Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy

Considering that climate change represents a real threat to the existence of humanity, of living beings and our Mother Earth as we know it today;

Noting the serious danger that exists to islands, coastal areas, glaciers in the Himalayas, the Andes and mountains of the world, poles of the Earth, warm regions like Africa, water sources, populations affected by increasing natural disasters, plants and animals, and ecosystems in general;

Making clear that those most affected by climate change will be the poorest in the world who will see their homes and their sources of survival destroyed, and who will be forced to migrate and seek refuge;Confirming that 75% of historical emissions of greenhouse gases originated in the countries of the North that followed a path of irrational industrialization;

Noting that climate change is a product of the capitalist system;

Regretting the failure of the Copenhagen Conference caused by countries called “developed”, that fail to recognize the climate debt they have with developing countries, future generations and Mother Earth;

Affirming that in order to ensure the full fulfillment of human rights in the twenty-first century, it is necessary to recognize and respect Mother Earth’s rights;

Reaffirming the need to fight for climate justice;

Recognizing the need to take urgent actions to avoid further damage and suffering to humanity, Mother Earth and to restore harmony with nature;

Confident that the peoples of the world, guided by the principles of solidarity, justice and respect for life, will be able to save humanity and Mother Earth, and

Celebrating the International Day of Mother Earth,

The Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia calls on the peoples of the world, social movements and Mother Earth’s defenders, and invites scientists, academics, lawyers and governments that want to work with their citizens to the Peoples’ World Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth’s Rights to be held from 20th to 22nd April 2010 in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

The Peoples’ World Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth’s Rights has as objectives:

1) To analyze the structural and systemic causes that drive climate change and to propose radical measures to ensure the well-being of all humanity in harmony with nature

2) To discuss and agree on the project of a Universal Declaration of Mother Earth Rights

3) To agree on proposals for new commitments to the Kyoto Protocol and projects for a COP Decision under the United Nations Framework for Climate Change that will guide future actions in those countries that are engaged with life during climate change negotiations and in all United Nations scenarios, related to:

Climate debt

- Climate change migrants-refugees

- Emission reductions

- Adaptation

- Technology transfer

- Finance

- Forest and Climate Change

- Shared Vision

- Indigenous Peoples, and

- Others

4) To work on the organization of the Peoples’ World Referendum on Climate Change

5) To analyze and develop an action plan to advance the establishment of a Climate Justice Tribunal

6) To define strategies for action and mobilization to defend life from Climate Change and to defend Mother Earth’s Rights.

Bolivia, January 5th, 2010

Evo Morales Ayma

President of the

Plurinational State of Bolivia

National Microfinance Conference- 2010

17th and 18th March, 2010- Ashok Hotel, New Delhi

This is to update you that frills have been added especially for your participation in the Annual National Micro Finance Conference. The last date for early bird registration (20% discount) has been extended to 28th February 2010. Kindly register at the earliest and ensure you participation for this year’s Conference.

Theme of the Conference

Financial Inclusion has been one of the priority areas for the Government of India in the recent times. Various players, both Government and Non-Government are making unstinting efforts to make Financial Inclusion a reality. Micro Finance sector is making it quantum of contribution to aid the Government’s mission. Micro Finance though not an end in itself towards Financial Inclusion; is certainly has a dominant and conspicuous role to play.

The following eminent people from the stakeholders’ group have confirmed to speak at the conference:

Mr. Salman Khursid, Hon. Minister for Corporate Affairs, Govt. of India

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission

Dr. C P Joshi, Hon Minister for Rural Development

Mr. Kaushik Basu, Chief Economic Advisor, Govt. Of India

Mr. U.C. Sarangi, Chairman, NABARD

Mr. R.M. Malla, Chairman, SIDBI

To give you a glimpse of the Conference, a summation of two sessions with speakers is given below:

CHALLENGES TO MICROFINANCE: ANTICIPATED AND UNFORESEEN

Microfinance does not operate in a vacuum, particularly given its impressive outreach, the variety of actors involved and the high profile of the sector.  This has led to competition, multiple lending, and pricing of the product & reputational risk of the sector. Thus it should come as no surprise that the industry often is the subject of criticism and challenges.  Particularly in the last year the industry received challenges, some baseless and some warranted, that cut to the core of operations.  This session will examine the truth, fiction and motivations behind such challenges, lessons learnt from global experiences and how best to address them today and in the future.

Eminent Speakers:

Mr Kaushik Basu, Chief Economic Advisor, Govt. Of India

Mr. Sanjay Sinha, Managing Director, MCRIL

Ms. Laura  Foose, Coordinator, Social Performance Task Force.

Mr. Chuck Waterfield, CEO & President MF Transparency

Mr. Rakesh Rewari, DMD, SIDBI

Translating Financial Inclusion into Sustainable Livelihoods

Poverty is not a circular trap but a downward spiral. One household held out of poverty must stay out of poverty. It seems, to come out of poverty one initial push is not good enough. The momentum to sustain itself demands various programs and actors/stakeholders to collate and join hands such that the person/household progressively comes out of poverty. Is there a way to integrate National Skill Development Mission and National Rural Livelihood Mission? New linkages need to be sought. Is there a way such that SHGs, NREGA, NRLM and Financial Inclusion agenda work in tandem with each other? The hour demands new thinking.

Eminent Speakers

Dr. C. P. Joshi, Honourable Minister for Rural Development, Government of India

Ms. Amita Sharma, Jt Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt of India

Mr. AL P Fernandez, Chairman, NABARD Financial Services Ltd.

Dr. U. V. Babu, Head- Agrotech & Phytochemistry, The Himalaya Drug Company

Mr. RCM Reddy, Managing Director., IL&FS

In our next update, we will inform you about more speakers and other sessions.

For Additional Information, Please Contact:

Mr. Punit Kr. Singh

Program Executive, Member Development & Support Team

Sa-Dhan

Tel: +91-11-47174400, 9560055661, Extn. 415

With Regards,

Conference Team

Sa-Dhan | The Association of Community Development Finance Institutions

12&13, 2nd Floor, Special Institutional Area, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, New Delhi – 110067.

Tel: +91-11- 47174400 Fax: +91-11-47174405

Website: www.sa-dhan.net

_________________________________

Who cannot be bought;

Whose word is their bond;

Who put character above wealth;

Who possess opinions and a will;

Who are larger than their vocation;

Who do not hesitate to take chances;

Who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;

Who will be as honest in small things as in great things;

Who will make no compromise with wrong;

Whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;

Who will not say they do it “because everybody does it;”

Who are true to their friends through good report and evil

report, in adversity as  well as in prosperity;

Who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning and

hard-headedness are the best qualities for winning

success;

Who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is

unpopular. who can say “no” with emphasis, although the

rest of the world says “yes.”

– Author unknown –

HDRO/UNDP

19 February 2010

2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the Human Development Report. Since 1990 HDRs have shifted development discourse and provided alternative and innovative analysis on subjects ranging from gender and poverty to globalization, climate change and human mobility.

HDRs spark debates to improve people’s lives. What is fundamental to all reports is the concept of putting people first, as first stated in the 1990 report:

“Human development is a process of enlarging people’s choices. The most critical ones are to lead a long and healthy life, to be educated and to enjoy a decent standard of living. Additional choices include political freedom, guaranteed human rights and self-respect …”

2010 offers an opportunity to revisit the approach in light of the experience and knowledge garnered in the past two decades and to ensure its continued relevance.

A key component of every report is the Human Development Index (HDI), which measures people’s well-being by combining measures of health, education and wealth. Since its inception, the HDI has become a prominent global measure of well-being. By offering a comparison of where countries stand in the world, the HDI led the way in moving away from income as the sole measure of development.

The HDI has been the hallmark of the report, and a major factor in its success and ongoing interest. The 20th Anniversary allows consideration of elements to enhance the value of the HDI, and add reforms to the HDRs statistical dashboard to address broader issues surrounding such key dimensions of human development as sustainability, equality and empowerment.

The 20th Anniversary is a time to take stock, reflect and move forward concepts, measures and key debates around human development. The Human Development Report Office (HDRO) is supporting key new research to review and understand human development gains, and challenges, in a world experiencing unprecedented change. A central theme to the 2010 report will be closing the gaps in human development. The 2010 report is expected to generate an agenda for change to significantly advance human development thinking and policies.

The 2010 report will launch around the world this autumn. Research and technical meetings are underway. HDRO invites you to sign up for our regular Let’s Talk HD column and to stay informed about HDR-related developments and research, such as the upcoming publications of HDR background papers. You can sign up to our email list by clicking here.

by: Miguel Yasuyuki Hirota (mig@olccjp.net)

1. 1. SE’s achievements in Asia

The arrival of the concept of SE to Asia was rather late in comparison with other continents and it was only October 2007 when the 1^st Asian Forum for SE took place at Manila, the Philippines.  Workshops on this new economy took place in October 2008 at Bangkok, Thailand and in March 2009 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia when the Asian Alliance for SE (AA4SE, http://www.aa4se.com/) was established, but the term SE is still very little known, even in comparison with Europe or Latin America.

But this does not mean that SE experiences are foreign to Asia: there are indeed a number of unarticulated grass-root practices in many countries, such as consumers’ coops and NPO Banks in Japan, social enterprises in Korea, microfinance initiatives (remember that this movement was born in Bangladesh!) all over the region, local currencies in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, elderly-care groups in Japan and CSR-minded small businesses throughout Southeast Asia, just to name a few.

1. 2. Challenges for Asia:

Some challenges should be taken into account seriously if we are to promote SE and to articulate its players all over this continent.

Linguistic diversity: it should be remembered that Asia has a number of mutually-unintelligible languages, such as: Bengali (Bangladesh), Burmese (Myanmar), Cambodian (Cambodia), Hindi-Urdu (India and Pakistan), Japanese (Japan), Korean (North and South Korea), Lao (Laos), Mandarin (China and Taiwan), Malay-Indonesian (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore), Mongolian (Mongolia), Sinhalese (Sri Lanka), Filipino (the Philippines), Tamil (India, Sri Lanka etc.), Thai (Thailand), Vietnamese (Vietnam).  While in some countries English is widely spoken, it should be taken into account that most SE players in Asia only speak their respective country’s official language (Thai if they live in Thailand, for instance), making it tough for SE players to be articulated and to communicate each other beyond the language (=national) border.

This linguistic diversity poses another challenge on promoting SE in each Asian country too: since most people, including professors and public servants, are often not good at English, it is required that at least some basic information on this topic should be given in each country’s official language so that opinion leaders throughout the continent could share our perspective on SE and let it known to people in their respective language.

Geographical and psychological distance from other continents: another important remark is that most countries where the SE movement has been consolidated are non-English-speaking countries (France, Italy, Spain, Latin America and Québec) with which Asians usually do not have strong relationship. The traditional lack of links between these continents makes it harder for Asians to grasp what is happening globally in terms of SE and to exchange experiences with them.

1. 3. Perspectives and proposals for the next decade

Although the consolidation of SE players in Asia is still in an early stage, the coming years will see important events, such as the 3^rd Asian Forum in Malaysia in 2011 and the 5^th RIPESS conference in 2013.  It is quite important to make the best use of all available resources in order to maximise our synergy and take more steps forward.  Some proposals will be given below to help promote the SE movement in Asia:

Creation of multilingual platforms: the lack of information on SE and of international communication among Asian SE players who do not speak English has been the biggest hurdle, so it is crucial to set up platforms to get it over.  I would like to suggest the creation of following tools so that more Asians should be familiar with SE and be articulated better.  Obviously a huge amount of money would be required for translation services, but this cost should be regarded as something indispensable and efforts should be done to win such a funding.

-       Creation of another portal website on SE in Asian languages (not only English but also Chinese, Japanese, Thai etc.): this is not to deny AA4SE’s efforts so far to share information, but it would be ideal if more information could be provided in more Asian languages so that SE players, researchers, policymakers etc. could learn what SE is, how SE is practiced in Asia and other continents etc.

-       Creation of multilingual communication method: the multilingual discussion groups managed by Alliance 21 WSSE (now ALOE) with translation service between English, French and Spanish / Portuguese has been a key factor on articulating SE players and to stimulate communications among them, but it is crucial to provide similar services among key Asian languages if we are to expect same results. More SE players are expected to be articulated only when they feel linguistically comfortable, so it is indispensable to set up a platform in which people could communicate in Chinese, Indonesia, Japanese, Thai and other Asian languages.

Exchange of young SE players / students: it is essential that more Asians should understand how SE has been growing in the world in order to transfer such experiences to their own countries.  So it would be helpful if some programmes could be set up to promote exchange of the youth.  The mutual exchange (not only Asian youth to other continents but youths from other continents to Asia) would strengthen mutual understanding in terms of SE practices, and such articulators will help both quantitative and qualitative development of solidarity economy in Asia.

by John Samuel

Ethics is what makes the economy humane- an enabling force for exchanges among people, societies and countries. Devoid of ethics, economy can perpetuate predatory forces of dehumanization, commodification, violence and war. Economy needs to be an enabling process that helps human beings and environment to sustain and thrive. And Economics devoid of ethics can be extractive, exploitative and imperialistic. In fact, both Adam Smith and Karl Marx began their search for viable economy from strong ethical premises.

Solidarity is an act of identifying with other human beings with shared sense of destiny,and responsibility. Solidarity is based on the principles of mutual empathy, mutual support, dignity and the greater common good. Solidarity helps us to go beyond the greed of the self to the need of other people, societies and countries. Solidarity does not depend on the principle of the Survival of the fittest. It seeks to promote the sustainability of human beings and environment. continue reading…

Marcos Arruda of PACS (Institute of Alternative Policies for Southern Cone of Latin America), Brazil and Member of the Global Coordinating Team of the Alliance for a Responsible, Plural and Solidarity-based Economy (ALOE, France): Solidarity economy is an economy centered on people, not on profits, and on ecological sustainability, instead of on immediate gains at any cost. It takes people‘s needs, not profit maximization, as the goal of economic activity, which means putting economic and technical development at the service of social and human development.  It also means adopting conscious altruism and solidarity, not extreme individualism, as the core of the new socioeconomic culture, and cooperation, not competition, as the main form of relationship among humans and between them and Nature.

A growing number of practitioners view solidarity economy as a post-capitalist mode of defining and organizing society, human work, consumption, production, exchanges, money, technology; and, further, as a new way of life that inspires attitudes and behaviors with values such as sharing, co-responsibility, reciprocity, plurality, respect for diversity, freedom equality and equity, ethics, brotherhood-sisterhood. At present, millions of people and a few nations already live by these values and practice another economy and work relationships emancipated from the chains of the labor market and of mere physical survival. This happens in concrete spaces like cooperatives and other self-managed firms, family farming, communities, peoples.

The empowerment of the social individual to become the main protagonist of her-his own development is the ultimate goal of Solidarity Economy. This means that working people, i.e. people who live mainly from their work, rather than from capital gains, must become the protagonist of development. It is important to redefine the role of the State from one which has pervasive political power to one that is truly a democratic institution, organized in ways that serve society as a whole, orchestrating diversity and seeking to build unities within diversity.

Yvon Poirer, Member of the Coordination Committee of the North American Network for Solidarity Economy (NANSE) and participant of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Governance. Solidarity economy, as defined by the 2001 International Forum of the Alliance for a Responsible, Plural and United World, refer to activities of production, distribution and consumption which contribute to the democratization of the economy based on the involvement of citizens at a local and global level. It takes form through different modalities on all continents. It encompasses the different forms of organizations that a population adopts to create its proper resources for work or to access quality goods and services; this is accomplished through a dynamic socially responsible reciprocity which articulates individual and collective interests.

Another definition of solidarity economy is the one adopted by the U.S. Social Forum (June 2007) organized by the US Solidarity Economy Coordination Committee. According to the U.S. Social Forum, Solidarity Economy constitutes an alternative economic model to neoliberal capitalism, one which is grounded on solidarity and cooperation, rather than the pursuit of narrow, individual self-interest, and that promotes economic democracy, alternative models of local economic governance, equity and sustainability rather than the unfettered rule of the market.

Yoko Kitazawa, founding member of Pacific Asia Resource Center in Japan and facilitator of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Governance: Solidarity economy is an economy which does not seek maximum profit, but works with solidarity among people.

Cecile Lapenu, Executive Director of CERSIE (France), International Coordinator of ProsperA (France), and resource person of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Financing: Solidarity Economy is oriented towards reaching a triple bottom line (financial efficiency, social impact and respect of the environment). It promotes activities that reinforce social capital and respect human being. In this context,  short-term profits do not lead the decisions in solidarity economy, but rather the impact of the economic activities on the individuals, their families, the communities where they live and the environment. It is important to have a broad vision, as in ALOE (Alliance for a Responsible, Plural and Solidarity Economy). Social responsibility, diversity of actors and alliances, and solidarity among people, among countries are key issues for a more humane economy.

Giovanni Acquati, from Italy, President of INAISE (International Association of Investors in Social Economy) and participant of the Socially Responsible Investment Workshop: Solidarity Economy is a form or branch of Social Economy that looks particularly to the poor, the weak and the excluded persons, as for example the people supported by the microcredit system. Being part of Social Economy, the respect of people is the operative philosophical base of Solidarity Economy . In every process of Solidarity Economy, people and the respect of environment should be the core focus, and that the impact of every human activity on the environment has to be considered wherever this activity develop. Solidarity Economy also implies the idea of Solidarity among Enterprises, that is, Enterprise Networks that decide to work together and practice self help in their development.

Sudha Reddy, Director of SHARE (Solidarity for Harmony, Awareness, Responsibility & Empowerment) of India, and resource person of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Governance: Solidarity Economy is an alternative form of life-centered economic process based on the democratic, ethical and humane principles and collective action that leads to overall wellbeing of the humankind and environment.

Dr.Christopher Shun, Finance and Administration Director of Foundation for Community Studies and Social Development (YKPM, Malaysia): The term solidarity economy is used interchangeably with social economy, popular economy and labour economy. But the word Solidarity Economy has a special meaning because it describes the coming together of people as a cohesive unit working to serve common vision and interests to form the economic foundation of these initiatives. As their interests vary, so do the activities. These interests range from micro-credit schemes through local exchange systems, income generation groups, barter groups to collective kitchens. Solidarity Economy is free, harmonious, mutually binding, and organized, wherein the relationships are of cooperation and for the construction of a social power. It looks to create economic growth stressing the importance and priority of the well-being of society and seeks to preserve and sustain the original indigenous culture, which is the source of personal identity, heritage and legacy.

Bienvenido Padilla, Consultant of Timor Aid (Timor Leste), and resource person of the session on Investment Opportunities in Solidarity Economy: In solidarity economy, all stakeholder-members are affected or involved, directly or indirectly not only in the creation of wealth but also in its appropriation. Each stakeholder-member contributes to the productive undertaking and corporately all the members benefit equitably from the same. This is in contrast to the maintstream economy where only some or a few individuals get all the benefits.

Arun Raste, Director of International Resources for Fairer Trade (IRFT, India) and resource speaker of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Enterprise: Solidarity economy does not exploit either nature or people. It gives the small and primary producers the chance to manage both their production and the economy and cares for all people of the planet, as well as for future generations. It treats human beings in a humane way and not as machines.

