sold to private capitalists.

The reason invoked for this change was that the peasants in the communes had no individual motivation. This new system was called Household Responsibility System. In most communes, peasants agreed, or were forced to agree to the new system. However, a few refused and decided to remain as communes. For many of those who went to the new system, they went backwards. Tractors and other machinery were scrapped since they were not needed. But, many farmers could not even afford to buy a horse or an ox for work. This led to much poverty and this is recognized as one to the reasons that has forced tens of millions of people to move to large industrial urban areas in China.

Today, some of these communes show great success:
• The 30,000 villagers of Huaxi now have reached a total yearly income of 10 billion yuan (approximately 1.5 billion US). Besides farming, they own a steel plant, a horticulture company, a clothing plant, and others. The total sales revenue in 2010 was 50 billion yuan (8 billion US). This allows the village to provide free health services, education (up to PHD), housing, retirement benefits and other needs of the villagers.
• Nanjie village is located in a poor, agricultural province, Henan. The villagers collectively own Nanjie Group, which consists of 29 companies involved in food processing, ink production, pharmaceuticals, handicrafts, plastics, printing, farming and travel services. Similar to Huaxi, all basic public services, such as education, health care, housing and retirement benefits are freely provided by the commune. The village population is 3400, yet there are 7260 employees. Interestingly, jobs in agriculture are better paid than in factories since its considered harder work. The household income is about ten times more that average villages in the region.
• Xixiakou village, a commune in Shandong has a population of 1300. Over a 40-year span since 1970, this fishing village has accumulated more than 6 billion yuans worth of assets. Most households have private cars and the commune also built the largest zoo in Shandong Province.
• Liuzhuang, a commune in Henan with a population of 1700, was still deep in poverty in the 1980s. By 2009, it has raised the disposable income of members to 23,000 yuans per capita, more than ten times the national average.

In recent years, there has been a huge increase in collective enterprises, using the name «cooperative» which is less politically sensitive than «commune» which is identified to the Maoist era.

In Shanxi Province alone, there were more than 24,000 rural cooperatives (Han Yuhai, Peking University, 2010). Since 2003, the central government, understanding that relying only on individual households was not the best option has recognized that organising rural cooperatives was a way for these peasants to grow out of poverty. Otherwise, the peasants are pushed away from their land through forced land sales and renting. The government has devoted special funds to help reorganize rural households into cooperatives. By 2006, rural cooperatives covered 13.8% of the Chinese rural population. Even if much smaller in scale than the communes mentioned above, the income of their members is at least 20-30% higher than peasants who are not involved in any cooperative. The rationale behind the cooperatives is the same as communes – collective savings, higher investment, and shared profit. For example, they can buy vehicles to transport products instead of being totally dependant on middlemen. They can collectively own machinery and purchase goods.

Rural areas in China are facing huge challenges in irrigation. Individual households cannot take care of this system. Allocation of water to each lot of land is a huge problem. In a few rural areas, such as in Jiangxi Province, farmers still collectively run the irrigation system. In most of China, the irrigation system is in bad shape. This is why the central government is planning to spend 620 billion dollars in the next ten years on irrigation, since it has to pay for everything. This is why collective management and maintenance of irrigation is the only long-term approach to sustainable growth of agricultural production (Li Changping). Since the People’s daily has articles on these subjects, it shows growing awareness in China about these alternatives approaches.

The Chinese student says in her closing remarks. The prospect of the rural cooperatives is yet to be confirmed by future developments. Nevertheless, it is increasingly clear that a system where everyone cares about nothing other than one’s self interest does not truly maximize the welfare of individuals.
Yvon Poirier
News about Nanjie (in English)
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8278128.stm

Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/

Message from the Editorial team
The production of this Newsletter published in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese is entirely done by volunteers.
We wish to thank the following volunteers for their support:
Michel Colin (Brazil)
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland)
Évéline Poirier (Canada)
Brunilda Rafael (France)
We also want to thank the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of Seikatsu Club in Japan for the translation to Japanese.

To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #80
July 1st 2010
Summary

Objectives of the RIO+20 Summit

Message from the Editorial Team

The 1992 Rio Summit can be credited with putting environmental concerns and principles of sustainable development on the agenda of global policy issues. The representatives of the socio-economic world, states and civil society have been obliged to confront reality: how to transform the production model and consumption to ensure a viable future for both humanity and the biosphere. Twenty years later, we have come to the realization that resources are limited, and we know that the classical solutions of economic recovery will be powerless to solve problems. Globally, the situation has worsened: there is more enduring poverty, and extreme poverty is increasing in less developed countries. Food dependency has risen, social and economic inequalities are more marked. There is a loss of biodiversity, unsustainable pressures on ecosystems, accelerating climate change and global warming.
The question is whether we are now able to break away from the political schizophrenia, with one side promoting fair and sustainable green solutions, and the other demanding strategies and actions that are clearly heading in the opposite direction, in the name of competitiveness and free trade. The real challenge of RIO + 20 will be to redefine the debate on the basis of these realities. The event is scheduled to take place in Brazil, June 4th – 6th 2012. It will indeed be difficult to achieve a political determination to reach consensus. If we, as society, allow ourselves to become trapped in the cacophony of partial or biased views or expert solutions that have no democratic basis, if we do not bring concrete systemic proposals to the negotiation table, who will do so? As we wrote in the Newsletter #78 (May 2011), we believe that alternative approaches are more realistic than the irresponsibility that currently prevails at the top, and that has generated the current crisis. The urgent outcry of "freedom" by people to abolish autocratic and self-proclaimed regimes and the indignation of the world's youth whose future is at stake, are good reasons not to despair. The new generation is taking its place, and asking how it can transform the unacceptable into hope.

