17 October 2023, Barcelona, Spain – In the Ministerial Declaration emanating from the UfM Ministerial on Employment and Labour (Marrakech, 18 May 2022), the Ministers recognized “social economy, social entrepreneurship and social innovation as a resilient model – as emphasized by the COVID-19 crisis – and a vector for more decent job creation and expansion of economic opportunities, especially for youth and women, leading to a more inclusive economy in the Mediterranean region.” They also stressed the need to “support the recognition and understanding of social economy organizations with the adequate regulatory framework” and to “promote social economy policies and legislation.” This coincides with the acquis of the EU Social Economy Action Plan which provides a European framework until 2030 to further support the development of the Social Economy.
Acting upon the Ministerial Declaration and guided by the essence of the EU Social Economy Action Plan, the UfM is partnering with La Confederación Empresarial Española de Economía Social (CEPES) and with the German Development Cooperation to hold a Social Economy Conference in Barcelona on 17 October 2023 with a focus on Social Economy Entrepreneurship and the Role of Women in Social Economy. The event will be co-sponsored by the European Union.
The Conference will build on previous UfM Workshops and Conferences on Social Economy and bring together a broad spectrum of partners and stakeholders from the Social Economy to exchange insights, experiences, and best practices to address the current opportunities and challenges with respect to unleashing the full potential of social economy entrepreneurship and facilitating the active engagement of women in the Social Economy. Recommendations emanating from the Conference will guide future actions on promoting this Sector in the region.