Kyoko Sakuma, Executive Director of Sustainability Analysis and Consulting (Belgium), and Coordinator of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Investment: Solidarity economy can operate side by side with the market economy for as long as its approaches continue to be innovative . Solidarity economy cannot operate independently of the market economy, but on the contrary, it needs to compete in the real market logic of traditional market. Creating one‘s own niche or segment within the market economy requires innovation, or an innovative mind. In this context, solidarity economy can be called social entrepreneurship, which may be defined as a network of people with entrepreneurial spirit and an innovative mind in
providing solutions to societal problems and their supporters in joining the newly created segment of the market.

Dr. Tito E. Contado, President/CEO of Philippine Morinda Citrifolia Inc. and case study presentor of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Enterprise: Solidarity Economy is a new concept. It can be associated with the word ’solidarity‘ and Lech Walesa of Poland who in the early 1990s toppled down the communist leadership in his country under the rallying battlecry of “Solidarity” which eventually became the name of his political party. Solidarity economy is  the unity of interests, objectives and standards of the different economic actors/sectors characterized by their interdependent relationships.

Takashi Sawaguchi, Chairman of Policy Research Institute for the Civil Section (Japan) and participant of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Enterprise: I am not an intellectual, so I do not know how to define. Therefore I would like to tell you just facts about the solidarity between consumers and producers that we have been doing for last nearly forty years in Japan. Seikatsu Club is a consumers‘ co-operative, but it has established its own three milk plants with 100 dairy farmer-families and 4000 cows. We have our own chicken farms with producers. We have been co-operating with rice farmers and pork meat producers for the last nearly 35years. Seikatsu Club has created some of the sustainable agriculture models through the solidarity between consumers in urban areas and producers in rural areas. We have been living our lives as the consumers who are also the producers, Takashi says. That is the not only our philosophy but also our own practical standard.

Charisse Baldo Development Programme Officer of the Advocate of Philippine Fair Trade Inc. (APFTI) and co-facilitator of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Enterprise: Solidarity economy is an economic model of cooperation. It involves different sectors of society working together towards creating an economy that looks out for the weak. The different sectors are in ’solidarity‘ with a certain cause, a certain group of stakeholders. It looks not just at the numbers, but also at the people, the stories behind the numbers. Fair Trade is a concrete example of solidarity economy. Fair Trade tries to level the playing field for the small producers, in what has become a flatter but more competitive and unequal world .It is a model of development that focuses on trade, not aid.

Dr. Miguel P. Niez, Assistant Vice President of Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc (TADECO, Philippines) and participant of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Enterprise: Solidarity economy is a process of producing goods and services that utilizes available resources to meet social needs. It recognizes the value of labor and finds ways for product maximization and the preservation of environment‘. Solidarity economy is an attractive alternative to neo-liberal globalization in terms of the ethics, political, social, cultural and ecological dimensions. Solidarity economy is about sharing of resources in the process of mobilizing people, nature and capital for sustainable growth.

Franck Renaudin, Founder and Director of Entrepreneurs du Monde (France), a partner organization represented in the Asian Forum by a sizeable delegation that participated in the Worshop on Socially Responsible Financing: Solidarity economy is an economy that puts respect for Human Beings and the Earth at the heart of its concerns. The different actors of solidarity economy fully perceive and understand the need and interest to fight against inequalities and to protect planet Earth.

Jeanne Bernardo, Executive Director of Bayanihang Pilipino Inc. (Philippines) and co-Coordinator of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Governance: Solidarity economy as comprising the whole spectrum of economic activities which socially responsible and values-led organizations undertake by collaborating with and networking among other like-minded organizations and the communities they serve to meet the needs of all concerned.

Jimmy Ching, Chairman of Christian Businessmen‘s Forum International (Philippines), and co-Coordinator of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Enterprise: Solidarity economy is an alternative economy that is based on compassion for people and care for the environment. It is an economy where self-interest gives way for the interest of the whole; where greed, as the motive for profit is eliminate. In solidarity economy, love for God and country becomes the center of everything. The standard therefore is based on objective truths that can only be found in the Word of God, he says.

Vicente L. ”Sonny” Domingo, National Chariman of the Kapisanan ng Magsasaka, Mangingisda at Manggagawa Ng Pilipinas Inc. (KaMMMPi, Philippines), and participant of the Workshop on Socially Responsible Governance: Solidarity economy is the convergence of socially oriented individuals.  Leaders and institutions that recognize man as the center of economic activity are the ones who desire righteous relations with others. Solidarity economy also recognizes the existence of a social capital (vis-à-vis financial capital) coming from people who have a solid stand on a common cause. In developing a business or an enterprise, whether micro or a business conglomerate, the human resources or manpower should be recognized as  ‘capital‘ and their aspirations as ‘collateral‘ (vis-à-vis money capital and real estate) so that ordinary people can have an equity share in the business and its profits‘. This viewpoint represents a paradigm shift in business development which usually recognizes only money as capital and real estate as collateral.

In sum, Solidarity Economy denotes an economic system oriented towards people and ecological balance as opposed to the mainstream economy which is geared towards maximization of profit and wanton accumulation of private wealth. Some countries (e.g. France, Canada) adopt the term ’social economy’ instead of solidarity economy, the latter being more widely used in Latin America.

Some people make a distinction between Solidarity Economy and Social Economy but the more important thing to remember is that they share similar basic principles. For example, the five key principles established by the Chantier l‘ Economie Sociale of Quebec to distinguish social economy enterprises can well be applied to solidarity economy initiatives.

These are:
● the objective is to serve its members or the community, instead of simply striving for financial profit;

● the economic enterprise is autonomous of the State;

● in its statute and code of conduct, a democratic decision-making process is established that implies the necessary participation of users and workers;

● it gives priority to people and work over capital in the distribution of revenue and surplus; its activities are based on principles of participation, empowerment, and individual and collective responsibility. It can be said that the concept of solidarity economy is much better entrenched than it was before the Asian Forum in the Philippines, and for the participants from other countries

by Ben Quiñones

Below is my report to the International Forum – Globalization of Solidarity Economy (Lux09) <www.lux09.lu> (April 22-25, Luxembourg) on the initiatives related to the promotion of solidarity economy in Asia. I wish to thank the various members of the Social Enterprise Task Force (SETF) who contributed inputs to this report, notably George Chen (China), Usha Sridharan (India), Omseng Bora (Cambodia), Ho Thi Quy (Vietnam), Agung Alit (Indonesia), Sunil Chitrakar (Nelpal), Rene Guarin (Philippines), Willy Maldia (Philippines), Robert Abao (Philippines), and Mody Karunaratne (Sri Lanka).

It is my hope that by informing our various partners in other continents about our initiatives in Asia, the international collaboration towards expanding outreach to social enterprises in Asia and other continents will be further advanced. Let us continue our Building Shared Vision (BSV) Learning Journey, share our experiences and relevant information, and advance our own dialogue on social enterprises/ solidarity economy in Asia.

A socially responsible enterprise is often referred to as a ‘social enterprise”. It is a mission oriented enterprise with a triple bottom line, or the 3p’s – people, planet, and profit.

CSRSME Asia promotes the development of social enterprises (SE) in Asia through information exchange and resource sharing. This is carried out through the ‘Building Shared Vision’ (BSV) Learning which enables the SE to transform itself into a more dynamic and flexible learning organization.

BSV Workshops

In 2009, CSRSME Asia conducted one regional BSV workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia following the one conducted in Bangkok, Thailand in October 2008. BSV Bangkok gave birth to the conceptual framework of the Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy (AASE) as a hub of solidarity economy in Asia. BSV Kuala Lumpur created the Social Enterprise Task Force (SETF) as a means for jump starting AASE. CSRSME Asia serves as the secretariat of SETF.

Several international organizations collaborated with CSRSME Asia in conducting the BSV Learning Journey. These included the RIPESS (International Association for the Promotion of Social and Solidarity Economy), SIDI (Society for Investment in Development Institutions), ALOE (Alliance for Responsible, Plural and Solidarity Economy), CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), FPH (Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation), ADFIAP (Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific), and Oikocredit Southeast Asia.

The Social Enterprise Task Force (SETF)

As noted earlier, BSV Kuala Lumpur led to the creation of the Social Enterprise Task Force (SETF). To date, there are about 40 members of SETF from more than 30 organizations in15 countries (12 from Asian continent + 3 from other continents). Sunil Chitrakar and Ben Quinones, representatives of Asia to the RIPESS Board, are members of SETF. WFTO-Asia President Chandra Kacchipati has showed interest in beefing up SETF with participation of WFTO-Asia member companies in several Asian countries. continue reading…

by Jeanne Marie Bernardo, CSRSME Asia

The Coalition of Socially Responsible SMEs in Asia (CSRSME Asia) gathered thirty-eight (38) participants from thirteen (13) organizations in the Philippines during its first Building Shared Vision (BSV) Workshop last April 13, 2009.

continue reading…

By Ben Quiñones
April 20, 2009
Alet les Bains, Languedoc-Rousillon, France

On my way to Lux’09, I passed by Alet les Bains in Southern France to meet with the officers of Pactes Locaux, facilitator of the Lux’09 workshop on “Democractic Governance and Territorial Anchoring” of which I am a discussant. Travelling with me from Kuala Lumpur was Dato’ Dr. Denison Jayasoria, Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, Royal Government of Malaysia. Arriving in Alet les Bains in the afternoon of April 16, Denison and I did not immediately check in at the local hotel because our hosts, Martine and husband Francois, took us to their house for tea and talk which lingered till dinner time, and got extended until 11 pm with the characteristic French practice of wine-cum-cheese treat after dinner.

The next day, April 17, we joined a 2-hour trip to Sarrant, about 168 kms away from Alet les Bains, to visit one of the partners of Pactes Locaux. I’ve been wondering since the other night whether the encounter that day was worth the agony of sitting idle in the car for the 2-hour ride. Without prior agreement, Denison and I defensively shifted into the ‘sleep’ mode when idleness mixed with the humming of machine began to slow down our metabolism and dulled our minds. Yeah, like boiled frogs!

continue reading…

April 19, 2009

By Ben Quiñones

Reporting from Alet les Bains, Southern France

It was a sunny day, the temperature comfortable at 15⁰C by European standard, but for Asians like me and Dato’ Dr. Denison Jayasooria who just escaped the summer heat of the Philippines and Malaysia respectively, 15⁰C plus the wind factor is cold enough to get us hugging on to our jackets. Perhaps to our European friends we appeared over-clothed and pathetically hunched over compared to Eric Andrieu, the Mayor of Villerouge-Termenes, when he came to meet us in workman’s cotton t-shirt.

Eric Andrieu does not usually stay in his office during weekdays. He constantly moves around his village to check on the status of a string of projects accredited under the now famous trademark, “Pays Chatare”. We were fortunate on this day, being a Sunday and not so early in the morning (around 11 am), because he was there to receive and brief us. In my country, the Mayor is a very important person who cannot easily be bothered to meet, much less to brief, a group of occasional visitors.

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To the people of the world, especially those whose voices are not heard, civil society, social and political movements, solidarity based practitioners, governmental and international institutions.

We, the participants of a growing global social solidarity economy movement that met in Luxembourg from 22-25 April 2009 convened under the leadership of RIPESS, we affirm that:

1. We are in the midst of a global social and economic crisis brought about by 30 years of neoliberal rule;

2. This is the latest chapter in a long running crisis which is now a matter of life or death for people and nature; and

3. The social solidarity economy provides a real alternative to the failed economic model of neoliberalism. It creates a horizon of hope against fatalism.

The social solidarity economy is an ongoing collective process of creative work. It is an ethical path of inclusive development grounded in real practices of cooperation, reciprocity, participatory democracy, social and economic justice, peace, plurality and cultural diversity, creativity, sustainability, and equity (north-south, gender, ethnicity, class, age, etc.).

We commit to:

Ø Promote and strengthen the social solidarity networks and organizations

Ø Facilitate the participation of social and political movements in the Social Solidarity Economy movement

Ø Set concrete targets for example: to reach out to 100 million people by the year 2013

Ø Participate in the co-production of policies whereby the Social Solidarity Economy can play a significant role in addressing the impacts of the Global crisis and achieving equality for all citizens of the world

During the 4^th Globalization of Solidarity Meeting, the 700 participants in plenaries and 19 workshops demonstrated that “Another economy exists: the innovations of the social and solidarity economy.”

Through this collective and participatory process of dialogue and debate, we propose the following innovative proposals, commitments and demands (to follow):

By Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria

Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria is a Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Ethnic Studies (KITA), National University of Malaysia (UKM). These thoughts were shared at a panel discussion held on April 20, 2009 at Luc, Southern France where the local Mayor Jean-Claude Pons was the chief guest and 25 local development leaders attended.

Southern France has a beautiful country side with mountain range and vine yards in the valley. It has a pleasant cool climate and peaceful environment away from busy cities like Paris. This part of the county side is also lowly populated.

Ben Quiñones of the Philippines and I had the opportunity of being a guest of a local NGO called ‘Pactes Locaux’ together with three other international participants from April 16 till 21, 2009 prior to the International Forum on Globalisation of Solidarity which was held from April 22 till 25, 2009 at Luxemburg. continue reading…

Email : denisonjayasooria@gmail.com

Blog: www.denisonjayasooria.blogspot.com

Over the past twenty five years I have been actively involved in civil society initiatives in Malaysia beginning in social work from a community orientation and public policy intervention. In due time exposure to micro credit and economic empowerment of the urban poor and low income families has brought me into direct encounter with solidarity economy, social enterprise and social entrepreneurship.

Since September 2009 – working as a Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies at the National University of Malaysia (UKM).

Hon Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Binary University College, Malaysia

Member of the Board of Trustees, Foundation for Community Studies & Development, Malaysia

Married to Rose Cheng and we have three children.

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The www.challengeforeurope.eu blog was born at the beginning of May. Or, more accu­rately, the www.challengeforeurope.eu blogs were born then. Unlike a regular blog where one person turns their webpage into a megaphone, more than 50 civil society actors are participating in www.challengeforeurope.eu.

Why?

This initiative is built with the European Election Day in mind but it looks far beyond June 7th. Our blog has the goal of stimulating a wide debate on the future of Europe. We want concrete propositions from across Europe and the world to be at the heart of a constructive and deman­ding public debate about the future of the Union. We also want to question the MEPs who will populate the Parliament after June 7th by suggesting concrete policy courses for the future.

How?

Each day until the end of June, www.challengeforeurope.eu will be fed with articles translated into French and English that come from independent authors. These articles make concrete and engaging proposals for the future of Europe, tackling themes ranging across culture and religion; defense and security; research and education; governance, democracy and citizenship; immigration; media; social Europe; economy and finance; sustainable rural development; and Europe in the world.

With you? There are two ways

1/ We welcome your proposals on www.challengeforeurope.eu. How do you submit a proposal? Write a text defining the stakes of a particular policy problem. Add an abs­tract of your text in a few lines at the top (max 5) and finish with concrete proposals for the EU and its leaders at the bottom. Please do this in a maximum of 4 pages. Spice up your proposal with a sense of engagement and conviction. Don’t forget to add a title and a few good references. Finish by sending your work to Charlotte, coordinator for this project (contact info can be found below). She will be responsible for ensuring that the proposal is formatted correctly for the blog and she will rework the text with you should any changes need to be made.

2/ Your comments on the www.challengeforeurope.eu blogs are welcome. We can not achieve the impossible without the collaboration of realists who have a deep belief in dialogue and debate among Europeans. Do you believe in this challenge? Spread the word on our blog.

See you soon on www.challengeforeurope.eu,

by Jeanne Marie O. Bernardo

The Coalition of Socially Responsible SMEs in Asia (CSRSME Asia) in collaboration with On Eagle’s Wings Foundation (OEWF), embarked on its first ever Bayanihan Youth Camp last May 10-13, 2009 at the Lord’s 

Garden, Looc, Calamba, Laguna.

The Camp, featuring the Building Shared Vision (BSV) Workshop, gathered fourteen (14) young men and women from a number of Bayanihan Financial Centers (BFCs) in Caloocan and Calamba, with the objectives to inspire them into building a shared vision for the country and allow them to appreciate their role as catalysts for the economic transformation of people.

For three days and three nights, the young participants were exposed to various methods of learning: lecture-discussions, workshops, hands-on training, and a field visit. Topics discussed included: (1) The importance of vision; (2) Learning Organizations; (3) The Dynamics of Dialogue; (4) Social Networking via Blogging and E-Forums; (5) Solidarity Economy vs. Traditional Market Economy; and (6) An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship. continue reading…

e-mail: mig@olccjp.net, website: http://www.olccjp.net/ , skype: migjp2003

Since 1999 I have been working on the research and promotion of complementary currency (CC) systems, alias “social money” as I presented at the CSRSME Asia Workshop on Social Finance (March 10-13, 2009. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) that use something else than the official tender as their means of exchange. I have given lectures in different countries (Brazil, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan and United States) and will start giving training courses too.

The term “CC” was coined by Bernard Lietaer, a Belgian economist who proposed the prototype of Euro in 1980s, as he observed, from the Taoist viewpoint, that the conventional money system, in which the financial elite has the monopoly to control it, has promoted male = yang values such as competition, hierarchy and development while female = yin values such as collaboration, equality and sustainability are ignored. He defined money as “an agreement within a community to use something as a means of exchange,” suggesting the use of different currencies in parallel with different rules = agreement to complement yin in our society.

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from YKPM Annual Report 2007/2008

In the past two years 2007-2008, YKPM has

been undertaking fresh initiatives under new winds of change. In 2007 and 2008, we saw the departure of two stalwart members of the Management Team (MT), namely Mr. Kon Onn Sein (Managing Director) and Mr. Raymond Gooi (Administrator) who went to UK and Australia respectively for family reasons.

Our MT team was strengthened with the arrival and appointment of Mr. Michael Sebastian as General Manager in 2007. He has been able to take over most of the responsibilities of YKPM and we were able to undertake fresh initiatives to the Urban poor ministry at Taman Prima Selayang (TPS).  We summarize the new winds of change as follows:

URBAN POOR: Focusing on the urgent needs of the Local TPS Community with respect to Education, Safety, Cleanliness and Health. We have worked closely with the local community to set up a tuition centre to help teach the primary and secondary school children at subsidised fees as we realised that Education is a mean to escape the poverty trap.

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About me and my organization

I am a forestry professional working as program officer in Federation of Community Forestry User’s, Nepal (FECOFUN) since 2001. FECOFUN is the largest civil society organization in Nepal having 9 million forest management members who manage more than 1.3 million hectares of forest. These forests are managed by local communities rather than the government. I am fully responsible for coordinating sustainable forest management programs, and facilitating FSC forest certification of community forestry in the rural part of the country. My obective is to help community forest users to manage their resource in a sustainable way so that they can use and reuse them for several years without losing the integrity of the forest status. The mission of FECOFUN is to uplift the economic status of community people as most of them are poor and forest-dependent. FECOFUN undertakes its mission by helping local communities establish, promote and self-manage processing and semi- processing enterprises at grass root level. Most of the raw materials have to be sourced from certified forest to ensure better market opportunity in comparison to other normal products.