This issue of our Newsletter is devoted to initiatives involved in the framework of preparation for the Earth Summit. Until June 2012, we plan to relay those specific dynamics that assert citizens’ participation as a viable political choice. Active participation of communities is an essential aspect if we are to successfully change course. People need to solve the issues that concern them. The global and the local cannot be separated.

RIPESS International will contribute to the intercontinental exchange: The FBES (Brazilian Forum of Solidarity Economy) is actively involved in the umbrella organization of Brazilian NGOs and social movements that is leading the preparation of a People's Summit to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro from June 4th – 6th 2012. It is a call to join and contribute to "Reinvent the world."

The next issue will be published on September 1st

We are pleased to inform you that our newsletter is now available in Japanese. It is translated by Yuko Wada of the Policy Research Institute for the Civil Sector (PRICS) of the Seikatsu Club Co-operative Union of Japan. The latest available issue is number 78. It is available on request.

Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut


The Objectives of the RIO+20 Summit
According to the UN resolution A/RES/64/236 - the Conference has three objectives: to obtain a renewed political commitment for sustainable development, evaluate progress and difficulties in the implementation of desired outcomes, and meet new and emerging challenges. The Conference will have two official themes: 1) green economy in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable development and, 2) the institutional framework for sustainable development. It is clear that we need to go further than this.
The green economy, a new oxymoron, does not guarantee the fundamental principle of sustainability or the commitment to fight consumerism, individualism or short-termism. The concept does not fit with democracy, the fourth component added to the Curitiba Charter in 1992 to the 3 others (economic, ecological and social). It remains a very weak link, used to launch the implementation of Agenda 21. A critical and constructive assessment at international level would be of great interest to all.
The institutional framework, the principle of national sovereignty and the right to compete for economic activities are inappropriate or contrary to the implementation of the principles of higher interest. We hope to advance this idea by promoting binding agreements.
Finally, how can we establish legitimate authority in a world where interactions are enmeshed? What is our individual responsibility in terms of economy, society, culture and nature? How can we link these major areas with one another and to our own lives?

The unprecedented context requires us to invent new answers.

The creation of the French RIO + 20 Collective

In late 2010, a small group of organizations led by the 4D Association began the initiative of involving as many actors as possible in the transition towards a new state of the world in the twenty-first century. It now brings together many different civil society actors as well as trade unions. It has two objectives:
 Consider possible change and make concrete proposals in 5 working groups. Each group will produce a 10-page discussion paper, highlighting both disagreement and consensus. This will then feed into proposals for formal negotiations aimed at stimulating debate and public discussion.
 Prepare to mobilize by examining events in France from an international perspective, working jointly with our international partners on other continents to input content that is relevant to the general public, as well as on projects that create change and a shift to a different paradigm, that support the transition, and advocate the need for international solidarity.

Since March 2011, the Europeans P'ACTS have joined the Work Group on the green economy.
Their involvement on this subject has enabled the collective to put forward its views to:

1. The French RIO + 20 Collective to illustrate ideas through examples and declarations and to propose Rebuilding the Economy on a territorial basis. :
"Territories perform core functions in the coordination of relations between actors and between different levels and scales in society; they also allow people to invent answers to key issues in the real economy and invent ways for “how to live together”. Territories must therefore be recognized as social and economic actors in their own right.

Organised answers to issues of employment, food, sustainable local development, culture, funding, local services, transportation, and citizenship all exist at territorial level.... These projects already act as a lever for the local economy. The organisations involved have various legal statuses, both for profit and non-profit making; they all reject and work outside the existing economic system that is solely aimed at profit making. They also produce and reinvest profits and create territorial social capital”.

2. The European debate: Priscila Soares, Project Coordinator at In LOCO Association (Algarve, Portugal), a member of P'ACTS, participated in the «Public Consultation on the EU position for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development»

Two proposals she made are of particular interest:

The place of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in the transition:
“The Global Compact Initiative mainly involves big corporations (…), but it would be much needed to mobilize the Small and Medium Enterprises too. Nor UN neither one of its bodies can reach them directly but it is possible to approach, to promote and to encourage experiences and movements all over the world that count on the involvement of SME in local and regional processes oriented towards sustainable development and participatory democracy. This option will open to the understanding of how SME serve the communities and territories they are associated with and how they are interconnected with other actors also implied in the same experiences and movements.”

The second is how P’ACTS targets a specific European level:
“The European Union needs to be a more coherent reality – in political, social and economic terms – in order to play a key role at the Summit. Without an intrinsic change in that direction UE will lose the capacity to furnish new ideas and the credibility to mobilize citizens, civil society organizations or states around them. How can Europe ensure a generous financial support for governance and capacity building if there is no common European position in relation to the financing of UN and its bodies?
EU can and should mobilize the European civil society for a deep engagement in the preparation of the Summit, in the event and in the subsequent dynamics.
Following its tradition EU can and should propose and promote a large and deep participation of civil society in the process of achieving Sustainable Development at European, national, regional and local levels. By doing so Europe will pursue this main goal within its territory and will provide examples and models of governance that can be useful and inspiring at international level.
In parallel EU can promote the integration of sustainability responsibilities into corporate social responsibility, improving and enlarging its conceptual and for-action framework.
Equally important it would be to integrate the European Sustainable Development Strategy in the European Strategy 2020, overcoming a fragmented and sectoral approach to sustainable development.
On the other side, it seems clearly necessary to strengthen UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) but the possibility of creating a World Environmental Organisation has to be pondered in order to avoid multiplying the UN bodies without assuring the transversal coordination among them?”