There are now 22 certified forests managed by 5000 households in Nepal.  Three handmade paper processing firms and 4 essential oil processing firms solely use these certified forest products and obtain premium prices at final sale.  FECOFUN is striving to scale up this campaign and also attemting to develop its our own brand. In the next ten years, FECOFUN projects to create jobs for 25000 community people through establishment and promotion of local forest based enterprises by mobilizing their own forest resources.

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from YKPM Annual Report 2007/2008

YKPM has undertaken extensive work in Tanjung Keruing in Pekan, Pahang. A community training centre has been built and numerous socio-economic projects were introduced over the years.

The most significant of these is the planting of rubber trees with the assistance of RISDA. Initially a larger number of families were involved, each planting their own plots. However presently only five families are actively involved. YKPM assisted these families with an interest free loan of RM 2, 780 to buy fertilizers . However the repayments have been slow and interest shown is also reducing. However YKPM continues to facilitate through our volunteer partners to organize on- going activities pertaining to literacy and character development. Over 30 children between the ages of six to eighteen years old  participated.

These programs are run on Saturdays from 2pm to 4pm, three times a month for two hours. In addition, children who are not in school are taught to read, write and converse in English. 

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from YKPM Annual Report 2007/2008

Over 80 Orang Asli leaders gathered in Kuantan, Pahang on April 6, 2009 to discuss their struggles to preserve their ownership of their customary land.

A majority expressed that they have difficulties with encroachment of outsiders on their land. The outsiders tell the Orang

Aslis that they have the permission to utilize the land and that the authorities have issued them with the permits for the use of the land. The Asli community who has lived all their lives on the land are told that the land is state land and that the Aslis have no rights on it.

A deep sense of sadness and despair is being felt among them. At the same time they are angry with certain authorities who should be defending them but have failed to do so. Therefore the Asli community has now come to the realization that they must stand up and make their claim and defend their rights. The one day program was organized by YKPM with the support of Orang Asli community leaders in Pekan, Temerloh and Jerantut. YKPM was represented by one of the members of the Board of Trustees, Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria.

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My name is Altagracia Villarreal but everybody knows me as Chilo a nick name that I had since 1963. Actually I live in the capital Mexico City but I travel a lot into the Indigenas Communities here in Mexico and also in another’s countries. Since 1972 I started working with this communities living in the Aldeas trying to learn the language they spoke. In 1980 I was invited to work in a National organization that was close to the indigenas from Mexico, Central and Southamerica. With the indigenas organizations we started to systematize the experience in the Community and Reciprocity Economy they lived. We learned a lot from them and in 1998 we went to Porto Alegre Brazil to an Intercontinental Forum in Solidarity Economy. I think at that time we started calling it like this. Here in México I continue close and near to Indigenas and peasants organizations walking together to find better ways to get Bien Vivir for all trough a new way of living the economy in our families, communities, regions and country. We try to build nets local, regional and national and also trying to build International nets. Actually we are working very hard for Food Sovereignty and Autonomy. I am part of a Binational organization Coalicion Rural Coalition from United Sates and Mexico and we walk together with all the people that is exclude in both countries. I give some workshops, and advice to the organizations to build Collective Management Organization. I also participate in several international nets in Solidarity Economy, like ALOE, RIPESSLAC, RILESS continue reading…

from YKPM Annual Report 2007/2008

Redeem continues to receive donated new and used items from friends and well wishers. They are clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, books, tapes, cds, games, toys, kitchen utensils, cutleries, frames, souvenirs, electrical appliances etc. Whatever they are, we can change them for cash if they are in good working condition! Due to lack of volunteers, we have downsize to organized sales twice a month at the Amcorp Mall Flea market on Sundays, White Elephant stalls at the Annual Expats’ Christmas Charity Bazaars and Fund raising jumble sales etc.

As the days go by, more of the general public is able to understand the benefit of purchasing from second hand stores. Firstly theyget good saving by paying a fraction of the new price. Secondly, they are contributing towards a good cause and thirdly they are indirectly helping preserve the environment by reusing stuff. We try to generate about a thousand ringgit from the 2 Sundays’ sale monthly to support in a small way our community projects among the Orang Asli communities in Pekan area.

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by FELIZARDO “JUN” A. CARMELOTES, JR.

Active in property valuation and management; member of ME Community Peter 90; member of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship Intl, Davao Chapter; past member of Rotary.

CSRSME Asia, Inc.’s Building Shared Vision (BSV) towards solidarity economy is a workable economic force using people’s responsible involvement guided by moral and spiritual principles. Its method is common desire of principled people, but who could not somehow reach certain level of achievement. Maybe because it was not yet time for the movement. But now, as i can see it, it is moving constantly and reaching shores.

But one thing i like in the workshop is its method of listening to ideas and handling dialogue. I’m talking about how individual participants in a dialogue come to understand his or her responsibility towards the Facilitator, Discussant or Advocate, Inquirer, and the Documentor or the Recorder. The roles, if followed consciously, can lead to understanding and achieve an objective.

Tomorrow’s final day of the activity can be revealing more of CSRSME Asia, Inc.’s capability to move and inspire people to achieve more. And i am counting on that. Promise.

More power in stewardship to the prime movers of CSRSME Asia, Inc.

I am Jessica Labadan, 19 years old and a student of University of Southeastern Philippines ,Mintal Campus, Davao City currently taking up Bachelor of  Science in Community Development and an incoming fourth year student this school year 2009-2010. As of now I am also having my apprenticeship at World Vision Development Foundation, Davao City under the Social Mobilization in Tuberculosis Project. I really love to meet people, because in that way i will be able  to learn new things and i can also establish rapport and linkages to them wherein i can gain knowledge,improve my attitude and skills that could help me become a better person and a good contributor to our society.

As i heard from my source about this building shared vision workshop, i was excited and nervous at the same time because my classmate ,Karen Quiñones told me that we will be with professionals. But it didn’t scare me because i was challenged and that gave me the perception that I should ” meet new people so that i could gain new learnings”.  My perception proved to be true: i gained new learnings and I got exposed to different kinds of visions for a “better Philippines”. I learned that in having a vision i should become sensitive to every idea that i will hear from others.  By doing so, I would be able to arrive at a better idea that could help me and our countrymen overcome the trials that our country is facing today.

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There was once a mother eagle who patiently warmed her precious eggs which found abode on one of the majestic mountains. The time for the eggs’ hatching was almost up.  So, the mother eagle  decided to give her legs a stretch to ease the strain of squatting for days. As the eagle rose up, she clumsily knocked one of her eggs out of her nest. The egg amazingly bounced on the rocky surface of the mountain, down to the the humble habitat of a mother chicken.

The eagle’s egg careened pass the chicken’s wings and perfectly fitted with the other eggs which was also was about to hatch, under the mother chicken’s ‘pecho’.  The eagle egg hatched and an eaglet emerged, opened its eyes, beholding the face of the mother chicken and exclaimed, “Mama!”

The eaglet grew with the knowledge that he (it’s a baby male) is a chicken. One day, he grew into an  adult-sized fowl yet still didn’t know that he can fly. Instead of flying, it ran around like a chicken, until one day, he met a magnificent bird, with wings!

The magnificent bird saw the eagle with the chicken mentality and spoke, “It’s funny to see a fellow eagle like you run around the ground with chickens.”

The “adopted” eagle was shocked, but from that moment on he discovered that he was an eagle too.

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By Benjamin F. Aquino

What I learned:

1. Appreciation of the value of writing a personal vision for the Philippines.

2. Summary of doable actions to fulfill the vision.

3. The individual roles played in a forum that of; Facilitator, Documentor, Discussant and Inquirer.

4. The use of these roles in every organization that I am involved in.

Now I know how to post after three trials.

by Yzabel “Abbey” Quinones, VisionQ Team

A BSV Workshop was held in Lispher Inn, Davao City on May 23, 2009. The workshop showcased several activities that would help build a shared vision for the Philippines, and what to do to achieve it.

After the Praise and Worship lead by Ma’am Hilda Panganiban, a Getting to Know You Exercise, lead by Ma’am Jeanne Bernardo, was conducted as a warm-up for the participants, and also for them to get to know their co-participants.

Each participant had a piece of paper that contains nine boxes. These boxes each have a description, namely:

*Married with children
*Same foot size as you
*Videoke king/queen
*Loves to travel
*Same age as you
*Same birth month as you
*Single
*Dancing king/queen

Then, within the time limit of five minutes, each one had to find a person that would match any of the 9 descriptions, and put his or her name in the corresponding box. The first one to fill up all of the nine boxes wins. The winner was former Quezon City Mayor Jun Simon. Congratulations again!

The exercise was a very creative way of getting to know each other. And moreover, it was enjoyed by both young and old. It allowed each of the participants to introduce themselves to their co-participants, and discover more things about them (or talents! Kuya Jed DANCES!).

It was a good exercise and everyone made a good job in making it enjoyable.

I am Jenilyn Zamora 20 years of age,currently studying in University of Southeastern Philippines taking up the course of Bachelor of Science in Community Development.

I am glad and honored that Karen Quinones invited me to this workshop to enable me to prepare for my workshop and seminar subject this incoming school year. I am  happy at the same time nervous and concious who will be the partipants but in my mind i know they are achievers in life and proffesionals. Despite those feelings, i know that it’s one way for me to enhance my capability in communicating and mingling with other persons and its worth it because I will gain tips and learnings from them.

As a youth it’s important that we are part of creating a shared vision for our nation and for the betterment of individuals.  I learned in this workshop that having a vision in life is a step towards ascertaining the direction where we are heading to. I was amazed to see different kinds of people share their own visions for a better Philippines. The synergy of formulating shared visions uplifts everyone as individuals in teams share their ideas and experiences. Thanks to CSRSME. God Bless!!!

My name is Lorelyn Rivera, a graduate of B.S. in Applied Mathematics and B.S. in Nursing. I am currently working in a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry as a Technical Support Associate.

I feel so privileged to be part of this Building Shared Vision (BSV) Workshop. Thanks to Ms. Karen Quiñones, a very close friend of mine, for aggressively inviting me to this workshop. As a young professional, I know I needed this kind of workshop. This is very unique from all of the workshops I’ve been through because it covers the very important and urgent matters in the Philippines as well as global happenings.

Too bad for me, I was not able to hear the main topics on Day 1 and arrived during the group dynamics part. I know being late does not excuse me from making this blog on what I have learned in the BSV workshop.

During our group discussion, I learned that a group’s interaction is much more productive and united if each member is given his/her own role, whether it be as a facilitator, an inquirer, or a documenter. With such a short time, I was able to catch up on what my (Fuschia) group was up to. This strategy is new to me and it was not difficult for me to follow through.

I’ve learned that a group needs a vision in order to exist and to continue to exist, move, and grow. I’ve learned that each member’s contribution is necessary in order to create the over-all opinion or theme of the group.

The first day of the workshop gave me a brand new meaning of what a group must be and should be doing as well as the importance of having a vision.

by Kevin Jeigh Quiñones

A Vision, a Mission and a Better Philippines.

These are the things that have been running through my mind in the BSV

Workshop.

Vision. What we want for the country. The guide.

Mission. What we can do to achieve our vision. The action.

A Better Philippines. The goal.

In sharing each of our views, we were able to find similarities. Whether young or old, the vision of what one can do for his own country is still the same. It was interesting to hear the views of the older generation and know they can impart great knowledge to the youth like us so that we can help achieve a better Philippines. Their words of wisdom would be very useful to us.

There is more to learn and impart, and through the kind of environment and atmosphere that the BSV Workshop created, we can break the walls that prevent us from working together in creating a better Philippines.

By: Alvin Jed Quinones

The 1st part of the BSV Workshop was a wonderful experience for me.  While I have managed to organize a couple of workshops in the past, this was my first time helping to organize a workshop that includes, in its list of participants and lecturers, figures with such esteemed names such as Former Mayor of Laguna Jun Simon, Ben Aquino, Mike Niez and most especially, my Tito, the illustrious Ben Quinones. I had slight qualms in the beginning about handling an event with such a prestigious host of participants but my doubts were quieted once I realized the air of friendliness and warm-heartedness that abound from the gathering.

The workshop proceeded without much ado and throughout the workshop we got to share our individual visions that we each have for our own country, and at the same time we got to listen to others’ ideas as well. We even got to learn some valuable business tips from pastor and entrepreneur Patrick Evangelista who joined our workshop to talk about his business venture with Pat’s Burger.  Mr. Willie Maldia, Executive VP of Landbank even went out of his way to inform us of some of the programs offered by Landbank available for cooperatives and other social enterprises (and though, admittedly, half of the time I was not able to grasp the valuable information he was imparting on us, it helped that I have a brother who is taking Business Administation and was kind enough to explain it all in Layman).

In my opinion, the 1st part of workshop had been a great success in uniting the participants to a common goal with which they can devote their efforts to in order to further improve the situation of their fellow Filipinos.  It now boils down to whether they are committed enough to take this a step higher which is to share and act on their vision at the national level.  After the 1st part of the workshop concluded, a handful of the young participants including me were each asked if we can see ourselves working with CSRSME to take our dialogue and develop it in preparation for AA4SE’s global forum. I strongly voiced out my enthusiasm for this endeavor, and to my surprise, all of my fellow youth also expressed their interest to work with the CSRSME team.  It is clear to me that the youth have already decided to act upon the collective vision that they realized from participating in the BSV workshop.  So far I have yet to see such a commitment from the “less younger” members of the BSV attendees, but I am hopeful and optimistic that a handful of them will also show their interest to work with us in making a better Philippines through this venture.

By Desi Dario Magnaye (E-mail: ddrmagnaye@gmail.com, YM id: desi_magnaye, Website: ddrmagnaye.multiply.com)

I will probably remember May 23, 2009 for the rest of my life because I attended a seminar workshop on my first day of being jobless. I have been a high school physics teacher for the past five years and currently, I am eagerly waiting for the result of a pending job application as a teacher-trainer or the confirmation of a year-long scholarship grant. Either way, I left my former school to go back to school again – to train teachers or be a student once more.

I have never imagined myself as a teacher but looking back in retrospect, it was something that I have been doing ever since. The love for books and reading at an early age intensified my love for learning. I would remember sharing them to my siblings and cousins. In high school, I would give free tutorials to my classmates during exam week so that I can force myself to study. Volunteering as a peer tutor in UP gave me a sense of fulfillment in being able to help freshmen struggling with their math subjects.

Yet five years ago, I cannot seem to reconcile the fact that I would be a teacher. All along I felt that I got into it by accident. However, as I came in terms with the idea of being an educator, I know that this was the Lord’s answer to a vision I held. This was the Lord’s way of letting me fulfill my dream. A dream to be the best that I can be in order to make a difference to other people’s lives.

Teaching is my way of making a difference to my students’ lives.

As I leave my teaching career to explore other opportunities, I am still holding on to my vision – now to be the best teacher-trainer or be the best student again.

I know this vision is what will keep me going as I start anew.

Hi. This is Junalyn Nablo, 19 years old. Presently studying at the University of Southeastern Philippines, Mintal Campus, Davao City. An incoming fourth year student this school year and taking up Bachelor of Science in Community Development. I am presently working as intern at World Vision Development Foundation, Davao branch under Child Labor Program.

As a student, it’s my pleasure to join Building Shared Vision Workshop towards Solidarity Economy because I know that this will help me more to develop my skills. It also made me realize that in an organization there must always be communication that helps to strengthen the organization. It’s hard to attain your objectives especially when you have the “learning Disability”. In other words you must be flexible in any way and in many ways.

First day of workshop was really fun.. I met new friends. I Love it!!

Jerick T. Axalan is Researcher Assistant in UP Mindanao for the project Enhancing profitability of selected vegetable value chains in the southern Philippines. He had previous work experiences in marketing research, policy analysis for biodiversity management and conservation, integrated social enterprise development, and stakeholder analysis.

I’m privileged to join the Building Shared Vision Workshop here in Davao. I’ve learned many valuable information and insights from the inputs of the speakers, from the method building shared vision, and from the whole experience in workshop.

From the inputs of the speakers, I gained new knowledge on the essence of a vision, learning organization, learning disabilities, and the solution of learning disabilities. Some of the learning points are:

1. If there is no vision, there is no direction. Vision should be written down and be shared to other people.
2. Learning organization acronym: L- learn, E- experiment, A- adapts, R- risk, N- nurture, I- innovates, N- new ideas, G- grows.
3. Very few organizations are learning organization because of learning disabilities. These learning disabilities are: a. I am position b. he enemy is out there, c. illusion of taking charge, d. the parable of the boiled frog, e. the delusion of learning from experience, f. the myth of the Management Team

4 The solution for the learning disabilities involves a Paradigm Shift, enhance learning team, develop system thinking, and build shared vision.

The BSV workshop also gave me an opportunity to remind my values and to check my attitude as a person. The insights from all the participants and speakers served as reminders to what I mostly value in my life. It is in interesting to note that we shared the same values as individual despite different in background and experience. I was able to check my attitude as a person, my relationship with my family and other people, and the environment.

The role playing method of the BSV is learning by itself. It was my first time to experience as a documentor, inquirer, and presenter. It enhanced my skills in writing, listening, and speaking. The role playing method gave me the opportunity to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each team members. I appreciated more how each team member encouraged one another. There was camaraderie and teamwork to all participants. It was fun activity.

The BSV workshop awakened my desire to do something more for country by having a shared vision and same goal with other Filipino. It gives me a tremendous hope that Filipino can unite despites the issues and uncertainties that country is facing in world today.

Hi everyone, I am Glen Nazareno, an employee and entrepreneur.

The seminar on Building Shared Vision happened on May 23-24, 2009 here in Davao City.

I have learned the importance of having a vision for my own personal benefit and for other people. This seminar helps me to focus on what I can do in order to realize the vision for the country rather than putting the blame on other people. Fulfillment of the vision requires individuals or groups of individuals who have a common goal and the willingness to initiate personal change.

As an entrepreneur, I acknowledge my responsibility towards my employees, the people at large and the environment. The goal of my business must not focus only on Profitability but also the welfare of the people and the preservation of the Planet.

I wish to see the Philippines as a blessed nation!

I am Jess Baldecanas, a businessman from of Davao City, Philippines. In my first day BSV Worshop, i learned to consider the community and environment. I also noticed from my team that we almost have the same purpose, goals, and visions for our country. Likewise, our onw team’s shared vision is similar to the shared vision of the other teams.

Lastly, the shared vision of my team applies to my business, and to my personal life.

We have common objectives being legitimate Christians bound ethically by GOD’s law. The shared vision we collectively built at the BSV Davao workshop faithfully encourages everyone of us to be a righteous leader who could implement the law of the land without fear or favor towards realizing our common Vision for a better Philippines.

I recalled my past experience working in a Non-Government Organization which also promoted building a shared vision among various stakeholders.  This was one of the largest NGOs in the country with multiple projects in sustainable agriculture, cooperative system, people’s livelihood program, advocacy and governance.

The recent BSV Davao workshop imparts a comprehensive knowledge to all participants particularly those who are not already involved in development-oriented initiatives.

In building a shared vision for a better Philippines, the Economic, Political, and Cultural strengths and weaknesses must be carefully evaluated by the leader or highest authority.