3- The roadmap for the European Network of Social and Solidarity Economy that plans to hold its Foundation Congress in Barcelona, September 9th and 10th 2011. P’ACTS will jointly be leading a work group with the Catalonia Solidarity Economy Network « Xarxa d'economia solidària » (XES) on SSE, territorial development, and food sovereignty: what convergence can we jointly build?
In French: http://wiki.ripesseu.net/index.php/Groupe_de_travail_3

4- Share useful information through the international Newsletter

Information on civil society mobilisation :
Article 21 of Resolution 64/236 of March 2010: « …Commits all major groups to active participation in the preparatory activities at all stages ». A stakeholder Forum will take place beforehand to promote the participation of civil society organisations with links to the UN. It is worth bearing in mind that the UN considers NGOs, trade unions, companies, Local Authorities, scientific communities, women, youth, farmers, indigenous peoples as these major civil society groups.
http://www.earthsummit2012.org

Existing mobilisation:

The facilitation Committee of Brazilian civil society was founded on 3rd November 2010 at the instigation of Brazilian environmental and social organisations and Brazilian social movements. It is called « The Peoples’ Summit » and is characterised by « its independence. It aims to combine plurality with the possibility to dialogue with official bodies and other dynamic sectors ».
http://www.ong-ngo.org/IMG/pdf/CALL_FOR_CSFC_RIO20_final.pdf
http://vitaecivilis.org/rio2012/images/stories/pub/Venez_reinventer_le_monde_a_Rio.pdf

The Peoples’ Summit has essentially been initiated and supported by IBASE. (Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas) (in Portuguese) http://www.ibase.br/
The Foundation for the Progress of Humankind is devoting its resources and those of several of their partners’ to the preparation of the Peoples’ Summit. The following website has been created to « provide an overall vision of international mobilisation. »
www.rio20.net in 4 languages

Martine Theveniaut

For more information (in French and partially in English)
www.association4d.org/
www.affinitiz.net/space/rio2012 a space to facilitate exchanges between members of the RIO+20 Collective
The following are available in English and Portuguese:
Calendar of events concerning Rio-2012
http://collectif-france.rio20.net/files/2011/06/Agenda_RIO_20_2011_2012.pdf
UNEP Green Economy report: http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy



Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
http://local-development.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/

Special thanks to:
Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese translation
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for the English translation
Judith Hitchman for the final revision of the English version.

To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #79 – June 1st, 2011
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Summary

Barcelona Consensus Declaration 1.0
Announcement: RIPESS Info #18


Editorial Message

After more than ten years, the World Social Forum has helped civil society to develop many networks that have now become internationally recognised. But the vocation of the Forum has never been action-oriented : it is a place for exchange and networking. This has, over the years led to some understandable frustration for those networks that want to reach beyond mere discussion, and the resulting creation of some networks that reach beyond the World Social Forum, even though many of the participants are also active within the WSF process. This is the case of the Via Campesina and the Assembly of Social Movements that brings together many different networks.
In this issue we would like to share one of the initiatives led by movements that, although in many cases involved in the WSF process, have decided to come together with others to create an action called The Barcelona Consensus. Given the number of organisations, it would be unfair to name some and not others. All the names of the people and structures that have participated to date are listed on-line in the annex of the declaration at www.barcelonaconsensus.org
The Barcelona Consensus is a process that began in 2008, under the guidance of Marti Olivella of Nova in Barcelona, Catalonia. The initiative is born from the desire to act and build sustainable alternatives. 250 thinkers and leaders of social movements from around the world have contributed to developing shared objectives.
As of May 3rd, when the Barcelona Consensus was officially launched, any organisation may sign up to the Barcelona Consensus, and choose which of the 67 objectives they wish to implement as a Transition Plan. This is a concrete way of making other worlds possible, and making sure that the actions and alternatives are firmly rooted in sustainable local development, that are the core preoccupation of our Newsletter. Judith had the privilege of taking part in the Consensus meeting in Barcelona, as usual in the role of interpreter. She felt that the Declaration would interest all our readers. It is a truly global approach to linking up actions that can contribute to sustainable change.
The public ceremony to launch to Declaration was a truly multicultural event. As well as the four « official » languages interpreted by the team of volunteers (Catalan, Spanish, English and French), those delegates who took part in the ceremony also read part of the text in their native tongues : Kiswahili, Bambara, Chinese, Kikuyu, Hindi, Lithuanian, Philipino, Burmese and Togolais… !. Enabling people to express themselves in their own language is a powerful indication of the intentions of the Barcelona Consensus to act at grass-roots level.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut

Barcelona Consensus Declaration 1.0
Committing to a Sustainable and People-centred World for All


People deserve a decent life, simply because they are human

The current global situation is unacceptable: it is structurally violent, unjust and unsustainable. We are living through one of the most decisive periods in the history of humankind, both in terms of gravity and scope. A crisis of consciousness and responsibility underlies our current predicament. Most current leaders have shown neither the ability nor the willingness to radically renew the existing economic or decision-making structures. Nor have they adopted the values needed to drive a transformation.
We live not in a time of change, but a change of times. Citizens and communities can and must respond to this multiple crisis, which threatens to engulf us all. We acknowledge innovative social political and economic practices; we witness the awakening of peoples; and uphold the sovereignty of all persons to choose their own destiny.
In order to re-build a sustainable and people-centred world for all, we must ensure that each and every person has access to adequate resources for the sustainable and equitable satisfaction of their basic needs.
We propose a new social, political and economic contract, promoted by people and communities, engaging with institutions, governments and business from different territories to build an alternative to the Washington Consensus.
The progressively implemented proposals of the Barcelona Consensus and related actions will enable us to achieve a gradual transition from a culture of constraints, domination, violence and war, to one of dialogue, conciliation, partnership and peace. We shall move from a culture of force to a culture of words, facilitated by remote electronic participation and innovative policies being pursued by some countries.
The new social contract, represented by the Barcelona Consensus, is an urgent call to reorganise our societies and to rearticulate our presence on Earth. In practical terms we propose the collective creation of Transition Plans , as ways to implement robust nonviolent processes. These shall have clear goals, methods and timelines for execution.
We call on all people in all communities to freely and deliberately commit to implementing a Transition Plan in their respective territories and fields of action (neighbourhood, town, city, sector, organisation, etc.). Summoning the imagination of everyone everywhere, together we can create a sustainable and people-centred future for all.
These plans will enable all groups to select shared goals to implement the following transitions:



1. Transition to a participatory and deliberative democracy in order to:
• Involve society in the selection of political policies for resource management and equitable distribution.
• Avoid weak or poor implementation of laws and strengthen the legitimacy of the rule of law.
• Guarantee social, health and education services and the protection of the common good of the entire population.
• Eliminate corruption and improve public management, prioritising participatory budgets; introduce information and public administration systems that guarantee the right to access information; transparency and accountability of governments.
• Facilitate the participation of vulnerable groups, first of all, women, in collective decision-making, promoting democratic practices and organisations, with effective representation, parity of men and women, in all fields.