When I participated in a three-country study visit (namely Indonesia, Macau and China), I was so impressed about the stability of their economic situation. Indonesia has the largest Islam population in the world and yet before the fall of Suharto, Indonesians had the VISION to change into a strong Democratic country. When I was there in September 2007, I noticed in every corner of the street banners and posters trumpeting Democratic Indonesia.  They now have a better government system than before. Today, Indonesia is one of the developing countries with the most potential for foreign investments. Their culture is well recognized by foreign investors.

In the case of Macau and China, we know they are a communist country but now they have a market-oriented economy.

BSV has made a contribution through a workshop that upholds social responsibility and promotes the development of Small & Medium Enterprises. It brought together people from various organizaions such as religious groups, non profit organizations and business sector. It provided an opportunity for sharing one’s personal VISION and facilitated exchange of ideas and views that were aimed at establishing a more sustainable economic system.

By Ben Quiñones

A small crowd of familiar faces had gathered in the workshop room at Lispher Inn (Juna subdivision, Matina, Davao city) when the Building Shared Vision (BSV) towards Solidarity Economy started exactly on schedule at 8.00 am of May 23. These were the CSRSME Asia team of six (former Quezon city Mayor Jun Simon, Hilda Panganiban, Jeanne Marie Bernardo, Joel Marcaida, Patrick Evangelista, & myself) and the VisionQ team of eight (Kaye, Alvin Jed, Karl, Kevin, Kaycee, Kharis, Abbey, and Harry their unofficial adviser), plus a few young professionals, students, and businessmen. By the time the praise and worship led by CSRSME Asia Executive Director Hilda Panganiban ended, the workshop room was full.

The night before, the CSRSME Asia team and the VisionQ team wondered how a group of over 40 people could fit into a conference room that was meant for 30. They decided to arrange the long tables in diagonal lines to maximize space, after debating over some arrangement patterns. They also assigned participants to designated seats according to a pre-conceived grouping assignment. This pre-workshop measure helped ensure a smooth flow of incoming people through registration and seating.

One of the workshop features that impressed most participants was the conduct and completion of sessions on time. In fact, the morning session of May 23 gained a positive 30 minutes from shortened presentations of resource speakers, which gave participants more time to organize their dialogue sessions. Credit this commendable performance to the disciplined time management applied all throughout by the overall workshop coordinator Jeanne Marie Bernardo. She kept every resource person and discussant reminded of their time limits and saw to it that everyone was conscious of the restricted time resource available for the entire workshop.

continue reading…

I am Rev. Subhash Madhav Chandorikar, qualification: B. D. M. Th. I have been Priest-In-Charge in the Methodist Church in India. I am Dalit. In the church I have been fighting for justice and equality. Some local churches are not considering Dalit concept i.e. labour issues; Dalit Development; Prostitution and Cry of the poor people. Therefore, I have registered one

N G O organization SEARCH – Social economical assistance for rural and city habitants. Through the SEARCH Organization I have been working for Dalit community, rights of the children, service to elderly people. We have formed self help groups (S H G); it is giving us good results. I am writer; I have written 10 books both in English and local language Marathi; I have participated and presented caste problems at World Racism Conference in Durban; I have presented a paper at Human Rights Commission of U N, Geneva, “The Religious Exploitation of Dalit Women”. In addition I had field exposure at Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, England and France; I had an opportunity to share Dalit issues; I have two daughters who are post graduate doing social work. At present I have been initiating human rights of eunuchs. And I am caring HIV / AIDS people.

My impression of Lux’

As you know I come from a religious institution. I was always comparing Lux’09 knowledge with theological perspective. Indeed, in Lux’09 I got world views on the social and economic conditions. We learnt that so many people are working hard to come out from traditional, slavery and helplessness of human condition, especially with respect to Dalit land issues, achievement of trade unions, initiating economic condition, uprightness and equality concept, restoring human rights of human beings; the gap between powerful and powerless, meaning of democracy. Decision should be initiated by representatives elected by people, power should be in people’s hands. We are the decision making constituents. That is the solidarity in social and economy. In Asia and in Indian situation we call them ‘leftist’ and ‘opposition’ of the nation. But solidarity in social economy is the key to the better human being. Therefore, within our available situation in the church or in the community I have started a think tank group to formulate solidarity social economic programmes.

What I didn’t like with the Lux’09 is that we were not given sufficient time to share from participant side. Nonetheless, Lux’09 has made an impact on my life and also on my work.

By Sam Chelludurai

Anekal Rehabilitation Education And Development (READ) Centre was started in 1984 as a Charity in India. It was aimed at rehabilitating and resettling all people who are displaced due to natural calamities, diseases, social conflicts and in search of livelihoods. Later READ Centre became a resourceful and training organization to promote social networking among small and medium NGOs in Southern India. It started to work in 900 villages and hamlets in southern states in India. READ Centre has been active in releasing bonded labourers, child labourers and setting up Community Based Business activities for such people apart from running community based health and education programmes. Since five years it is quite active in promoting Social Solidarity Economy through the Community Business initiatives. Though this we have many community based organizations became Social Solidarity Economic development groups where they try to improve and safeguard the local economic systems and activities to become sustainable alternative livelihood activities.

My positive experiences of LUX09

It was a good occasion for me to meet many people from different countries with different experiences in Social Solidarity Economic activities, social development activities that were focused in promoting SSE. Attending different kinds of workshops and event have helped me to understand new dimensions of SSE as well as the social networking. The shops set up by the SSE producers from African, South American, European SSE activist groups impressed me a lot. I was inspired by some of major SSE activities from Cuba, West Africa and South American groups. Asian groups’ idea on trying to host the 2013 conference in Manila is another encouraging exercise we had during group discussions.

I did not like:

On few times there were less of chances for translation for English speaking groups. The workshops organized in many places have confused me.. PowerPoint presentations were poor due to bright light (the main hall was white plastic sheeted roof). Transportation facilities, food arrangement and communication between the organizers and the participants were not a good one. Reimbursement of travel and hotel arrangements was quite poor. Especially the Asian participants openly have expressed their disappointments.

by Jun Simon, former Mayor of Quezon city, & President, Advocates for Servant Leadership

Bonifacio conducted the Sandugo for the Katipunan. What will MissionQ do for the new Katipunan?

The revolutionary Katipunan grew through a secret triangular networking. MissionQ through the Blog and texting.

The birthing of the Katipunan was in Tondo Manila. Mission Q in Matina, Davao.

The soul of Bonifacio is in you, Mission Q. Your vision, mission statement shows that Bonifacio lives.

But you have one over Bonifacio. Bonifacio did not have the net.

Use it. Maximize it. Win with it.

The bow, Ben Q, inspires and directs.

But it is up to the arrow, Mission Q, to release itself and achieve the goal.

Dr. Rene Ofreneo, Executive Director, Fair Trade Alliance

My interest on solidarity economics is greatly influenced by my regular work (professor of industrial relations and labor economics) and educational background  (journalism, industrial relations,  development economics).  Most of my research and advocacy interests revolve around peasant empowerment, social movement unionism and fair trade policy advocacy, all of which are related to this broad global movement for solidarity economy.  I am the outgoing Executive Director of the Fair Trade Alliance, which has been conducting policy dialogues and debates on trade-development issues in the Philippines, specifically in relation to its unilateral, bilateral, regional and multilateral trade commitments.   I am now focusing my attention on the promotion of damayan (helping one another in times of distress) and bayanihan-tangkilikan (helping one another for survival and growth) among the workers, formal and informal.   I have also been helping some global union federations and labor NGOs in the Asia-Pacific in their formulation of positions on how to engage ASEAN and other Asian countries on the shape of the evolving regional economic integration.

On post-Luxembourg

With the global crisis and economic uncertainties likely to persist in the coming years, the message of Luxembourg and Mont-Blanc should be promoted louder and louder.   Despite the declaration of Gordon Brown in the G20 meeting that the Washington Consensus is dead, Washington Consensus approaches to economic development, including the mindless liberalization programs (e.g., bilateral, regional and multilateral agreements) have remained the mainstream recipe for growth.   There are many contrary development approaches from below, some inspired simply by the requirements of survival;  however, they do not get enough support and their space is increasingly squeezed by the elitist approaches espoused by those holding the levers of power.   Asia, the poster boy of globalization in the 1990s, should be the model for solidarity-based development of the millenium.  For this, we really need to double our efforts in networking and propagating the ideas of Luxembourg and Mont-Blanc.

Dear SSE friends,
Many greetings!

Due to the crackdown on demonstrators in Thailand, I am still in Europe.

It has been a full month that has been devoted to work on a lengthy article on Thailand’s political chaos, ‘The Voter’s Uprising that is Changing Perceptions in Thailand’, for circulation among the ASEAN people and international communities. With hope that this article may somehow bring a better understanding among those who are concerned about Thailand and have been wondering what is going on and why Thailand is in such a mess for the past few years.
 
Very few Thais dare to speak about the root cause of our problem, and the (political) mess in Thailand continues. It is impossible to get the international community to understand the motivation of the Red shirts in Thailand without getting them introduced to the 80 years of struggle for democracy, which is, sad to say, still going on until now.

In my 20 years of fighting for international labour standard and the empowerment of working women, I too am exhausted by constantly seeing our achievements pushed back every time there’s a new coup or shift in the power game.

We all have a strong hope that the mobilization in April this year is going to bring change and democracy to Thailand. However, the brutality of the military crackdown is something we all need to condemn.

Please visit http://www.timeupthailand.blogspot.com/ for the detail of the article.

In solidarity

Lek…

Many individuals gathered together..

for ONE reason,

having ONE vision

United with ONE goal

obey ONE God..

ONE TEAM for a

BETTER PHILIPPINES!!!..

Orlando “ORLY” C. Gabriel

Participating in the latest Building Shared Vision Workshop here in Davao City, Philippines is of  great value & opportunity specially in my field of work. I am always dealing with people/clients in the market place with regards to their business financial needs.

At present, I am able to capture the bigger picture of  “doing my profession & at the same time contributing to my country’s upliftment”.  This vision is a fundamental reason for my professional existence.

My special thanks to the management team of  CSRSME Asia. Mabuhay kayong lahat and, God bless you all.

Federation of Community Forestry Users, Nepal (FECOFUN) is an umbrella organization of about 15000 CFUGs which was established in 1995 and generally advocates on the issues and challenges faced by the community forestry users at grassroots levels. Altogether, total households affiliated to this organization is about 16 Lakhs totaling about 95 Lakhs population. They have been managing about 13.5 Lakh ha of community forestry throughout Nepal. I have been working in this organization supporting people’s rights and improving their access to the rightful resources since its establishment in 1995. In terms of community forestry user group support program, I have been working to promote community based enterprises through promotion of NTFP-based enterprises through identification and management. Also, I have been working in establishing networks for the produce from the enterprise via creation of markets and addition of value chain, e.g. Bel Juice, Lokta paper, etc. I also support in creation of effective channels and developing linkages for the sustainable sale of the produce. In addition to these, I have also been supporting the community in production of bio-briquettes and channeling their products to the market. I am also involved in promotion and establishment of biogas facilities for the communities. Other forms of community enterprises, I have been working with and supporting are promotion of handicrafts made of paper, Tapari made of sal leaves, etc.

On Lux’09

It was a real pleasure to participate in the Lux’09 conference and meeting a number of wonderful personalities. Events like these do help to create collaboration between various members working around the world for the same cause. I am writing some of my personal experiences of Lux 09 and my perception about the sessions and contents of the conference.

Though I had participated in various conferences under various themes within the country, this was my first experience of participating in the international conference. I had participated in four sessions of social economy, three sessions of social transformation and two sessions of environment and technology together with almost daily participation in the dignity sessions. I was also exposed to various skills and methods used by community enterprises which enhanced my knowledge and learning with room for replicability in my community as well. These kind of social solidarity forum helps and advocates on improving the economic status of poor, disadvantaged, vulnerable and indigenous people by influencing national and international policies. The papers presented to improve the status of women, poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged through community based enterprises were especially impressive. Private enterprises have been earning a great deal of profit but these kind of enterprises have been beneficial only to the owners and some high-class executives within the organization such that the laborers and workers have had little access to the rightful resources and incomes that the organization earn through their efforts and hard work. The other most impressive thought that touched me was that in order to improve the community based enterprises, one should change the behaviour and attitude besides speaking about it. The discussion on good governance system and how the poor will benefit if these systems are established at community level was very thoughtful and provoking. In order to improve the governance system at the community, first of all the poor people at grassroots level must first be strengthened which could be done by creating their network and coordinating these with other similar stakeholders and supportive organizations. The final thoughts emerged at the end of the dignity session were great, e.g., poor environment pro-poor your mind; governance is not seen when you do not realize and do not work.

My suggestion for future events is that attention should be paid to grassroots level change and their experiences and learning from around the world, focus on facts than on theories and participatory inclusion that promotes good governance at the community level irrespective of spatial differences. Sharing of this kind of learning would not only enhance the knowledge of the participants but would also enliven the thinking and the soul of the participants.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION OF A SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE,  SOLIDARITY-BASED ECONOMY?

WHAT CONCRETE STEPS CAN PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS TAKE SO THAT THEY CAN WORK TOGETHER AND BUILD SUCH AN ECONOMY?

Please send us your answer to these two quesstions together with your ID picture.

A CSRSME Asia Award Certificate will be given to the entry with the most innovative idea.

by Miguel Yasuyuki Hirota

* Clarify basic principles of SE (what SE is, which criteria we have to comply with etc.)
* Set up common goals with specific procedures
* Prepare basic info on SE in different languages (Bengali, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese (simplified / traditional), Hindi, Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, Malay, Nepali, Sinhaliese, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese): how to get money for that is another issue.
* Attend other conferences such as sustainable development, different social movements to dialogue with them and disseminate the idea of SE to those people

I’d like to underscore the last point: I remember that in Luxembourg a lady from UK said that Brits react to the word “sustainability” but not to “solidarity,” so it’s necessary for us to explain our movement in different terms for those people, i.e. to adjust our framework in a way they can understand.

by: Joel Marcaida, Executive Director-National Youth for Servant Leadership & Youth Facilitator, CSRSME Asia

In Year 2003, I was involved in JESUS REVOLUTION NOW (JRev) a movement that aims at gathering two generations for prayer, fasting and spiritual revolution.  One of JRev’s teachings is about BOW AND ARROW. The bow refers to the older generation and the arrow refers to the youth.

This is what I witnessed in the Building Shared Vision in Davao City on May 23-24, 2009. I was part of the CSRSME Asia team to the workshop. During one of our meetings prior to the Davao workshop the CSRSME Asia discussed the pros and cons of having a mixed participants (the “young ones” & the “young once”). I was apprehensive that the “young once” will dominate the group discussions and the youth will not have time to speak.

My apprehensions were unfounded.  The BSV Davao Workshop  showed me that the mixture of “young ones” and “young once” among the participants was better. The results of BSV Davao were overwhelming. The supp0rt of the older participants was quite visible while the younger participants enthusiastically in organizing the sessions. The constant sending of email messages and texting among participants is an indication that BSV Davao continues to work on the vision of its participants.

Let’s Gather the 2 Generations!!!! NOW!!!

ARISE PHILIPPINES, ARISE!!!

THERE IS STILL HOPE!!!

Let’s be united for God & Country…..

by Miguel Yasuyuki Hirota

The symposium “End of Neoliberalism and Solidarity Economy” (organised by Pacific Asia Resource Center) and Ohdake Foundation) was held on Sun, 07^th June in the afternoon at Sôhyô Kaikan, Chiyoda, Tokyo. More than 150 people came to the venue with the maximum capacity of 100, reflecting the surging interest for solidarity economy in a country where this term remains generally unknown to the public. I hope the same interest will bring more people to the 2^nd Asian Forum on Solidarity Economy to be held from Sat, 7^th to Mon, 9^th November at United Nations University and Aoyama Gakuin University.

Four guests gave their presentations on this subject within the severe time limit of 20 minutes for each one. The first speaker, Andrew DeWit, Professor at the College of Economics, Rikkyô University, began with showing that nowadays even Republicans and CEOs criticize harshly economic policies during the Bush administration, pointing out that the U.S. economy in the last ten years was a FIRE (Finance, Insurance and Real Estate) economy as its growth was limited to these fields. He showed another comment that governments will enhance regulations for decades as a backlash to the excessive market economy and that the current crisis is not a temporary recession but is something equivalent to the Great Depression, showing it with tables. He appreciated Obama administration as it has been proactively working for renewable energy, hinting the possibility that the US politics may turn from Southern (religious and too ideology-oriented) to Californian (progressive, eco-friendly and logical) ones. On top of that, he mentioned the point that the current civilisation itself is unsustainable from the ecological viewpoint too due to its dependency on oil, proposing the shift to renewable energies.

Then followed Yoko Kitazawa, commentator on international affairs and one of founders of PARC. She began her speech with the bankruptcy and the subsequent nationalisation of GM, symbol of U.S. capitalism, judging that the capitalism is in crisis and adding that now is the time to promote solidarity economy as states cannot afford to make up for what remains unmet with the decaying capitalism. It was during the 1st World Social Forum, which took place at Porto Alegre, Brazil in January 2001, when she first came to know about the solidarity economy as she dropped by different cooperatives and visited Landless Workers’ Movement (MST in Portuguese) which was preparing for the takeover of latifundios. This Brazilian city is the cradle for the Participatory Budgeting on which Kitazawa also gave a brief introduction. Finally, she referred to the concept of social economy in France which includes mutual benefit societies, non-profits and foundations too.

Japanese initiatives of solidarity economy were presented too. Makoto Yuasa, counselor of PARC and secretary general of the non-profit “Independent Life Support Centre Moyai” (Moyai means mutual help in Japanese) working to help the homeless for more than a decade, related what he has done with the solidarity economy. He began his activities in 1995, setting up a mutual benefit system for day workers (you pay 300 yen (US$3) per month to get up to 10,000 yen (US$100, 1.000 yen x 10 days) in case you are too ill to work), cosigning rental agreements (you pay 8.000 yen (US$80) for 2 years), paying some salary for those homeless people who clear up the apartments of those who disappeared, hosting a salon on Saturdays at Moyai’s office at Iidabashi, Tokyo to give chances to see people for those who have lost the chance to do so due to their new life at an apartment and selling fair-trade coffee by asking a former café master to grind. He admitted that he had no previous knowledge at all on what the solidarity economy is before being asked to give a speech for this symposium, so it was a good chance for him to recognize that most of his activities belong to this category and he promised to reflect this concept into his day-to-day chores.

Last but not least, Eiko Mukaeda, representative of Women and Community Bank, told about their own initiative which is being run as a “NPO-Bank,” (NPO- non profit organization) a term commonly used in Japan. She reminded us of Tanomoshikô, an once commonplace practice in Japan in which dozens of people gathered, paying a certain amount of money (such as US$10) and who won the lottery could bring away the whole amount of money. She explained that their bank is a modernised Tanomoshikô for women and grass-root people. Then she revealed her experiences, such as the lack of commercial banks willing to lend money for female entrepreneurs, bank’s order to fill in her husband’s name (not her own one) as loan customer and her surprise that nobody in Japan knew how to set up a credit union because the Ministry of Finance had given the message not to allow anybody to do so. She also said that judicially speaking those NPO banks in Japan belong to the same category as consumer loan firms, forbidding equity participants to be paid of interest, implying the need for appropriate law system for this financial system.