2. Transition to environmental sustainability in order to:
• Revive a vision of human life as interdependent, intrinsically linked to living beings, nature, sun, air, water and Earth.
• Generate a new sustainable lifestyle, responsible consumption and the use of renewable energies, and progressively reduce fossil fuels and nuclear energy.
• Promote models for the regeneration and decentralisation of human settlements.
• Establish and apply stricter national and global tax policies for sustainability, introducing ecological taxes, penalties and ecologic and social incentives.
• Protect the rights of present and future generations and extend the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court to environmental and economic crimes.

3. Transition to a social, equitable and sustainable economy in order to:
• Drastically revise the economic system and lifestyle, and replace misleading economic indicators.
• Stop land grabbing and the seizing of natural resources, as well as the concentration of wealth, property and power, applying the principle of “Those who have more or earn more, contribute more.”
• Guarantee the right to dignified work , to a basic income and a decent living as this is a human right.
• Abandon the “development aid” policies that have become a way of exploiting people and resources, and establish global cooperation and exchange systems based on solidarity.
• Replace unrestricted competition with cooperation and self-management and promote the “relocalization” of production and services.
4. Transition to a non-speculative financial system in order to:
• Prosecute speculative financial activities, tax financial transactions and effectively abolish tax havens.
• Limit public indebtedness to the financial system, and recover financial sovereignty with public, social and transparent authority for monetary creation.
• Prevent money from being a means of profit and money for its own sake, and introduce alternative and transparent monetary systems under social and public control.
• Free people from slavery to servicing a public foreign debt, through renegotiation, debt relief or unilateral cancellation.
• Prevent banks from supporting businesses and projects that are hazardous for life and the planet and favour ethical financing.

5. Transition to a society of shared knowledge and democratic communication in order to:
• Consider and evaluate knowledge and the capacity to generate it, as well as to share it, as a common heritage of humanity.
• Prevent control of intellectual resources, the media and communication systems by large multinational corporations and/or political parties and support media by the people and for the people.
• Prevent the manipulation of the emerging information and communication society, giving access and control to all.
• Promote more open models of multidisciplinary scientific research and exchange of knowledge.
• Prioritise the right to health and life, and the right of all people to receive adequate healthcare and medical treatment, as opposed to paying royalties on medical patents.

6. Transition to a world beyond war and violence in order to:
• Move towards a more peaceful world, and oppose the structural causes of war and violence.
• Promote peaceful co-existence, tolerance and respect for sexual, religious, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, and to oppose patriarchy, femicide, caste segregation and racial prejudice.
• Advance disarmament, particularly through the prohibition of all weapons of mass destruction.
• Eliminate structural impunity for trafficking of human beings, organs, weapons, drugs, and money-laundering.
• Reinforce the right of peoples and communities to resist injustice.



7. Transition to a democratic world governance, in order to:
• Prevent plutocracy – the power of money, and progress towards an inclusive democratic world governance system based on the interests of people not of countries, including a reformed United Nations System.
• Guarantee global security and coordinated action aimed at reducing the impact of catastrophes caused by humans or nature.
• Ensure that the norms and entities of international regulation act in the public interest, in accordance with the new social and human objectives of “buen vivir” and are respectful towards the environment.
• Protect the human rights of migrants and progressively open migratory flows, working towards the free movement of persons.
• Escape from the global financial disarray caused by speculators and the International Financial Institutions, and create a new financial system and global reserve currency.
As we move forward with these transitions, we pledge to take urgent actions for survival, in order to:
• Eradicate hunger and malnutrition locally and globally, and provide clean drinking water and adequate sanitation.
• Confront the damage caused by “development” and climate change in impoverished countries.
• Avoid having recourse to armed interventions and wars, even if they are pursued in the name of “democracy”.
The financing of the proposed shared objectives can be obtained through savings made on the cost to society of weapons, corruption, tax havens and illegal trafficking, and through increasing resources thanks to social funding and public monetary creation, as well as the taxing of financial transactions and unsustainable activities and introducing a wealth tax.
And as people or groups in transition, we commit ourselves to exercising our rights as citizens not to cooperate with, collaborate with, buy from, serve or obey organisations or institutions that prevent or hinder the transition.
People and groups thereby take responsibility for choosing their own objectives and carry out their own transition strategies , sharing their proposals, actions and results with the community formed around this declaration.
All organisations may also commit to annually proposing and implementing initiatives for agreed Actions for a Common Transformation (ACT!) .

To this end

WE PLEDGE OUR SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT TO TAKE PART IN, DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT TRANSITION PLANS FOR A SUSTAINABLE PEOPLE-CENTRED WORLD FOR ALL

Barcelona, 3rd May 2011
www.barcelonaconsensus.org

Announcement: RIPESS Info #18

The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) has recently published RIPESS Info #18.