It would be an understatement to say that this symposium with more than 150 participants was a good start, despite some organisational troubles such as lack of seats for so many people and shortage of time for such a variety of topics, as the solidarity economy remains ignored in Japan. It is highly desirable that the 2^nd Asian Forum on Solidarity Economy, to be held in Tokyo in November, should trigger more surveys on solidarity economy by way of universities and other research institutes in order to provide more information in Japanese language, given the almost non-existence of people who can give the overview on solidarity economy.

by Karen “Kaye” N. Quiñones, member of Vision Q and BSV Davao Team.

The Building Shared Vision Davao Workshop was an exceptional experience for me. I would like to start by sharing that for years I have been nursing a burning desire to do something for my beloved country, the Philippines. The problem was I could not reconcile the “how to start”, “what to start” and “where to start”. But the passion is there. How to use that passion is what I know not.

The BSV Davao Workshop last May 23-24, 2009 was not my first time since our uncle, Mr. Ben Quiñones, already conducted a mini-BSV workshop among his nephews and nieces a month before. Basically, I already had the idea of what a vision is, what comprises a learning organization and what the learning disabilities are. I was also familiar with the functions of the facilitator, documentor, story-teller and inquirer. And I thought I knew it all already.

But the whole BSV Davao Workshop experience taught me the practical executions of the theories and concepts that I previously learned from our uncle.

First, I saw vivid manifestations of what a learning organization is through the staff of CSRSME Asia. In many ways, they showed that whatever projects they took, they were a team and were open to learn as a team. I am personally impressed at how they imposed discipline in starting on time. Any Filipino knows for a fact that very few programs start as scheduled. But the CSRSME staff drew the line. On the first day, with only few early birds, the CSRSME staff started the program at the exact time as it was written in the program. They did the same thing on the second day– with empty stomachs. Lunch was served late. But they began the workshop without eating lunch just to stick to the schedule! Now, that is dedication.

Second, I also am delighted and somewhat surprised with how my cousins, who are members of the VisionQ team were eagerly participating in every segment of the program. As a team, we learned to offer help in our little way–from the registration of the participants, to the ushering and even in documenting each activity. I am so proud with their efforts to serve the participants. Yes, we are becoming a learning organization as well.

Third, I was encouraged by the positive response of the participants. Most, if not all, were actively involved in crafting new ideas on how we could mobilize a savings program in Davao. In fact, it was beyond my expectation that the Davao group would immediately agree to start a cooperative. To witness such an enthusiastic reponse from a group composed of a mixture of students, young professionals, and businessmen sharing the same vision is such an empowering sight to see! A miracle even.

To sum it all up, here are the lessons I learned from the recently concluded BSV Davao Workshop. I learned:

1. That in my desire to see a better Philippines, I belong to a team. Thus, I am not alone.

2. That with a passionate and God-fearing team, there is still hope for my country.

3. That in using the Fundamentals of Financial Stewardship, saving with a team is better than saving alone.

4. That age groups are not hindrances but are complements in working and learning together as a team.

5. (And realized) that the bayanihan culture of the Filipinos has not died.

6. That people are willing to work together if they clearly catch the vision.

7. That human efforts alone could not get us where we wanted to go. Therefore we needed a greater Power and Authority to enable us to carry out the vision that has been burning in our hearts.

I consider it such a great privilege to be part of the first BSV Davao Workshop. I believe in my heart that what we had started in Davao changed the course of history the moment we pledged our commitment to serve our country by promoting solidarity economy.

To the CSRSME staff, thank you for your selfless service to the Davaoeñoes.

To the Vision Q, Qudos (Kudos) to your Quality service!

To the BSV Davao Participants, let’s work together. Mabuhay kayong lahat!

To my country Philippines, “di ka na maaapi, ngayon at kailanman, pag-ibig ko’y sa’yo, Inang Bayan.”

To God be all the glory!:D

by:

Judith Hitchman
Yvon Poirier
Martine Theveniaut
Editorial Team
International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development

As we announced last April, the entire Editorial Team attended the Lux’09 Meeting. From our perspective, this meeting was a success, especially since several working groups are taking action on proposals elaborated during workshops.

We wish to invite you to visit www.lux09.lu to view the results of thirteen thematic workshops as well as the final Declaration.

Since we were involved from the beginning in organizing Workshop 7, Democratic participation and anchoring the SSE at a territorial level for another economy, and since it is the essence of the mission of our Newsletter, we wish to share the preparatory process of the workshop and its main results.

We are very satisfied with this result, especially as in many other workshops, the concept of local development, which for us means territorial anchoring was present. In conclusion, in the vast majority of sectors of activity, whether responsible consumption and fair trade, solidarity finances, food, energy, housing, etc., the importance of the local level or territorial anchoring is a constant.

Editorial team Judith Hitchman, Yvon Poirer, Martine Theveniaut with Ben Quinones & Denison Jayasooria meeting with Workshop 7 participants in Southern France

The contributions of Workshop 7: Democratic participation and anchoring the SSE at a territorial level to create another economy.

In the current context of deep crisis of democracy and the growth model, the French association of Pactes Locaux, supported by the Foundation for the Progress of Humankind (FPH) devised a mobile, learner-centered capitalization process, that involved a broad working platform at European level. In December 2007, the preparations for Workshop 7 agreed to hold 5 regional meetings. They were hosted by locally active organizations involved in territorial issues. Considerable progress if the following key issues was made:
• Poitou-Charentes: citizen’s participation and creation of 340 employer’s groups to meet needs, create jobs through the foundation of a European Resource Center (France Joubert)
• Auvergne: responsible tourism, a laboratory for territorial solidarity economy, that is both harmonious and sustainable, as well as being a tool for development for the local population. (Alain Laurent and Jean-Claude Mairal)
• Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: Objectif Plein Emploi is a network of 820 employees in jobs that cannot be relocated as well as 400 volunteers. It focuses on local development, solidarity economy and promoting the Third Sector in Europe (Ben Goerens)
• Ile-de-France (Paris Region): the Equitess Collective in Fontenay-sous-Bois introduced new socio-economic practices that contribute to better together in urban areas. (Christine Bourdel, Françoise Hutinet, Joël Cacciaguerra)
• Nord-Pas-de-Calais: metropolis agglomerations (Lille, Kortrijk, Arras and Calais, Dunkerque, Boulogne) and their adjacent territories: How to organise solidarity and economy, and avoid a fatalistic approach were the watchwords of this meeting. (Bruno Deffontaines and Mireille Charonnat, Development Council of Pays de Saint-Omer, with the rural regions of the Green Zone).

Lux '09 Workshop 7 with Pays Cathare Mayor Eric Andrieu and workshop members from Canada, Ethiopia, Malaysia, and Philippines

The five meetings were concluded in January 2009. The results were highlighted using the same criteria, and charted on a grid. They were discussed between peers and led to concrete proposals. They were enriched and extended at international level between February and April 2009. Thius was done by:
• Using illustrative charts prepared by the speakers and other guest contributors from around the world who were members of workshop 7: Europe, Georgia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Madagascar, Quebec, Chile, Malaysia and the Philippines.
• Hosting an international delegation in the Aude before the Lux09 meeting, from April 16th – 21th : Yvon Poirier and Jacques Fiset (Quebec), Denison Jayasooria (Malaysia) and Ben Quiñones (Philippines), President and leader of the CSRSME Asia (Coalition of Socially Responsible SMEs). This is the organisation responsible for carrying the torch for the 5th meeting to Asia in 2013.

Much material, many questions, suggestions and proposals of great value were gathered through this participatory process (www.pactes-locaux.org). Luxembourg ‘09 is a milestone and a new starting point, as evidenced by the general conclusions of Workshop 7. :
85 people registered, about forty actually were present for all 3 sessions of the workshop:
1) “Illustrate and discuss views from the North.”
2) On the following day, “Views from the South”
3) “Comparing our vision” on the third day and identification of converging ideas and similarities between actors at all levels of responsibility; making joint proposals from local to European and international levels, potential answers through regulations, organisation, co-operation and decisions.

Lux '09 Workshop 7 with Ethel Cote (RIPESS interim coordinator), Yvon Poirer (CCEDNet), and Emily Kawano (Solidarity Economy Network, USA)

Workshop 7 considers the idea of territorial anchoring is of central importance.

The gravity of the current crisis provides an opportunity to revise fundamental aspects of the economy by connecting them to the other dimensions at the most relevant level. This means at local, territorial level. It implies that people are the central starting point for both analyses and action. At this level it is possible to adopt a holistic vision. Territorial anchoring makes it possible to adopt a transversal, across-the-board approach and achieve joined-up thinking (environment, social, culture, finance, governance etc.). It also allows for the involvement of all social groups, especially the excluded; it is essential that SSE develop socially inclusive policies. This approach is a pillar of the social solidarity economy and will be placed at the heart of the 5th meeting of RIPESS in Asia.

For this concept to be understood and disseminated, the learning approach of the Pactes Locaux is an appropriate tool. It the concrete translation of the expression “experience shapes and takes shape”. The learning journey (as it is called in Asia) contributes to the co-construction of a shared vision of the territory and about the territory. This type of tool needs to be improved and adapted.

Capacity building and training are indispensable. The target groups for this are elected representatives, municipal staff and the civil services in general.
Participation must be the norm, but it must be facilitated by reaching out to the most excluded and the most needy, through listening and dialogue rather than by preaching. This is essential.

Lux '09 Workshop 7 with Denison Jayasooria and Martine Theveniaut

It is important to have facilitators, storytellers and moderators in daily local life. The same applies to effective tools like the African tradition of sitting under a tree to talk things through.
Taken together, all these elements help to establish the link between representative democracy and active democracy.
The networking and exchange of North-South experiences is also important. There is a need to strike a new balance between exchanging experience and knowledge.
The use of regulations, in other words of policies, is inevitable in order to establish links between local, regional, national, continental and global levels.

There were specific proposals that mark the shared will to continue a meaningful dialogue to explore two issues in the framework of the International Asian Forum in 2013:
• What contribution can the territorial, cultural, environmental, and social dimension bring to the various themes that the Forum intends to address?
• What contribution can be made to the development of global projects?
A number of actions have been listed, and are being explored in terms of their potential implementation.

This approach was reinforced in the concluding speech to Lux09 made by Romain Biever, Chairman of INEES (European Institute for Solidarity based Economy), in which he emphasised the following 5 points:
• “continue to conceptualize basic research in the field of economic science;
• continue applied research on various themes through projects because the skills are embedded within the projects;
• emphasise the value of territories in democratic governance;
• strengthen networking;
• enable all citizens to participate, to develop critical thinking, fight dogmatic positions, participate in the media … We must combine these 5 points, and help them to grow from the territories, to become new locomotives. We need to develop a knowledge-based society and create centres of excellence in our territories and internationally. “

Article by Martine Theveniaut

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Special thanks to:
Évéline Poirier from Canada for the English translation
Brunilda Rafael from France for the Spanish translation
Michel Colin from Brazil for the Portuguese translation

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

Having worked for almost twenty years with Fair Trade, which is considered as Socially Responsible Business, I am trying to relate the vision of Socially Responsible Economy with Fair Trade. The Fair Trade movement has a vision of a world in which justice and a sustainable development are at the heart of trade structures and practices so that everyone, through their work can maintain a decent and dignified livelihood and develop their full human potential. Fair Trade seeks to transform and adapt trading structures and practices in favor of the poor and disadvantaged especially in south. By building trading partnership based on equity and transparency, Fair Trade contributes to sustainable development for marginalized producers, workers and their communities. Producers and workers use the benefits of Fair Trade to improve their social and economic conditions, especially among the most disadvantaged members of their organizations.

Trade is one activity of the whole economy. The concept of Economy is very wide and it covers many other economic activities related with production, distribution and consumption of different products and services. I believe the vision of Fair trade is equally applicable in Socially Responsible Economy in a broader way. The vision of Socially Responsible Economy also should be a world with justice, equality where all the people live a decent life with dignity. The vision of Socially responsible economy should be such that where all the economic activities are done for the sake of improving living condition of producers, workers, farmers, service providers. All the economic activities done addressing social, environmental and economic issues can be considered as social responsible economy. The economy, where producers, farmers are well respected, different opportunities created for them, environmental concerns are well represented, and fairness is observed can be considered as social responsible economy.

The first and most important step to strengthen Socially Responsible Economy is to create a platform where all the people with the same vision can be brought together and start communicating, sharing and interacting with each other. The another important step could be to develop a clear and strong  structure  at the global, regional and national level where all the people involved in different ways to promote Socially Responsible Economy could be integrated . Different forms of strong networking should be  developed with like minded people, organizations and movements. A strong and bigger voice for “ Socially Responsible Economy” should be created through strong advocacy.

by Sandra Honrado

Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP)

ADFIAP is the focal point of all development banks and other financial institutions engaged in the financing of sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. Founded in 1976, ADFIAP has presently 103 member-institutions in 42 countries an territories. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a Special Member of the Association. ADFIAP is also a founding member of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI) composed of similar regional associations in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. ADFIAP is a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council. ADFIAP is the 2008 Overall Winner (Developing Country category) of the Associations Make a Better World Award of the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership. ADFIAP is a non-stock, not-for-profit international organization with headquarters in Manila , Philippines .

A solidarity-based economy is part of a social economy.  Thus, a socially responsible, solidarity-based economy operates on the principle of solidarity and sustainability.

The interaction of people in a group/communities and with the environment has to be emphasized while injecting solidarity values (i.e., cooperative, egalitarian, democratic, local based, and sustainable) into the relationships.   Simply put, it is an economic activity or system that is not regulated by market forces (where prices and wages are determined by supply and demand) but rather it is based on human needs and not on insatiable drive for profit.

Injustice, inequality, and social disparity (poverty, etc) gave birth to socially responsible, solidarity-based economy.   It has, for its objective, the development of human potential, preservation of the communities and environment and break down of oppressive economic hierarchy of all forms.

What concrete steps can people from diverse background take so that they can work together and build such an economy?

For development finance institutions (DFIs) -

• promote social banking and microfinance initiatives;
• provide easy access to sustainable finance;
• promote green banking  and learn to manage environmental risks (with people as the ultimate beneficiary) by institutionalizing environmental standards in bank lending policies.

by Ed Canela

One of the most important components that drive a solidarity economy is fair trade. The recently completed the voice of fair trade global conference which was held from 16 to 22 May 2009 in Kathmandu Nepal and hosted by the Fair Trade Group Nepal.

The event has been driven by so much energy and interest bubbling within the fair trade world, resulting from the Big Bang campaign of the recent World Fair Trade Day held last May 9, 2009. The world Fair Trade delivered the message…in one voice…loud, clear and crisp. Details can be seen in the WFTO website. The conference was led by Paul Meyers, former (from 2007 to 2009) incumbent president (2009 to 2011) of the WFTO. It was opened by the Chief Guest, Dr. Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairman of BRAC Bangladesh.

The first day witnessed the formal opening of the crafts market in the market place where__ booths from China to South Africa were shared with the audience. Then the new WFTO brand was presented followed some detailed discussions and workshops on the brand’s building blocks. The WFTO brand replaces the former IFAT brand. The various key events during the World Fair Trade Day were also highlighted. A plenary discussion on the creation of a sustainable business model followed. Fair trade organizations like Corr the Juteworks (Bangladesh), Trade Aid (New  Zealand), Sinchi Secha (Ecuador) discussed how their organanizations are coping with the complex issues of sustainability. They shared their thoughts on what the Fair Trade Movement can do to insure short and long term survival of the millions of grassroot entrepreneurs via greater market access—globally and locally.

The second day focused on the discussions and recent progress on the development and implementation of a new WFTO label via the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System (SFTMS). The chair prepared the group by claiming that SFTMS should not replace Fair Trade with Fear Trade. After a brief presentation on the SFTMS, several FTOs shared their experiences on SFMTS from parachute (UK and Ecuador), Asha Handicrafts (India), Undugu Society. The SFMTS report of Parachuti for example can be seen in their website, check out. There were also presentations on the next steps and the list of several other FTOs that are inline for the STFMS implementation. Then the group divided into four small groups to discuss the system in much greater detail and depth. Fair trade was gradually replaced by Fear Trade. Confusion enveloped the hall. There were more questions than answers. Changes were made on the schedule to accommodate more discussion spaces. Focus of discussions included scope (including First Purchase choices and implications), choice of open and closed systems, relations between FLO and WFTO plus the indicators of the process against which evaluation of FTOs can happen. Check out the latest copy of the STFMS in the WFTO website. In the end, the Board agreed to resolve the issues via a series of special communication procedures, board and technical committee meetings.

This was followed by the practical WFTO solutions for change in which nine groups were organized to discuss the following issues: (1) the new WFTO retail standard, (2) Fair Trade Principle on Cultural Identity, (3) Trade Aid New Zealand and Impact Study Outcomes, (4) Colours and Trands to delight Customers, (5) The New WFTO Network Model and other e-Commerce initiatives, (6) The New WFTO Advocacy Paper, (7) carbon Trading: What it is and How to do it?, (8) Meeting between WFTO and FLO, and (9) Financial Planning and Management in Challenging Times.

The day ended with a presentation of the Trade Development Centre, a Belgian technical Cooperation Initiative to help WFTO members and producers in selected countries in Africa and Asia (Vietnam). Programme runs from now to 2013.

The third day focused on climate change and advocacy. The panel consisting of FTO representatives from Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Kenya presented how their members and supply chains are affected by the climate change. The sessions noted the climate change such as rising temperatures, rising, sea levels, floods, droughts, hurricanes, unpredictable weather patterns are impacting both at the operations and enterprise levels. The panel presented ways where the FTOs can work on vulnerability issues such as increasing community resilience to cope with impacts of climate change, livelihood programmes, disaster management, strengthening communities in managing early warning systems as well as reduction n gas emissions and further measures to protect the environment.

In the afternoon, the panel presented advocacy measures and strategies. The panel consisted of representatives from advocacy groups in five regions, (1) Africa, (2) CAJUNz+Fiji, (3) Europe, (4) WFTO Asia, and (5) Latin America. The participants were treated to a grand tour, cultural programme and dinner of the World Heritage Site of Bhaktaphur.

Half of the fourth day focused on regional issues and meetings. Each region had their own issues tracing back from the Balkenberg conference of 2006. The regional resolutions were derived and discussed. The Asian region noted communication concerns, recycling of issues, lengthy procedures, and quest for clarification. Candidates for the Board of Directors and WFTO President were officially presented to the voting members. In the afternoon, a panel presented on the current global economic crisis and it potential impact on Fair Trade simultaneous with Innovative Strategies for Coping with the Global recession. A representative from the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship presented the short term impacts of the recession on far trade and suggested a set of activities (loyalty: repeat purchase, Lifestyle: market positioning, and legitimacy: authenticity and advocacy can be used to mitigate the impacts. India, Kenya, Tanzania, UK and Netherlands presented how they are coping with the recession.

The session on WFTO and FLO was eventually cancelled as one of the speakers was sick. The judging for the crafts market exhibits was held.