Available in French, English and Spanish at :
http://www.chantier.qc.ca/?module=document&uid=1034


Our Newsletters are available online:
http://developpementlocal.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/

Our thanks to:
Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese translation
Judith Hitchman (France / Ireland) for the English translation
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for proof reading (FR-EN)

Contact (for information, to subscribe or unsubscribe)
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #78 – May 1st, 2011
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Summary

RIPESS - Press Release
FIESS – Programme and registration

Editorial Message

The Board meeting of RIPESS national that was held in Paris from March 28th – 31st is the basis of the main news item for the 78th number of our Newsletter. This was the first time since 2009 that almost all the Board members had been able to get together for long enough to have time to become familiar with each others’ activities and discuss fundamental questions and stakes. This was all possible thanks to the invitation extended by the FPH (Fondation pour le Progrès de l’Homme) in the context of their partnership with the RIPESS coordination; Nancy Neamtan of the Chantier de l’Economie Sociale du Québec currently takes rsponsibility for duties of the secretariat.. It flags an important moment that marks both the conclusion and a fresh starting point for the solidarity economy movement as a whole. Key issues were ironed out, ensuring that values are genuinely shared. There was agreement on the roadmap for the collective project of the next two years; it will be carried forward by a truly international team, grounded in concrete practice and implemented at intercontinental level. A work procedure and timeline were built around an international citizens’ agenda. The first stages are included in the Press Release published on April 6th. We have included it in this issue.
For all three of us, this was a particularly satisfying moment, as our ongoing involvement enabled us to participate in the non-official business of the Board’s exchange. It is also very encouraging, and helps inspire us to continue our work of sharing information on community and local initiatives, as well as events in the networks we are in contact with at global level. There is a clear commitment to mutualisation and proving what works by illustrating through existing examples, as well as organising new forms and levels of solidarity. The approach includes a clearer perspective of how to link the global to the local, and to reconstruct an economy that is grounded in our respective local territories. And far from being a contradiction, the global dimension is present in the local. This is all very concrete; it is still however very complex to gain acceptance for democratic complementarities and cooperation in terms of local practice, general organisation, regulation and behaviour... It involves huge challenges to achieve a peaceful shift to new development perspectives, to reduce inequalities, stop the destruction of natural resources, move away from nuclear energy and gain acceptance for the idea of transforming the dominant growth model that is not a viable one. How can we manage to move forward from the current situation to a planet that will be viable for us all to share?
Two requests that were made during the meeting focus on the alternative dimension that solidarity economy has already considered in recent decades. Members of RIPESS whose countries are in Regions that are currently witnessing popular uprisings against dictatorships wonder how they can help the democratic culture of their societies to develop. Our networks have accumulated collective learning experiences, but we have yet to invent ways and means for supporting transfers of this scale; it is a real challenge for citizenship and global peace. Our Japanese friends have also sent us an appeal. They are coping with the consequences of a situation that is not of their making: they have requested we revive discussion on the nuclear issue, as nuclear disasters are destructive of all the most fundamental aspects of life. For aid to be effective, local solidarity is the first essential step; but medium and long term perspectives for developing the kind of world we want for future generations, means reopening discussion on these issues. If we fail to discuss the kind of future we want, how can we achieve a strong enough consensus to stay the course? And given our experience and outcomes we have already achieved, if we don’t take up these issues, who else will do so?
Our Newsletter hopes to contribute to these perspectives through its ongoing editorial line: independent, bottom-up, our modest voluntary contribution to a commitment to share concrete examples and collective convergence that will help us all become more influential and develop our ability to speak up. We remain convinced that alternative approaches are a more realistic option today, that they are more desirable than the current irresponsibility, accelerated by its own impetus, and that reigns at the highest levels and is driving us all towards destruction. We have always attached great importance since we started publishing our Newsletter, to building solidarity that reaches across cultural and linguistic divides. That is why we publish in four languages, because there is still far too little exchange of knowledge and too few horizontal relationships between local inhabitants wherever they happen to live, with those in other countries, who speak other languages, at different levels of society, with those who are also trying to build and gain recognition for new forms of solidarity, aimed at changing our current model of society.
So we would like to call on all of you, as subscribers to this Newsletter, to express your opinion on the usefulness, the subjects and content, as well as sending us your ideas for increasing and multiplying the impacts...so that we can all join in helping these objectives to develop in the current difficult times. And publish more of your stories in the various parts of the world.
Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut


Participants at the RIPESS meeting in Paris

Seated: Jean-François Aubin (Canada), Françoise Wautiez (France), Emily Kawano (United States), Judith Hitchman (Ireland), Martine Theveniaut (France)¸Alejandra Garcia Paton (France), Nancy Neamtan (Canada), Yves Tixier (France) Standing: Madani Koumaré (Mali), Ana Leighton (Chile), Christine Gent (United Kingdom), Noureddine El Harrak (Morocco), Daniel Tygel (Brazil), Ben Quiñones (Philippines), Carlos Amorìn (Uruguay), Éric Lavillunière (Luxemburg). Denison Jayasooria (Malaysia), William Elie (France), Yvon Poirier (Canada), Sunil Chitrakar (Nepal)



RIPESS - Press release

April 6th, 2011
From March 28 to 31, in Paris, the Board of Directors of RIPESS (Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy) met and took note of the significant advances of the social and solidarity economy movement in all the continents... During the meeting, the Board confirmed its determination to pursue and reinforce the promotion of the social and solidarity economy as an answer to the crisis facing our countries.

RIPESS, a network based on the dynamics of five continental networks, brings together thousands of social and solidarity organisations and enterprises... During the four day meeting, the Board reiterated its belief that, more than ever, the social and solidarity economy (SSE) is a necessary alternative to the dominant development model which continues to generate poverty and exclusion and has lead the world into a deep environmental crisis..

Information sharing permitted the Board to observe that continental networks are consolidating themselves in Africa, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, Asia and North America. The Board adopted a strategy to facilitate communications and pursue the work to build strong continental networks.

Representatives from different continents brought to the Board’s attention situations which require both immediate support and a long term reflection... The mass movements in Arabic countries raise the question of the path and the economic strategies necessary to respond to the aspirations expressed by these popular uprising. Beyond the immediate and concrete solidarity that we must express to our Japanese brothers and sisters, how must we respond to the questions about our development model that this nuclear crisis has raised? Finally, the current repression against the popular movement in Honduras reminds us that the development of a social and solidarity economy must go hand in hand with the respect of human rights and the exercise of democracy.

In the next months, the RIPESS Board agreed to profit from several international events to continue its work of promotion, collaboration and proposition of the social and solidarity economy. The first event will be the International Forum on the social and solidarity economy (FIESS), which will take place in Montreal, Canada, October 17th to 20th 2011. This forum will bring together representatives of governments and civil society, to reflect on the policies needed to support the development of the social and solidarity economy... The Asian Solidarity Economy Forum (ASEF), which will take place in November 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, will allow representatives from several Asian countries to give themselves a common strategy for the development of the social and solidarity economy in Asia. In 2012, it will be in Tunisia where the African network will meet to consolidate a SSE rooted in Africa’s realities... Finally, in response to an the invitation from RIPESS Latin-America and Caribbean (RIPESS-LAC), RIPESS agreed to meet again in RIO, during the RIO+20 event, to reinforce the contribution of social and solidarity economy to a larger movement for a more human, more sustainable and more equitable development model.

In conclusion, the RIPESS meeting in Paris underlined the fact that, in spite of different realities, social and solidarity economy actors around the world share a common vision and values. They are determined to continue to deepen their exchanges in order to better articulate and above all build a social and solidarity economy which places people and the future of our planet at the centre of its concerns.

For more information:

Maude Brossard
Chantier de l’économie sociale-Canada-Amérique du Nord
info@ripess.org



FIESS – Program and Registration

Dear colleagues, collaborators, partners and friends,
We are extremely pleased and enthusiastic to announce that the Program of the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy (FIESS) is now available online, and the Registration is now open.
All registration to the event, which will take place in Montreal from the 17th to the 20th October 2011, will be done online at www.fiess2011.orgWhen registering, you will also be able to reserve a hotel room for your stay and enrol in other activities organized around the FIESS, in particular field trips to visit local social economy organisations.
On the website, you will also fin detailed information on the activities and presentations that will take place during the FIESS, practical information on Montreal and the Palais des Congrès where the event will be held, and a FAQ section to answer any other eventual questions you may have.
We look forward to seeing you in great numbers this October!
Le Chantier de l’économie sociale
forum.international2011@chantier.qc.ca



Our Newsletters are available online:
http://developpementlocal.blogspot.com/
www.apreis.org/

Our thanks to:
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland) for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese translation
Judith Hitchman (France / Ireland) for the English translation
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for proof reading (FR-EN)

Contact (for information, to subscribe or unsubscribe)
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #77 – April 1st, 2011
Summary
Message from the Editorial Team
Towards shared social responsibilities: A draft European Charter
Earth Summit - RIO+20 –2012

Message from the Editorial Team

The catastrophe that has occurred in Japan, the earthquake, tsunami and risks of nuclear contamination have deeply saddened us all. All three of us have had the opportunity of visiting Japanese organisations working towards a more human kind of development, particularly in the field of healthy food. So we would like to address a special thought to our friends involved in the Teikei system (community supported agriculture) as well as the Seikatsu Club (a consumers’ food co-operative). We wish them strength and courage.

Martine shares information on a very interesting European initiative, that of the idea of a European Charter of Social responsibilities. This is the kind of approach and particularly of the concrete implementation of new regulations that are grounded in human values, applicable at local, regional, national and international as well as European levels, as well as to all the inhabitants of our planet, one that will allow us to work towards a more just and equitable world for all people.

Although at first sight the second article is dedicated to what appears to be a very different theme, the «Earth Summit» that is scheduled to take place 20 years after the first one, held in Rio, it deals with the same fundamental issues. Both address the fundamental question of «living together» on our planet, a planet that is increasingly threatened.
The Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut

Towards shared social responsibilities: A draft European Charter

On February 28th and March 1st, over 400 people from 40 countries took part in the workshops and a conference in Brussels, to examine the draft of a « European Charter of shared social responsibilities ». It was instigated by the Council of Europe, and more specifically by Gilda Farrell, Head of the Division for Research and Development of the Directorate General for Social Cohesion. This meeting was held under the joint auspices of the European Union and the Council of Europe, aimed at fully including social cohesion as a European objective for Europe as a whole, and not just limited to the 27 member States of the European community. It is also aimed at the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe; a certain number of these countries took part in the two-day programme. Shared social responsibility requires achieving a broad consensus in order to move forward, and achieve the concrete implementation of fundamental rights and the protection of common goods – both material and immaterial – as a source of fulfilment for present generations and a heritage for generations to come. Including the aspect of interdependency of actors and citizens is perceived as a requisite for the success of the project.

All too often citizens and their organisations are still considered as « weak actors » in the decision-making process. What are the mutual commitments do we need to develop to face today’s challenges and live together respecting our diversity and guaranteeing that there is a state of law, and a genuinely democratic society? This is a key question at present, as far as the borders in the South of Europe are concerned, as well as the increasingly frequent way in which the most vulnerable of our fellow European citizens are treated.