The last day focused on the impact evaluation of the BaSE Bangladesh which has been an IFAT/ WFTO member for 10 years. This year it evaluated all 16 of their producer groups on the impact of being members of the Fair Trade movement.  The result of this analysis “brings a picture with both lights and shadows. But we believe that in any case it was a fruitful work for us and that it can be so for others too”

This was followed by the Business sessions to prepare for the first WFTO Annual General Meeting. The AGM chair was approved, the agenda was read and approved, detailed discussion of the financial situation and draft budget and the presentations of new resolutions.

Impressions

There is a strong case for the convergence of the Fair Trade and Solidarity Economy movements. This is already happening in Latin America. Individual discussion with some members indicate that fair trade is very strong at the ground level whilst solidarity movement is having much more focus on practical and academic domains. While the author was a mere observer, a strong endorsement for membership is recommended.

As a group WFTO is still in flux in its structure. It appears that several layers are being constructed. Global, regional and country levels. While this is definitely a laudable approach, it clearly shows that the application of fairness across the board is slowing the organization down. There many and complex legal  issues, cultural issues, political issues, representation, constitution, membership inclusion (and exclusion together with the feared SFTMS), labels and branding, communications, decentralization of authority as well as members’ rights and advocacy that have to be resolved.

And while the conversations on the above issues went on, the struggle among the producers, members or not continues to unfold. They have done so for a long time, with or without the WFTO. As days pass-by more and more challenges in their day-to-day business of surviving continue to mount. Pius, a tinga-tinga dealer in Dar es Salaam or Waddah, a souvenir crafts seller in Bethlehem, or Anam, a rattan craftster from Solo will have to confront, higher costs, increasing debts, disappearing margins, thinning supply chains, and lengthening delivery times. Like thousands of others, they have to beat the crisis, competition, spiraling costs, climate change, and the looming inflation. Even if the delegates have all gone back to the respective places… And as long as Pius, Waddah or Anam have not heard the drums roared. And their voices heard. The conference is still far from over!

by Paul Casuga

“A progressive Bocaue, Bulacan where communities are orderly; A clean and safe to live in; and People are disciplined and God-loving.

Bocaue will regain its title as the Market Hub of Bulacan.”

continue reading…

Mary Rose Rontal is working as an Assisting Professional in a USAID-funded project that focus on implementing strategic actions for environmental management while observing the principles of transparency, accountability and participatory decision-making in the local government units…

Feeding the piggy bank is what I and my husband taught Amyrrh, our one-year old son. We save every ten-peso coin we collect during the day from buying something or paying a fare.  We save it in my baby’s piggy bank ever since he was still in my tummy. Now, he’s already enjoying the feeding time of his “piggy”.

However, I can personally say that my or my family’s saving habit is poor because we only save every time we got a ten-peso coin, otherwise, no savings happened.

As an economist, I know that savings should come first before spending your money. Yet, I am not practicing it. The idea to save comes across my mind every time I can think of something I want to have in the future like house and lot, car, clothes and Amyr’s education. Bad thing is, the moment I received my salary, no thought of saving. All I can think of are the payments for my debts, my baby’s milk, the showing on the cinema, the food I craved to eat prior to my payday, groceries for the week, transportation expenses, board and lodging expenses, latest gadgets, everything except the thing called Savings.

I tend to ask how, when and where to save my money. How to start? When to start? And where is the most secured place to save? I already heard several financial institutions that did not succeed, got the money of their investors and become thief of the night, or they just simply bankrupted because of bad management. The uncertainty of financial institutions makes me anxious to save and invest in any particular financial institution.

It was then during the BSV workshop that I appreciated more the importance of Saving. I was enlightened with the idea of saving not just for myself but for the economy, more importantly for the small and medium enterprises, which I know is the “backbone” of the Philippine economy.

As an individual, I am not quite aware of the specific things I can do to help achieve a better state of nation, but thanks to my dear friend Jerick who invited me to join the BSV Workshop. It is very interesting to know that I am sharing the same vision with my groupmates and with other groups. As a Christian, as an economist and as an environmentalist, I was delighted to know that all of us hope for a “God-fearing” nation, a stable economy and a sustainable environment. These three aspects are underscored and for me, these characterized a perfect country. Though we are different individuals, yet we found out that we have common hopes for our country and that we are not just driven by our selfish desires but of what is good for the Filipinos a whole. That was indeed a “shared vision”.

I was also awakened on the topic “Learning Organization”, which made me realize my learning disabilities that I am not quite aware of for a long time. No wonder we hardly reach our goals in life. Now, I’m excited to share it with my colleagues.

As a whole, the one-day workshop on “Building Shared Vision” was indeed very informative. In fact, I would like to know more about the technical side of the cooperative, its management and operation, how to become a member, what are the logistical requirements to become an official member of the cooperative and the sustainable mechanisms of the organization. I think this should be discussed more during the Pre-Membership Education Seminar (PMES) which I believe is one of the requirements prior to being a member of any cooperative.

Further, I am glad that this concept was introduced to Filipinos. Though savings, credit and investments are not new to me but combining the three, with emphasis to “savings” in order to achieve a “Solidarity Economy” is relatively a new and fascinating concept. It is a good news that I find it very interesting to share with my networks of family, friends and colleagues. Indeed, I myself even want to conduct the same workshop to groups of people I know. Aside from that, I also want to see myself as part of the “think tank” of the CSRSMEAsia and be able to contribute in the development of concepts and designs that are worth implementing for the development of our community.

By Miguel Yasuyuki Hirota

June 28, 2009

I’m now on my way back from Seoul, South Korea to Fukuoka, Japan
after spending a week in this wonderful country to promote the concept
of solidarity economy, trying to invite them to the 2nd Asian Forum to
be held in Tokyo.  This time I realised that my Korean is improving
well, so I hope I can work soon as a Korean – English – French – Spanish
- Portuguese interpreter too…

This time I had the chance to visit the Hangyeore Economic Research
Institute (한겨레경제연구소, www.heri.kr ), which belongs to a leftist
newspaper called Hangyeore (한겨레, www.hani.or.kr , similar to
Libération in France), and they were quite interested in learning more
about the solidarity economy, although it’s true that in Korea the word
“alternative economy” (대안경제, dae-an gyeongje) is better accepted
than “solidarity economy” (연대경제, eon-je gyeongje).

And yesterday (Sat) I saw again Prof. Athanasia Kyunghee Chun who
teaches consumer science at Catholic University of Korea and she told
that the Social Enterprise Solidarity Association (사회적기업연대협합,
sahuejeok gi-eop eondae hyeop-hap) would be interested in joining our
research too.

I hope we’ll have a considerable size of Korean presence in Tokyo
next November, but it would be quite nice, especially if some of you
could come from another continent, to take advantage of your visit to
Tokyo to drop by Seoul, although it’s another country, and to see some
people there, as I’m convinced that the Korean society is readier than
the Japanese one for solidarity economy.

And I’d be happy if Athanasia could tell us briefly whick
associations / research institutes / universities etc. would be willing
to work with us for joint projects of solidarity economy in Korea…

Best regards from within a KTX (Korean TGV),

by: Yvon Poirier,  Silent March of The Invisible Force, Sarvodaya Action Research Centre, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, September 2008, 248 p

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Association for Serva Seva Farms (ASSEFA) of India published a collection of various articles about its activities in a book with a revealing title: Silent March of the Invisible Force.

In March 2008, this Gandhian inspired movement was composed of 9,766 villages in 8 different states of India. Altogether there are 803,000 families, over 3.5 million people, who benefit from the many activities of ASSEFA. By 2010, it is expected that over 1 million families will be involved in the movement.

In this article it is not possible to describe in detail all the activities ASSEFA. We are presenting a set of elements that give an idea of the work which has been accomplished since 2002, when Yvon Poirier first conducted a site visit. We wish to invite readers to consult Newsletters #4 and 12 to get a better idea what has been achieved in the past 7 years.

Vision: A Holistic Approach

At the beginning in 1968, the purpose was to help the landless to create villages on land obtained by the Gandhi movement. In the beginning, ASSEFA worked for the villagers. In the next step ASSEFA worked with everyone, including the poor. For the past 15 years, it is more appropriate to speak of development by the people, in which the association is involved with planning and support. This approach is holistic and aims to create self-sufficient and sustainable villages.

The concept of trustee is at the heart of the principles that prevail. « Everyone should live on this Mother Earth as a Trustee with all that he has and acquires for the benefit of the community in which he lives.” Therefore, ASSEFA puts its trust in the community and the villagers. They are free to organize themselves, manage money and material resources in order to obtain mutual benefit, and if possible to benefit the nearby villages.

Micro-finance: an empowerment tool for women

The organization of villages rests largely on women’s self-help groups (SHGs). In March 2008, there were 32,000 SHGs bringing together 500,000 women in 113 Sarvodoya Mutual Benefit Trusts (SMBT). In 1996, SMBT became owners of Sarvodaya Nano Finance Limited, a financial institution recognized by the Bank of India. Therefore, micro-finance has been the property of women since 1998. It is managed by them, with the help from ASSEFA professionals. In 2008, there were 172,000 women who received loans. The repayment rate was 99.66%!

In this holistic approach, ASSEFA ensures that villages can meet their needs: health, education, housing, income-generating activities (such as milk production, small businesses, direct sales of agricultural products in markets, etc.).

Building social cohesion

A major emphasis is the building of peace in the communities. As we stated in 2005, ASSEFA with the contributions of organizations in Europe and the support of various Nobel Peace Prize recipients, including the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Mairead Corrigan Maguire of Ireland and Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, has obtained that the UN General Assembly declare “2001-2010 International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World.” This training is integrated into the ASSEFA school curriculum.

Community weddings are another important activity that has been introduced in recent years. In India, marriage remains an important institution. Beyond the two people, it is a sacred rite that unites two families. However, most marriages are arranged. Although this is a festive event, for many poor families it is a financial disaster. Even if bringing a dowry has been illegal since 1961 in India, it remains the norm. Therefore community marriages, which simultaneously unite Hindu, Muslim and Christian couples do not just promote respect among religions but also strengthen the community and the fight against poverty. With the assistance of WSHGs organizing such marriages reduces the cost to concerned families by 50%. In January and February, 2006 in 7 villages of Tamil Nadu (a state in southern India), 340 couples were married and 49,000 people attended the celebrations. Involving the villagers puts in place the conditions to help the newlyweds, if needed. « In short, the community wedding becomes a potent tool to build social cohesion and self-help villages.”

Prospects for the next 40 years

The priority remains to achieve social and economic justice, and create prosperous villages. Even if the “empowerment of the most vulnerable is a «work in progress» in every society, while sustainability is no longer just a matter of the survival of projects and organisations but must be a global concern; and our ability to understand the implication of inter-dependence may be the key factor in determining whether humanity survives the next century”.

Globalization worsens the gap between rich and poor worldwide and within each country. “The post-petroleum economy opens new opportunities but will create dislocations and real pain for many people. Without effective means to manage the global economy and ensure that people’s basic needs are met, including adjusting to changes in our environment, a secure future for humanity is at risk.”

by Ed Canela

Solidarity economy is an alternative. It is a rapidly growing mass of economic practices and relationships. I can see it as the next economic tsunami that will change the way we relate, transact, and do exchanges. There are plenty of challenges out there that the economy needs to respond to be more relevant and far reaching. Everyone can “pick a shovel” and start filling the field with creativity, dynamism, thoughts and purposeful actions. We all have tasks to do. Roles to play. And individual theatres to perform.

While it is tempting to set up boundaries like pronouncing: This is social economy! This would be still too early in what could be a very long haul. What’s important is for everyone voice out and let their perceptions, views and opinions become part of a big conceptual building process. Sure, other observers will find where this combined ethereal energy would eventually lead us. The danger on setting your turf too early is: What if this new economy is really beyond the frontier we set.

I personally favour a much longer period of trying and erring. Let us try something new. Activities we believe would make the way we do business better. Let us share such experiences to as many as possible. Let us watch the experiences become practices. This is easily doable as we already possess the main requisite to trying and erring: being sensitive, observant and self critical of our old practices.

I encourage everyone to ride along to what can be an exciting learning journey!

by Gadwin Handumon, PCDFI & PMPC

I constantly strive for something better. I can say that I have raised more empowered and productive families. My involvement to the community was a flash of my career when I joined  Paglaum Center (as church-based & transformed into a foundation) now Paglaum Community Development Foundation, Incorporated (PCDFI) as a Livelihood Coordinator, then promoted as Finance Officer. At present, I sit as the Chief Executive Officer of Paglaum CDFI. My being active in community works has done a dramatic change for the betterment in the communities where the Paglaum Foundation is serving for 26 years.

The Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC) was born 9 years after the Paglaum Foundation. As the General Manager of PMPC, it gave me room to organize and founded in 1992, the livelihood arm of PCDFI. It started with an initial capital of Php 2,000 with 35 members. PMPC is servicing the three (3) provinces of Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur. Paglaum Multi Purpose Cooperative has transformed the values and outlooks of thousands of coop members who have availed financial support, social programs and various trainings. Paglaum MPC is now 17 years of reaching out to rural and hard-to-reach communities in the NorthWestern part of Mindanao with an almost 30,000 member-participants and continuously increasing its capital build-up and savings generation.

The PCDFI & PMPC are catering to the needs of the risky sectors of the society which other organizations are hesitant to help and oftentimes excluded in extending financial assistance. But with a wide array of hope, I never had  second thoughts of providing social services to people like fish vendors, housewives, farmers, Indigenous People, Persons with Disability, indigent families, children of poor families and all marginalized sector of society.  Our capacity for risk taking has been instrumental in making our services accessible to the poor.

I am moving on the thought that I cannot rest comfortably with what I have achieved and with what I have earned. I am aiming to accomplish better and higher learnings. The direction I am taking on will not limit to benefit myself but will redound to the management and to the entirety of Paglaum MPC. I wish to pursue continuous education to back me up in my leadership as General Manager and Chief Executive Officer as well as other positions I am handling.

I am delighted to avail the scholarship program through CARD with the support of Dr. Alip and my institutions Paglaum CDFI and MPC for SNHU’s Master of Science in Community Economic Development as this knocks an opportunity in my career advancement.  I believe that this program will equip me with so much wisdom to continually do the developmental works. The steps I am taking is not for personal gains but for the community.  I have broadened my doors to challenge my capacities and my abilities.  I know that this will labor me a lot, personal and family sacrifices but I am willing to devote my time and effort for the good of Paglaum and for the communities we are serving.

I was adjudged by the Local Government of Misamis Occidental as the Most Outstanding Misamisnon. It was a testament of my selfless dedication to the community. I have a heart of a true champion, as they say. I do not give up easily even when I am surrounded by enormous challenges. Instead, I make use of the difficult situation as an opportunity to create something that is more useful and meaningful. Such was the situation when Paglaum was battling waves of challenges. I resisted the storm and together with a determined team, we all turned the situation up side down. Now that the coop is in top shape, I never allowed timidity to ruin my motivation in pursuit of greater heights for Paglaum. I can see the call for people and community empowerment is far from over. Many still lack opportunity. They thirst for financial freedom. I recognize and accept the greater challenges ahead but I am confident that my team and with faith in each other and faith in God, we will not cease to discover more ways to accomplish our mission.

In conclusion, my personal definition of Community Development is that an aggressive participation of the community people towards real empowerment. A collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders for the betterment of all in the community.

This Forum follows the Workshop 7 at the Lux’09 Forum. Its theme: “Democratic participation and anchoring the SSE at the territorial level.” Workshop 7 was prepared by visits to regional territories and by a «collective intelligence» process of over 2 years, as part of an EU work platform, hosted by the French network Pactes Locaux, which exists since 1998(www.pactes-locaux.org). The conclusions of Workshop 7 have made “territorial anchorage» a theme of its own to prepare for the Asian Forum for Solidarity Economy in November 2009 and the International Forum for Globalization of Solidarity in 2013.

What do we mean by «territory»?

This term has different meanings dependent on languages and cultures.  For us, a territory is the local basis of social existence, where are organized interpersonal relations, culture and activities of production by residents, and not simply – or even primarily – a tract of land under a political authority.

They are social relations:

• between inhabitants that share the destiny of one living area (whether native born, of adoption or migrants)
• between organizations with multiple features (enterprises, local authorities, state, networks, mutual aid, etc,)
• between these individuals and the organizations with their natural environment.

These systems of territorial relations are necessarily open and connected to the outside. For in today’s world, interdependence has increased. Solving concrete problems as housing, food, development, infrastructure, employment, use of natural resources, the allocation of resources, etc., must take into account:

• Constraints and opportunities of production and distribution of globalized goods and services;
• Shortcomings of current international governance in the organization of a fair, just and appropriate territorial management of natural resources «the global common goods».

Taking into account the perspective of oil at $ 200 a barrel (2-3 years), local and regional production of goods, particularly food, is inevitable. In this context, questions posed to areas of everyday life and territories project are to demonstrate their capacity:

In this context, the issues on which we must move forward are questions:

• to mobilize all the dynamic forces of society:: in  the economy, culture, environment, politics and civil society in order to build the local responses;
• to organize solidarity between different levels of governance, including the local level.

continue reading…

Being a volunteer and a participant of the Asian Forum for Solidarity Economy 2007 has enlarged my perspective. I have learned a new initiative called SOLIDARITY ECONOMY and that is what I’d like to tell you about. Not because I am a niece of Mr. Ben R. Quiñones, the event organizer, that automatically means I am widely informed about this topic. (Embarrassing as it seems, it’s quite the contrary). Since I learned to develop a hunger for knowledge, I kept an open mind to the discussions and whatever information that was available. During the Asian Forum Stakeholders Assembly on October 20 2007, the last day of the Asian Forum, the delegates were asked how they understood Solidarity Economy. Though I am still a neophyte in this matter, and it seems to be a new concept in the field of economics, I would like to share with you how I understood Solidarity Economy and the role played by the Asian Forum in advancing it in this nation. Solidarity Economy is an alternative economy which seeks to serve the greater good of the people. Market-oriented economy is “PROFIT-centered”, while Solidarity Economy is PEOPLE-centered. This contrast was amplified by former DILG Sec. Joey Lina during one of the Asian Forum sessions I attended. Economics teaches us that stakeholders in an economy can be typified into four major groups – the investors, the producers, the service providers and the consumers. Since each group wants to obtain profit for itself, there exists a conflict of interests between them. The investor wants to lend money at a higher interest rate, but the producer would want to borrow at a lower interest rate. In turn, the producer wants to sell his produce at a high price while the consumer would haggle for a lower price. Self-interest oriented and profit-centered, it truly is. continue reading…

By Ben Quinones, Chairman, CSRSME Asia

(Photo: Clockwise - Ed Canela, Jiji Rodriguez, Dr. Denison Jaya, & Ben Quinones discussing the establishment of the International Institute of Solidarity Economy, October 2008 at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon city)  

In response to Jeanne’s entry dated August 12, 2009

 Dear Jeanne,

 Thank you for applying your thinking skills.

 To a great extent, you have interpreted the CSRSME Asia focal system in the right perspective. Your diagram describes the process through which we journeyed in translating the concept of Solidarity Invest Program (with specific application in the Philippines in the form of Bayanihan Invest Program, and as a means for actualizing solidarity economy) into a common program thrust of all the institutions we’re currently setting up – IT Coop, aa4se, SVSCC, Prothesis Charis, and not in too distant in the future, the International Institute of Solidarity Economy (IISE).