An inspiring text aimed at concrete realisation of the guiding principles

The draft project is ultimately aimed at becoming a «recommendation», to be validated by the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe. The participants felt it was very inspiring for the following reasons:
- The clarity of the appreciation it makes concerning the «growing gap between the formal recognition and the application of the principles of justice, which undermines confidence in the possibility of improving living conditions, especially for the least advantaged, and fuels feelings of insecurity in the face of these changes».
The broad scope of this text in terms of: principles as well as and perhaps especially:
The perspective of realisation that is applied to the definitions, the objectives, the policies and initiatives that it implies. The members of the ad hoc group that produced this work have hedged their bets that the implementation of shared responsibilities will «be capable of building a future climate of trust and developing social and moral resources to help the people of Europe to jointly work for the well-being of all, for social cohesion and sustainable development».
Both speakers and participants expressed the opinion that the European dimension should not stop the question from being considered at global level, where Europe has certain responsibilities it should assume. The first of these is to work on its ecological footprint in the countries of the South! There was an expression of interest that this text would be written in such a way as to allow the so-called «weak» actors be able to use it for collective construction, for legitimising their action. Reinforcing the text would be a step towards a progressive move from moral to a more binding commitment.
This all bodes well for future work, and our hopes of jointly changing things.
Martine Theveniaut
EN: http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/socialpolicies/socialcohesiondev/Conference2011_en.asp
FR: http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/socialpolicies/socialcohesiondev/conference2011_FR.asp
Earth Summit - RIO+20 –2012
Twenty years after the historical summit of 1992, RIO 2012 will take place June 4th-6th next year in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. This conference will be organised by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.
In January 2011 there was an initial meeting of the preparatory working group at the UN headquarters in New York.
The following extract of the conclusions of this meeting are of interest to us all.
« Almost all agreed that we need to be thinking in terms of bottom-up approaches to a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, defined by national and local priorities and through national and local stakeholder processes.
Many countries raised concerns and questions about a green economy, which will need to be answered if we are to find a way forward towards an agreed outcome on this theme at Rio 2012. A few of the areas of concern include the relationship between:
(i) green economy and poverty eradication,
(ii) green economy and employment,
(iii) green economy and trade,
(iv) green economy and technology,
(v) green economy and finance.»
here is already much preparatory work being done in different countries and many working groups are already up and running. International NGOs have come together via the « Earth Summit 2012 » initiative.
Yvon Poirier
Official site is in English only. This site has only been on-line since the 23rd of February. Other languages are expected soon.
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/
NGO site (in English)
http://www.earthsummit2012.org
NGO site (in English)
http://www.earthsummit2012.org/

Our Newsletters are available online:
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Our thanks to:
Brunilda Rafael (France) for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese translation
Judith Hitchman (France / Ireland) for the English translation
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for proof reading (FR-EN)

Contact (for information, to subscribe or unsubscribe)
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development
Newsletter #76
March 1st 2011

Summary

Message from the Editorial Team

The Social Forum movement in Africa

The Human Economy
Nyéléni Bulletin

The ILO (International Labour Organization) Social and Solidarity Economy Academy


Message from the Editorial Team

Judith is back from the World Social Forum, which was held in Dakar from February 6th to 11th. She shares her impressions with us.
For our readers who understand English, we would like to recommend a book, The Human Economy, edited by Keith Hart, Jean-Louis Laville and Antonio Cattani. The editors have assembled a citizen's guide to the building of a human economy. This book for English readers is a major effort to share the state of global knowledge, particularly the reflection and analysis of works written in French, as well as Spanish and Portuguese. It does not cover Asia, which will be described in future works.
Many concepts explored in this book are familiar, like solidarity economy and local development, fair trade, microfinance and local currencies. Other essays analyze elements such as the current state of globalization and alter globalization. It also deals with very relevant concepts such as social capital or common resources.
Essentially, this book is a successful attempt to collect and present a fairly complete set of concepts relevant to understanding the challenges facing the planet, from the global to local level, as well as the range of people-centred initiatives. In this sense, it is a work of reference and training tool.

As is the case with our newsletter, we find it extremely important to allow for the exchange of knowledge across languages and cultures. In this sense, the book's editors, as well as the diverse essays from various continents fill important gaps particularly in the English-speaking world.

In this issue, we also wish to share different information, including upcoming events.

Editorial Team
Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut

The Social Forum movement in Africa

The 2011 edition of the World Social Forum was held at the Cheik Anta Diop University in Dakar, the capital of Senegal from February 6th -11th. In the ten-year history of the WSF, it was the third time the Forum came back to Africa, following the polycentric WSF in Bamako in 2006, and that of Nairobi in 2007. Most people living outside Africa are not aware of the depth and vibrant nature of the social forum process and growing strength social movements throughout the continent, with the many national, regional and thematic fora that have also taken place there in recent years.

Africa is the continent that is probably suffering most severely from the combined effects of the neo-liberal crisis of our civilisation. The impacts of migration, climate change, land- and common goods-grabbing are widely felt by a broad cross-section of the communities. There has long been a chronic lack of adequate investment in infrastructure and basic public services in all African countries, although there are considerable variations from one country to another. The traditional informal economic model does not generate tax, and the imposed neo-colonialist exploitation of resources by multinationals pays little into the coffers of the States. These combined factors have resulted in the destruction of the traditional solidarity-based society, massive threats to peasant agriculture and commonage, insufficient education and healthcare systems and megalopoles that are lacking in basic services… In Senegal alone, the State can only cover 70% of the needs in electrical power at any one moment, so power cuts are a daily occurrence, frequently lasting for as much as 48 hours. Basic food costs are also rising at an alarming rate, as a result of Economic Partnership Agreements that favour the importing of cheap surplus production rather than encouraging food sovereignty and local production and processing. Remittances from migrants living abroad, a mainstay of many African families, and a key source of income throughout African society, have fallen sharply as those living abroad suffer increasingly from unemployment. It is therefore not surprising that there is increasing unrest and riots and that civil society is organised in strong local networks.

Strong grassroots mobilisation

It is against this background that caravans from all over North, West and Central Africa converged for the Forum. At the opening march, there were an estimated 70,000 participants. The Forum itself probably brought together over twice that number (an estimated 75,000 people participated). No exact figure is possible, as it was a truly open space, with no gate controls and a far greater grass-roots participation than any previous edition. This mobilisation in a country like Senegal (total population 13 million, 3 million living in Dakar), is in itself a significant dimension. There were 10,000 registered participants from countries of the North. Students, local inhabitants groups, small-scale farmers, migrants’ associations, trade unionists and members of other social movements made up the vast majority of participants, all mingling in the chaos of the Forum. Fewer intellectuals, far more local mobilisation than ever before. A significant sign of the times.