 In the beginning, the programs we initiated had no institutional form. They were fragments of our SE vision.  Then we began to further breakdown our vision into concrete projects, and we put more flesh on them by setting up the above institutions. The solidarity invest program is the “software” that needs to be ‘installed’ in all the institutional hardware.  If you look once more into your diagram backwards, or from bottom up, you’ll have a different perspective of the logical framework (logframe) of the CSRSME Asia focal system, although it’s the same thing. The top down perspective shows the process of the installation of the software into the institutional hardware; the bottom up perspective shows how the institutional hardware opratlionalizes the software to realize CSRSME Asia’s vision of solidarity economy.

 There’s one item in your diagram you need to review. In an objective results-oriented logframe, the results are stated as though they are already achieved.  CSRSME Asia is already existing, and so does aa4se, SVSCC, and IT Coop. In the diagram, you can locate these institutional entities right below CSRSME Asia - they are ‘embodiments’ of CSRSME Asia that specialize in carrying out its vision in different action areas.

 Place right below these institutions the programs/projects they’re carrying. You’ll find as you did that SEDP naturally falls under the institutional mandate of the Intl Institute of Solidarity Economy. I’ll come back to this item later. What is relevant at this point is to relate your diagram with the concentric circles which are depicted in my paper as the CSRSME Asia focal system.  You’ll note that the “focal system” is the inner core of the circle of institutions, beginning with the ‘macro’ (immediate environment, national geographic area) and expanding into the ‘mega’ system (remote but supportive, international environment).  The focal system is the shared operating system of the institutional networks existing respectively in the macro and mega environments.

 Among the CSRSME Asia staff, we have distributed ourselves so far into 4 groups: IT coop/ aa4se (Paul & Ian); Shared Vision Cooperative (HIlda); Prothesis Charis (Ben Q); and Logistics/ back office support (Joel). The IISE that still needs to be established is your domain.

 That’s how the whole system initiated by CSRSME Asia is evolving. And  at this stage we’re already thinking of revving up our focal system to move from the sphere of ‘learning organization’ into ‘entrepreneurial organization’. We need to look at all the new institutions we are establishing – IT coop/aa4se, SVSCC, Prothesis Charis, and IISE – as economically and financially sustainable ’social enterprises’.  They all need to attract socially responsible investments. They all need socially responsible entrepreneurs to be able to run. And we are the first-seed social entrepreneurs that will make these institutional innovations happen and succeed.

 I hope you will continue tweaking your diagram to reflect what you have seen in your mind at this stage.

Click here to download SEDP Brochure

continue reading…

• Required investment per project: P25,650 (US$535)
• Mininum placement per investor: P8,550 (US$178)
• Return on investment (historical, actual ROI may vary): 15% p.a.

“Chrimi 8 in 1 Health Coffee” is not just an ordinary coffee. It is coffee made from the leaves of the miracle vegetable Malunggay (Moringa). Chrimi coffee has unique health benefits from potent essentials of 8 sources, as follows:
*Agaricus Blazei Murill – Anti-tumor, Reducing Blood Sugar, Controlling blood pressure, metastasis inhibition
*Mangosteen – Prevents arteriosclerosis, prevents cancer, anti-tumor
*Korean White Ginseng – Anti-stress, energy Tonic, Increases Memory
*Spirulina – Anti-viral, immune booster, anti-tumor
*Malunggay Leaves – anti-oxidant, Lowers Cholesterol, Beautifies the skin, Anti-aging, Detoxifies, increase energy, anti-stress, Vision improvement, normalizes blood pressure, anti-depressant, strengthens immune system, anti-fungal, reduces wrinkles, anti-tumor, improves wound healing, improves digestion, anti-ulcer, appetite suppressant, normalizes blood sugar (Diabetes), stroke, Heart Disease, Eczema, menopause, Impotence.
*Batangas Coffee
*Creamer
*Sugar
Nutritional Values of Malunggay leaves:
*7 times the vitamin C in oranges
*4 times the Calcium in Milk
*4 times the Vitamin A in Carrots
*3 times the Potassium in Bananas
*2 times the Protein in Milk/Yogurt

Malunggay leaves are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, Vitamin C, Calcium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein and Zinc

Prices

8-in-1 Malunggay Coffee

• $ 7.50/per box [20 sachets] excluding shipping expenses
• P 285.00/per box [20 sachets] for pickup in Manila

7-in-1 Malunggay Choco

• $ 6.00/per box [12 sachets] excluding shipping expenses
• P 198.00/per box [12 sachets] for pickup in Manila

100% Malunggay Tea

• $ 7.00/per box [20 bags] excluding shipping expenses
• P 260.00/per box [20 bags] for pickup in Manila

7 Herbs Malunggay Soup

• $ 5.50/per box [10 sachets] excluding shipping expenses
• P 185.00/per box [10 sachets] excluding shipping expenses

Malunggay Dalandan Orange

• $ 5.50/per box [12 sachets] excluding shipping expenses
• P 185.00/per box [12 sachets] excluding shipping expenses

Delivery and/or shipping charges may apply outside Manila

Social responsibility

Michri Marketing, the owner-distributor of Chrimi coffee and related products, launched a program called “Savings, Funds, Investment” (SFI) Program to enable poor households to become distributors of Chrimi coffee with an initial investment of only P200. The ordinary Chrimi distributor has to make an investment of P6,000 in order to avail of the distributor’s discounted product price.

Part of the SFI program is a compulsory savings scheme which encourages poor households to save P5.00 for every Chrimi coffee box (20 sachets per box) sold. Chrimi Marketing provides each SFI distributor a savings passbook. Based on experience, once the Chrimi savings account is created, the SFI distributor is encouraged to put more savings in it, using income derived from other income generating projects.

Contact person:

Pastor Vidal Sibanico,

Michri International Trading

19 V. Angeles St. Bgy. Kabayanan, San Juan City 1500

Tel/Fax 726-0438

How to Join the IT Coop?

Membership Application Form

Author: Judith Hitchman (Original article in English and French. For more information: http://transitiontowns.org; http://transitionculture.org; http://www.villesentransition.net)

Although Totnes in the U.K. is often thought to be the home of the Transition Town movement, it actually all started in 2005 in Kinsale, a small town in West Cork in Ireland. This is where Rob Hopkins, the founder, was then lecturing in the Kinsale College of Further Education. It is also where he started the first full-time 2-year permaculture course in the world.

The movement is based on the concept that our planet is facing the dual threat of peak oil and climate change, and that all people and local communities need to develop a bottom-up energy descent action plan to become less energy dependent, build resilience and capacity, and learn how to become responsible consumers in all ways. The movement has spread rapidly:

Today it is not just Transition towns, but also Cities, Islands, Hamlets, Valleys and Forests… The approach has developed already developed extensively in the English-speaking world (it is increasingly widespread in the UK, Ireland the US, Australia, NZ and Canada), although there are also some initiatives in Latin America and mainland Europe.

What it is and how it works.

The objectives are to

· Build resilience and develop the capacity within the community to prepare for the transition away from the dependence on fossil fuels to a safe and sustainable future

· Ensure a supply of fresh local food, support local farmers and food producers

· Relearn from our elders how to grow our own food as well as all sorts of other traditional skills

· Develop community solutions to reducing carbon emissions

· Protect the local environment, its ecosystems and biodiversity.

The emphasis is on “local” and “small-scale”, and convincing people to grow their own food in their gardens or allotments is one of the key goals of the movement. There is no blueprint, although there is a handbook, based on 12 steps. Each community has to empower itself to find its own solutions. This means that the speed and way in which each community works is variable and unique. Some initiatives have even gone as far as developing local currencies. (Kenmare in Ireland, Totnes and Lewis in the UK.).

An interesting comment by Sally Sweeney, instigator of an initiative that started up under a year ago in Tramore in Ireland: “It’s important to learn how not to be alarmist so that you can make a difference, make people aware of how serious the situation is; and make people want to act.” In the case of Tramore, both the “energy” group and the “food” have developed well and fast, and there are mutual visits between similar group in other towns, which helps empower, create emulation and also helps maintain interest and enthusiasm.

The stage of interfacing with local authorities is a critical aspect. Once a local community becomes empowered, with a dedicated core group, they become credible. And this in turn helps to develop a virtuous circle where local authorities introduce measures that support the approach. The outcomes are citizens’ empowerment, a more committed approach to responsible consumption and sustainable local development.

By the Editorial Team: Judith Hitchman; Yvon Poirier; & Martine Theveniaut

The article by Judith Hitchman delves further into information and ideas presented in previous issues on the lasting effects of the energy crisis on the whole of society. In our previous issue, we reviewed a book by Jeff Rubin which shows that if the crisis is global; its impact will spread as far as local levels of society and disrupt people’s lives.

The Transition Towns’ approach is therefore practical and highly prospective, as it prepares and helps us to adapt to the idea that our daily lives will be disrupted. Now is the time to start organizing the transition towards communities capable of living together in a sustainable manner with the existing resources of our planet. We have every reason to be inspired by these precursors.

In our previous issue, we invited you to share your own experiences and reflections. We wish to reiterate our call. In this Forum, we are assuming that we are all, to varying degrees, actors and practitioners of solidarity economy, all rooted in a singular territorial context, but living and sharing many matters which we have in common. In the interest of better knowing you and building a shared diagnosis, we wish to invite you to participate in the following manner (a 1-2 page document).

1 – Introduction: You and your organization: address, mission, goals.

2 Who is behind these initiatives (citizens, civil society, technicians, NGOs, local

authorities, etc. )? followed by a brief account of these

3 – Lessons learned: obstacles and opportunities

4 – Key issues; courses of action?

For further information:

ALOE http://www.forums.socioeco.org//info/atelier7-w7tf

AA4SE http:/www.aa4se.com

by Martine Theveniaut

April 2009 :  LUX’09 was the culmination of two years of preparation for Workshop 7. The  theme was: “Democratic participation and anchoring the other economy at territorial level.” Workshop 7 was prepared by regional territorial visits and used a «collective intelligence» process over a 2 year period. This was part of an EU work platform, hosted by the French network Pactes Locaux, a collective that has existed since 1998 (www.pactes-locaux.org).

« The severity of the crisis is an opportunity to review the fundamentals of the economy by reconnecting it with the other dimensions (social, environmental …) at an appropriate level: the territory, and placing the individual as a central starting point for analysis and action. A holistic view is possible at this level
(conclusions of the Workshop 7)

This is not the end but a new beginning for moving forward.

The objective is to consolidate spaces that link discussion to action, and that developed or mobilised on the road to LUX’09.

National and European : “ Communication Day “, 1st December 2009, in Poitiers.

Title: “Civil society in developing territories : thinking, organising and producing together »

How to :
•    “re-adapt” ideas and suggestions from the Lux’09 Forum and Workshop 7 to the current situation
•    develop our approach the French Regional elections in March 2010
•    progress in the context of the EU Territorial Cohesion Project
•    include the prospects outlined in the White Paper of the Committee of the Regions on multilevel governance  (current consultation until November).

Regional and local.

This can be achieved  by :
•    developing concrete ways and means of implementing the proposed improvements
•    developing relationships based on exchange and mutual support, both formal and informal
•    the twinning of actors in different territories, partnership programmes, and monitoring.
•    It also aims to showcase progress made and across-the-board links that exist between various themes, and experiments. It hopes to do this on a greater scale, and highlight the new institutional approaches that were pinpointed in the preparatory phase.

International level :

Territorial grounding is a fully-fledged line for preparing the Asian Solidarity Economy Forum that will take place in November 2009 and also for the International Forum for the Globalisation of Solidarity scheduled for 2013.

This forum is an initiative of:
• the Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy (AA4SE) (www.aa4se.org), the principal partner of the 5th Forum of the Globalization of Solidarity in Asia in 2013,
• the Pactes Locaux (France) (www.pactes-locaux.org) this collective has accepted the responsibility for implementing the consensus reached in Workshop 7, with the support of the FPH.

The Forum is the first step to implementing the conclusions adopted in Luxembourg on 25th April 2009, at the Lux’09 Forum. It is also the starting point of a process of collective work, that aims to gather evidence and volunteer resource persons on all continents interested in taking part in the work program of the W7TF, for 2010 to 2013.

The territorial approach to local or regional initiatives is given the highest importance in order to balance or supplement the thematic (or sectorial) approaches.  Territories are becoming a major player in the organization of solidarity. As this way of thinking is still not common, the approach is one of demonstrating what exists: illustrating, discussing how best to make proposals on the basis of an audit. This is a prerequisite to:
· convincing people that solidarity economy is able to become a sustainable alternative to neoliberal capitalism in general
· jointly engaging in strategies for change to face the challenges of responsible globalization.

The on-line Forum is open from August to the end of October 2009, and hopes to pursue the identification of regional achievements to obtain “an aggregative effect”. It also hopes to programme “learning journeys” to various continents to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach and to draw lessons in methodology and strategy for 2013.

Voici aujourd’hui un résumé de la contribution d’Ana Leignton à l’Atelier 7.

En la década de los ´90 en América Latina han surgido variados movimientos y  organizaciones sociales que dan cuenta de una  dimensión territorial en su lucha social. El anclaje territorial es una consecuencia de los impactos causados por las políticas neoliberales en los ámbitos económico, político, ambiental y cultural, tanto en la escala global como en los territorios nacionales.

Muchos movimientos sociales han ocupado y se han apropiado  de espacios territoriales, recuperando formas de vida, tradiciones, formas de gobernanza y procesos de autogestión que fortalezcan  identidad territorial, defendiendo sus derechos sociales, económicos, políticos, culturales y ambientales. Movimiento Sin Tierra (MST) en Brasil, Zapatistas en Chiapas, México; El Movimiento Social de Comunidades Negras en el Pacífico colombiano; Los trabajadores de fábricas recuperadas en Argentina; El movimiento mapuche en Chile; El movimiento de los pingüinos en Chile, entre otros.

Las características de estos movimientos y organizaciones sociales muestran que los conflictos sociales en América Latina, como en otras regiones se concentran en el nivel socioterritorial (Altvater, 2006). Los movimientos sociales son muy diversos y buscan la formación de redes socioterritoriales – locales, nacionales y transnacionales, una expresión de ello, es lo que nos convoca en este encuentro el movimiento de la Economía social y solidaria.Los movimientos sociales tienen diversas finalidades y son producto de múltiples procesos y prácticas de autoorganización social y productiva, así como diversas formas de gestión comunitaria, constituyendo «nuevas territorialidades sociales» (Algranati y otros, 2004).

El territorio aparece como un espacio de resistencia, como un lugar de resignificación y creación de nuevas relaciones sociales. Los movimientos sociales se asocian su lucha a la satisfacción de las necesidades más elementales. En donde el territorio aparece como el lugar privilegiado de disputa, no sólo a partir de la implementación de las nuevas políticas sociales diseñadas desde el poder con vistas al control y la contención de la pobreza, sino también a partir de las nuevas modalidades que adopta la lógica del capital en los espacios considerados estratégicos, en términos de recursos naturales. (Maristella Svampa). Los movimientos sociales latinoamericanos adoptan la acción directa no convencional y disruptiva, como herramienta de lucha generalizada. Una acción directa no institucional una herramienta para enfrentar la asimetría.

Los movimientos sociales se sustentan en nuevas estructuras de participación que tienen un fuerte carácter asambleario, se refleja en la tendencia a crear estructuras flexibles, no jerárquicas, proclives al horizontalismo y la profundización de la democracia. al tiempo que va diseñando un nuevo paradigma de la política concebido desde abajo. (Maristella Svampa). Los movimientos sociales demandan autonomía, la cual atraviesa desde los pequeños colectivos culturales hasta las grandes estructuras territoriales u organizaciones de masas.  Un movimiento social es siempre un sistema de comunicación en red, donde los sujetos conectados se mueven con criterios de reciprocidad y cooperación.

En los últimos años se  ha ido configurando una constelación de redes intersistémicas, que vinculan sistemas de redes tanto locales, regionales, nacionales, continentales y hasta globales de personales a asociativas, de asociativas a institucionales. Un  movimiento alterglobalización se ha erigido en una extensa y relativamente densa red de constelaciones de redes del que son un buen exponente los foros sociales mundiales de los que participan, organizaciones y movimientos de todo tipo.

El Movimiento de Economía Solidaria en Chile
Qué se entiende por Economía Solidaria desde esta Red?
Las distintas personas e instituciones entienden el concepto de Economía Solidaria. como una “forma de organizar la actividad económica que toma muy en cuenta a las personas, sus capacidades, sus intereses, la satisfacción de sus necesidades. La ES ordena el proceso productivo no en función del capital sino a partir del trabajo y las relaciones de asociatividad y cooperación” . Se trata de una economía basada en valores: confianza, responsabilidad, diálogo, justicia, solidaridad.

En Chile a fines de los años ´90 comienzan a emerger  organizaciones desde la sociedad civil movimientos por una transformación social de la producción, distribución y consumo de bienes y servicios, que ponga al centro la reproducción de la vida antes que la del capital.
Estas organizaciones se sustentan en comunidades que se constituyen y autoafirman en relaciones sociales democráticas y democratizantes, de cooperación, solidaridad y de aceptación de la diversidad y que, por lo mismo, resultan armónicas con sus entornos.

Y se caracteriza:
En lo PRODUCTIVO, por la presencia del FACTOR C: confianza, comunidad, cooperación, compartir.
En lo COMERCIAL, por promover el COMERCIO JUSTO.
En el CONSUMO, por sensibilizar a las personas para que lleguen a ser CONSUMIDORES Y CONSUMIDORAS RESPONSABLES, que tomen sus decisiones de compra de acuerdo a criterios éticos
En la ACUMULACIÓN, por promover sistemas de AHORRO COLECTIVO, con dimensión solidaria, a partir de la organización popular.

Misión
La Red Economía Solidaria de Santiago de Chile, tiene como misión la promoción de los valores y racionalidad de la Economía Solidaria, así como de sus variadas expresiones y formas de organización alternativas en la producción, comercio y consumo.
Esto se desarrolla a través de acciones de difusión, formación, articulación, sistematización de experiencias y visibilización de sus actores y promotores a través del accionar de las instituciones que la componen y por sí misma.

Nuestros Objetivos
1. Visibilizar, actualizar y posicionar la propuesta de la Economía Solidaria, desde un enfoque ético-valórico que lleva implícita la necesidad de promover cambios en nuestra realidad social, cultural y política.
2. Promover un consumo ético y responsable como parte de los desafíos centrales de la red a nivel regional.
3. Favorecer el intercambio entre redes de economía solidaria a nivel regional, nacional e internacional.
4. Promover la formación y encuentro entre productores y miembros de organizaciones económicas populares de manera de ir fortaleciendo un discurso común desde la red.