The Forum was held at the same time as historic events were sweeping through countries a little further north: the fall of dictatorships and revolutions, first in Tunisia, then in Egypt provided a meaningful background to the meetings. Mubarak’s decision to stand down coincided with the closing ceremony of the Forum, providing a very special kind of energy. The fact that these uprisings were the result of civil society’s expression of discontent rather than organised by political party based movements, is a key factor of change, and one that resonates with the Social Forum approach to organised civil society.

Unfortunate and unnecessary chaos to the Forum was caused by the newly nominated Rector of the University’s decision not to make the promised rooms available for meetings. This was compounded by the knock-on effect of breakdown of other related logistics (failure to allocate rooms impacts printing a programme, doing effective booth planning for interpretation etc…). Although it was a nightmare for the Local Organising Committee, the participants took it all surprisingly in stride, and made do with much good humour. A crisis management unit worked day and night to solve the most pressing issues (renting tents, allocating existing space…) Nothing was going to stop the mobilisation… Was it prompted by fear of the strength of what organised civil society can represent, or political sabotage? At the end of the day, the result is the same.

Local languages

Language is political. West Africa is probably the region where local languages have best survived colonialism, and in Senegal most people actually speak a local language rather than French. Women, who left school early, often have minimal French. It was very important therefore for Babels to be able to train locals in basic interpretation techniques and to help facilitate interpretation for the three main local languages: Wolof, Bambara, and Poular. The logistical chaos greatly reduced the potential of this contribution, but it was nevertheless important, particularly for the meetings in the women’s tent and for the Via Campesina. Sign language was also used throughout the Forum.

Effective solidarity economy in action

The week prior to the Forum has always provided an opportunity for various groups to meet. Until now, these meetings have always used private sector services for the provision of interpretation and equipment. We successfully used ALIS equipment during this week, (Alternative Interpretation Systems), and Babels provided the interpreting for these prefora as well as for the WSF. The funding (where available) was paid into the WSF account, thereby mutualising the available human, technical and financial means. The events covered were organised by the Science and Democracy Forum, Trade Union's Forum, Habitat International Coalition, International Alliance of Inhabitants, The Forum on Health and Social Security, a seminar on Fair Trade, the Fishing Forum, as well as the Migrants Forum that was held on the island of Gorée (an island off Dakar, historically associated with slave trafficking).

The official restaurant tent catering was well organised by small local women’s groups. This catering used only local products, and directly benefited small-scale farmers and women’s groups.
There was also a convergence Assembly on Solidarity Economy and Fair Trade (the latter was particularly aimed at developing South-South relations). This brought some 100 people together, who came up with a good final declaration. (http://openfsm.net/projects/ecosol/summary)

Conclusion.

African civil society is moving towards a more joined-up movement. The World Social Forum continues to provide a space for developing connections and dialogue across borders and differences. It may not be a space for action per se, but it does provide the basis for developing actions that reach beyond the few days of the Forum. This particular Forum took place at a historic moment for Tunisia and Egypt, and will certainly leave its mark on Africa and indeed global civil society.

Judith A. Hitchman
(Original article in English and French)

The Human Economy
Keith Hart (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Jean-Louis Laville (Conservatoire national des arts et métiers) et Antonio David Cattani (Université fédérale de Rio Grande do Sul)
Published in English only
Polity Press
320 pages, 2010
http://www.polity.co.uk/book.asp?ref=9780745649795

A brief review by Yvon Poirier

The global financial crisis has renewed concern about whether capitalist markets are the best way of organizing economic life. Would it not be better if we were to treat the economy as something made and remade by people themselves, rather than as an impersonal machine? The object of a human economy is the reproduction of human beings and of whatever sustains life in general. Such an economy would express human variety in its local particulars as well as the interests of all humanity.
This project is not a dream but is part of a collective effort that began a decade ago at the first World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and has gathered pace ever since. (1)

It is still necessary to explore the concepts and understand the deep issues we are facing to build a people-centred economy. People in our movements need to understand better what they are doing and the challenges they are facing. This book, published in English, is an effort to share concepts that are sometimes better known in other continents such as South America or in French speaking countries. Two of the editors, Cattani from South America and Laville from France, are well known in their respective cultures. The essays in this book are new, but they are similar to a previous book published in South America. In particular, Dicionario internacional da outra economia by Cattani, Laville and Gaiger.

(1) Description by the editor
For other descriptions or information :
http://www.ecosolux.lu/fileadmin/ripessEU.net/files/files/News/news_15102010_human_econmy_Introduction.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb8jQXRTTHE
http://richmedia.lse.ac.uk/publicLecturesAndEvents/20110127_1830_theHumanEconomy.mp3

Nyéléni Newsletter

The Number 2 of the Nyeleni Newsletter is now available online in three languages: English, Spanish and French!

This edition of the newsletter has a special on factory farming.
The Newsletter is published every two months on the www.nyeleni.org website.

The ILO (International Labour Organization) Social and Solidarity Economy Academy

The second edition of the ILO Social and Solidarity Economy Academy will be held in Montreal (Canada) from October 24th to 28th 2011.

The Academy participants will also have the opportunity to participate in FIESS (International Forum on Social Solidarity Economy) during the week prior to this event.

http://socialeconomy.itcilo.org/en/academy-2011



Our Newsletters are available on the WEB:
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www.apreis.org/

Special thanks to:
Paula Garuz Naval (Ireland) for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin (Brazil) for the Portuguese translation
Évéline Poirier (Canada) for the English translation

To contact us (for information, feedback, to subscribe or unsubscribe):
Yvon Poirier ypoirier@videotron.ca