Instituciones y personas que la componen
1. Centro Ecuménico Diego de Medellín
2. Programa Economía del Trabajo-PET
3. Espacio y fomento
4. Vicaría Sur; Red Economía Solidaria
5. Comparte
6. Misioneros Columbanos
7. Word Vision
8. Vicaría de Pastoral Social
y de los Trabajadores
9. Talleres Nazareth
10. Fundación OCAC
11. Taller Artesanal Casa de la mujer

Acciones desarrolladas 2008
Seminario Soñando un consumo responsable en Chile
I Feria de la Red Economía Solidaria
(Agosto-diciembre)
Taller Economía Solidaria y consumo responsable
Reuniones habituales
Coordinación con redes
Web

En el marco de la campaña “Por un Consumo Ético y Responsable” se realizó un seminario de conversación y análisis con diferentes actores públicos para reflexionar sobre el tema de cómo los chilenos podemos experimentar formas de consumo responsable y de qué manera subsisten manifestaciones de un consumo solidario en Chile.
Servicio Nacional del Consumidor (SERNAC), Juan Trímboli, Coordinador de la oficina regional de Consumers International (CI) para América Latina y el Caribe, Stefan Larenas, Director de la Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios de Chile (ODECU), entre otros.

La I Feria de la Red Economía Solidaria-Santiago  se enmarcó en la Campaña “Por un Consumo Ético y Solidario” que se inició con el Seminario
Esta feria llevó el nombre “Una Navidad hecha a mano”, invitando a la comunidad a conocer y apoyar directamente a pequeños artesanos sin acceso al circuito comercial.
Los rubros que se destacan son la confección de tejidos y textil, artesanías, orfebrería, cerámica, talabartería, entre otros.

Taller Economía Solidaria y consumo responsable
Reconocer el funcionamiento de la sociedad y los mecanismos que inciden en la construcción de la estructura social.
Conocer y comprender el concepto de la economía solidaria y consumo responsable
Reconocer la importancia de la empresa solidaria y la interacción entre sus factores en beneficio de sus integrantes y de la propia comunidad.

www.redeconomiasolidaria.com

Preguntas para el debate
•    ¿Cuál es la experiencia en nuestros países en relación al desarrollo territorial en torno al movimiento de la economía solidaria y comercio just?

Extrait des résultats de la 1ère Learning Jorney en Poitou-Charentes (France) : « Participation démocratique et ancrage territorial pour le travail et l’emploi »(préparation Lux’09 des Pactes Locaux, décembre 2007).
Étape régionale à l’invitation de France Joubert: président du Centre Européen de Ressources des groupements d’employeurs  et président des Pactes Locaux

Qui est à l’origine de ces initiatives : associations, et syndicat

L’échelon territorial « à la base de l’initiative  » est le bassin d’emploi, le bassin de vie, l’agglomération ou le « Pays »,
c’est-à-dire : différents territoires infra-régionaux …

Contexte  et raison d’agir :
La Région Poitou-Charentes a connu dans les années 1980 une désertification des zones rurales, moins par l’absence de travail que par une mauvaise organisation.
Les exploitants agricoles ou les petites entreprises, malgré leur capacité à offrir des emplois à temps partiel, ne trouvaient pas preneurs, car les emplois recherchés étaient des emplois à temps plein et à durée indéterminée.

Lorsqu’une loi, en 1985 crée les groupements d’employeurs (GE), des  acteurs associatifs et syndicaux s’en saisissent pour organiser  une économie territoriale de marché. Ainsi, entre 1985 et 2008 : 340 Groupements d’Employeurs voient le jour en Poitou-Charentes : 300 dans l’agriculture, 36 dans l’artisanat, l’industrie, le transport, les services ou le sport, et 4 pour l’insertion et la qualification de personnes en reconversion ou sans emploi.
Ce sont aujourd’hui 1700 salariés et 2100 structures adhérentes, 35 millions € de chiffres d’affaires.

Enseignements tirés de la démarche (freins, leviers)

Le GE, un outil pour organiser des solidarités territoriales
Le Groupement d’Employeurs (GE) est l’unique employeur du salarié. Il installe donc une relation tripartite entre les employeurs du secteur marchand et/ou non marchand d’une part et d’autre part les salariés.

Par sa dimension collective, c’est un dispositif qui permet l’exercice de la responsabilité sociale des entreprises, sur la base d’une adhésion volontaire. Chaque entreprise verse un dépôt de garantie (ou caution bancaire) sur le résultat de l’exercice annuel. C’est un « ciment » qui installe des obligations de part et d’autre : pour pallier une défaillance (côté salariés) et pour assurer les charges dûes (côté entreprises) à l’égard du salarié et des organismes créanciers de cotisations sociales. C’est une forme d’auto-assurance rémunérée si le risque ne se réalise pas. L’attention au salarié est première car le maintien de l’activité et la satisfaction des parties engagées en dépendent.

Un GE réunit les acteurs d’un territoire et propose une vision objective de la situation économique. Il organise l’adaptation des ressources d’un territoire pour les emplois qui sont nécessaires à son attractivité́.

Deux inventions organisationnelles
a) En 1999, le premier Centre Régional des GE (CRGE) est créé à Poitiers, grâce à l’activité de France Joubert, responsable syndical régional de la CFDT. Dans le transfert d’expérience, l’ambition est de fédérer les énergies, rassembler le plus grand nombre des parties prenantes, et non pas de normer (formater ou « cloner »), car le principe de subsidiarité active est primordial.

Le CRGE est un lieu d’échange de bonnes pratiques qui valorise la diversité des approches sectorielles et territoriales. Il fait  la promotion des GE, accompagne leur organisation, développe des outils communs de diagnostic, de veille et suivi de l’évolution juridique, etc.
Le CRGE est tout d’abord seul dans son genre, puis il fait école en France, et commence à se développer en Europe. En février 2008, est fondé un Centre Européen de Ressources des GE, dont France Joubert est le premier président.

En ficher attaché la synthèse en français et en anglais)

b) À côté des CRGE, France Joubert réussit la mise en place d’un espace public, en 2000 : le CISTE (Carrefour de l’Innovation Sociale du Travail et de l’Emploi). C’est une association paritaire, fondée en 2000. La présidence est tournante. Elle regroupe les organisations patronales, syndicales de salariés et des représentants de l’économie sociale et solidaire. Son innovation consiste à créer un espace non institutionnel, mais reconnu comme espace public, qui aide les organisations à poser des problèmes sur lesquels n’existe pas de vision commune ou même des divergences, sans obliger les exécutifs à prendre des positions trop vite. Ce n’est donc une procédure de concertation imposée. Chaque année, un thème de réflexion fédérateur est mis en travail, documenté et discuté (les seniors, l’emploi saisonnier, l’insertion des jeunes, etc…). Le fait de réussir à mettre autour de la même table 200 personnes, issues du patronat et des syndicats de salariés, permet d’obtenir un financement de la  Région et lui ouvre les vannes du financement européen. Cette stratégie permet au CISTE de traverser les majorités régionales et d’obtenir des moyens financiers, à chaque nouveau contrat de plan ou de projet entre l’Etat et la Région (le dernier couvre 2007-2013).

Obstacles / Chaînons manquants

- À toutes les échelles les pouvoirs publics rentrent avec réticence dans les partenariats dont ils n’ont pas eu l’initiative.
- Déficit d’une culture de partenariats sur des objectifs de résultats pour passer d’un système de compétences séparées à un système de responsabilités partagées.
- Fortes résistances  à l’interterritorialité qui bouscule les légitimités, les pouvoirs, les usages.
- Entre démocratie politique et démocratie sociale, entre protester et proposer, entre tenir des positions en autonomie et la dépendance, les relations sont ambivalentes. Elles posent la question de fond des conditions de la redistribution.

Premiers pas pour franchir l’obstacle

- Concrètement : Lever les obstacles juridiques et fiscaux qui freinent le développement des GE.

- Partir de l’économie réelle et des ressources humaines d’inventivité pour anticiper les mutations, plutôt que des institutions (qui ont une forte capacité d’inertie).

- Transférer d’expérience, c’est fédérer, rassembler dans un nouveau chaînage d’opérationnalité des valeurs.
Les différentes étapes de ce  processus restent à outiller :

- Diagnostic partagé sur une base territoriale ;
- Négociation d’accords locaux entre acteurs du territoire, puis à d’autres échelles ;
- Conduite de projet (qui s’engage, à quoi, comment) ;
- Processus continu de capitalisation, associant l’auto-évaluation et l’évaluation externe pour accréditer générale de l’invention organisationnelle et les agencements institutionnels concret(s qu’elle a permis de mettre en œuvre. Ce que nous appelons la politique de la preuve.

Questions clés ; pistes d’actions ?

Conclusions de France Joubert :

- « La construction collective des outils pour travailler ensemble sur les mêmes sujets est un parcours de 20 ans, avec des jalons sur le chemin. Aujourd’hui, les idées sont claires : « le pacte c’est le contrat et le local c’est le territoire ». C’est là que l’emploi se régule. Dans le changement d’échelles, « on retrouve les mêmes interlocuteurs, mais ils ont changé de posture. Le problème de l’exclusion est trop grave. Les élus sont descendus de leur piédestal. Ils ont besoin des autres. Des verrous ont sauté … et la mondialisation est là … ».

- « Les idéologies ne construisent pas les réponses, il faut les trouver nous-mêmes. Dans ce cas-là, on ne perd pas la paternité d’une invention, mais au contraire on prépare la suite »

- « L’ouverture d’un espace public de débat territorial autour des questions sociales, à partenaires multiples, amène chacun à préciser sa part de responsabilité et sa quote-part de réussite (aurait dit Paul Fuchs) à la résolution du problème. C’est dans la mise en situation concrète que se construisent et la légitimité et le pouvoir d’action en vue d’une meilleure coopération.Comment « l’expérience prend forme » ? L’objectif est d’augmenter sa propre capacité à changer pour que chacun des autres bouge sa posture. Il faut alors se poser deux questions :
1. Quelle forme d’action est la plus efficace ?
2. Dans quel objectif (finalité d’intérêt commun) ?”

by Eduardo Climaco Tadem, Ph.D.

Rural development as a state-initiated strategy for transforming the countryside has gone through several phases since the end of the Second World War. The community development model in the immediate post-war period was replaced by the commodity-centered approach (also known as the “Green Revolution”). In the seventies, integrated area development (IAD) took over but was soon overtaken by countryside agro-industrial development in the late eighties. Following the 1997-98 Asian economic crisis, however, integrated area development seems to be making a comeback.

The Community Development Strategy

According to Lane E. Holdcroft (1984), the community development approach had its origins in proposals made by British colonial authorities in 1948 to prepare its African colonies for independence by developing their economies and improving local government (Holdcroft 1984:47). The term gained popularity among other colonial powers and the first major CD effort was launched in India with funding provided by the Ford Foundation and the U.S. foreign economic assistance office. Similar programs were later launched in the Philippines, Indonesia, Iran, and Pakistan.

The CD concept of rural development draws on the following principles: (a) the rural community’s involvement in the solution of their problems, (b) use of democratic procedures in solving community problems, and (c) the transfer of technology to the community as an effective solution to their economic problems. The bywords were community organization, community education, and social action. The aim was to “encourage self‑help efforts to raise standards of living and to create stable self‑reliant communities” (Holdcroft 1984:48).

The implementation of CD was usually initiated by specially‑trained government personnel who lived and worked among the people. These village workers were to integrate with the community, assist them in identifying “felt needs”, and transform these into village‑level development programs. The ideal government CD person was trained as a multi‑purpose individual with skills in “village organization and mobilization”, health, agriculture, and education.

Holdcroft also identifies CD as “a product of the Cold War era of the late forties and fifties; … its principles derived (consciously or unconsciously) from anti‑revolutionary theories”. CD was designed to remove the threat posed by left‑wing movements by “bringing people together, inviting them into harmonious communities and mobilizing them for common endeavors”.

The phenomenal growth of the CD movement in the sixties was due primarily to US financial support and promotion. But by the 1960s, “it was faltering and by 1965, (had been) terminated or drastically reduced in scope (and) no longer considered by national leaders as a major development program”.  The major reason for the decline of CD was its failure to deliver on the promise of improving “the economic and social well‑being of rural people” and inability to contribute in attaining national economic goals. Another major reason for CD’s decline was “the sharp reduction in support from the United States and other donors”.

Political leaders in CD‑saturated countries were also disillusioned by the program’s failure to alleviate the economic and social conditions of the rural areas. Perhaps more crucial was the continuing growth of insurgent movements in many of these countries despite the CD’s promotion of political peace.

continue reading…

By the W7TF Forum Animation Team

Presentation of initiatives

Chile: El Movimiento de Economía Solidaria en Chile, by Ana Leighton

India: ASSEFA by Yvon Poirier

Japan Seikatsu Club (Japan) by Yvon Poirier

Philippines ICDC, by Yvon Poirier

France: Jobs and activities: How to organise solidarity in the territory: France Joubert, 1st «regional meeting » Pactes Locaux December 2007, Poitou-Charentes, France

France : Découverte de la Maison de la Citoyenneté mondiale : Roger Winterhalter, Alsace,(2 contributions)

France: The «Pays cathare» (Languedoc-Roussillon): Eric Andrieu, with the participation of Ben Quiñones and Denison Jayasooria (Learning Journey, April 2009)

France : An experience of personal services in Basse-Normandie, France, Géraldine Lechevalier

Questions 1 and 2 – The origins of the initiatives reflect the emergence of new actors.

Most contributions are examples in which the citizens or communities are the promoters of the initiative.

But to say “people” is very broad: who are they?

Women are often the driving force. This is the case with the ASSEFA villages where the organization is largely based on women’s self-help groups. They are consumers concerned about food safety that brought them to initiate Seikatsu Club in Japan in 1965. They are women who work and need to be helped to care for an elderly and dependent relative in France. They suffer because of the way they are treated in nursing homes, undermining their dignity and autonomy. Therefore, in 1998, they created the «Association Myosotis» to set up a service to go the home of elderly people who need help.

They are also convinced people, leaders or “catalysts” that accompany the transition from an individual project to a group project.

Roger Winterhalter in Alsace, previously a local office holder, opened the «house of global citizenship» in a region which borders France, Germany and Switzerland, and provides services to those “without” papers, no work, or are homeless, but also to organise intercultural solidarity or new currency exchanges (local currencies).

Eric Andrieu is an elected local official in Aude who wants to create a collective energy in a devitalized rural area where people feel helpless about the future. He uses the medieval history of the place, that of resistance to the conquest in order to stimulate economic development and local tourism. France Joubert is a union official in Poitou-Charentes, which notes that the depopulation of rural areas in the 1980s is not due to lack of work, but to poor organization. Farmers and small businesses, despite their ability to offer part-time jobs, cannot find takers, as jobs are sought full-time and permanent. The status of employer groups created in 1985, offers the possibility of a territorial organization of human resources to keep the population and maintain operations.

Several examples refer to “communities” as promoters of initiatives. But what forms of “collective” is it?

In Chile, the solidarity economy network is composed of socioeconomic community organizations. They are taking over the production and distribution of goods and services they need. It’s also the case in India where the basic organization is the village but not the village alone; the village in part of a chain of mutual assistance and transfer of learning. As noted in the case of ASSEFA, the role of an Italian NGO which has supported the early development of this rural association of Gandhian inspiration, founded in 1969 in Tamil Nadu, in a balanced partnership. They are drivers of tricycles in the Philippines, a small group of people who organized to become owners of their work tools in order to get out of poverty.

3 – Lessons learned from the process (obstacles, levers)

In all the cases, civil society is behind the project. These new social actors are the initiators of the project, individuals, social groups or communities, who organize to meet their needs, often because there are no answers and they must invent them.

In all cases, we find that they did not start yesterday. The term (twenty years? A generation?) is a sine qua non of their breakthrough, and the results they have achieved today: answers to specific problems, but also learned from their approach, a visibility that allows them to testify from their experience and propose?

Of which “territory» do these experiments demonstrate?

At first, the territory is: it’s an urban slum in Manila, a rural community in Chile or India, a territory of life in Lower Normandy, Alsace, a labour pool in Poitou-Charentes, etc….

The experiments use different vectors for their development to scale up.

Ingredients and methods of participatory action territorial
“Working together on a concept is a good tool to overcome conflicts within a territory,” said Eric Andrieu who chooses to engage in politics to enhance its capabilities. In political relations of power “dominant / dominated” where politicians are involved, to win, he must rally are: he must find the means to avoid competition and conflict. There is no model to follow, but there are ingredients. They are available out there for the actors to take their future into their hands, especially local authorities. The first is «why we do together». Then comes the beliefs, methods, means … Time (duration), the cultural reality of people’s lives are very important because the systems are different. There is also a need for good sociology of power relations to act.”

The choice of working (or not) within the multilevel institutional systems. Some initiatives do make the choice of working within the system: «Cathar Country» or employers groups, struggle to get recognized in the local programming of European funding, as their approach upsets traditional powers of local authorities in place. “At all levels, the governments reluctantly accept partnerships they did initiate,” said France Joubert.

On the contrary in Chile, the movement unfolds deliberately outside the existing institutional frameworks. The territorial base in this case is certainly needed to meet basic needs, but also translates a political resistance to governments that are undemocratic. This is an opportunity to reinvest the values of solidarity and develop the capacities of people and practices of cooperation.

The extension is also spinning off horizontally from a form of organization which has proved its worth: On the first district of Manila where microcredit provides results to other neighbourhoods. From the first villages in Tamul Nadu to 9766 villages in 8 states of India, 40 years later, thanks to mutual aid. But also because of financial tools in the service of local development, becomes a recognized financial institution at the national level, the Sarvodaya Nano Finance Limited. From a first cooperative to a Union of 30 Seikatsu Club with over 290 000 members in Japan today. These forms of promotion are most often accompanied by networking initiatives such as in Chile – and between Chile and other Latin American networks, the global justice movement -. But are also accompanied by a deepening and extending the analytical capabilities of a problematic point in the whole chain: from the distribution of milk by Seikatsu Club to other commodities for healthy eating, and from there to the extending of the production of meat and cereals. And then again, towards sustainable development, recycling, social mobilization, protest, advocacy to achieve the expected target.

Awareness is growing on what responsibilities need to be taken at the different levels. Taking responsibility is necessary to scale is being realized. “Achieving social justice and economic, creating prosperous villages, remains a priority for ASSEFA» says the author of the cited work. «Sustainability is no longer just a matter of the survival of projects and organisations but must be a global concern; and our ability to understand the implication of inter-dependence may be the key factor in determining whether humanity survives the next century” In this context, where the prevailing thought has no answers, the crisis gives meaning to political commitment. However ideologies do not build the answers, we must build them ourselves, because we have to prepare for the future.

Whether they respond to basic needs, quality of human relationships with parents or the living environment, food, learning regional solidarity by appropriate forms of organization, deepening solidarity; all these achievements are in an approach to the economy that does not try to maximize profits.

Courses of action: How to articulate the thinking and setting in motion?

In light of the contributions to this forum, the following courses of action are put forward.

What knowledge is needed to understand the interdependencies and to act accordingly, leaving the experimental or the marginal, and have impact to regulate at the different levels. What are the contents and modalities of implementation of a strategy of change?

We are committed, together, in a politics of proving. To switch from prototypes to a common use for the greatest number (or mainstreaming), what is needed?

• An international non-academic debate between different actors … to combine solidarity and efficiency, renew democratic governance integrating a territorial approach: objectives, tools, learning methods, possible spin-offs, place in history and culture, training.

• Linking reflection with concrete action, because it is not enough to say we must do it: we need to do it! With that certainty shared in all the testimony, the result of years of collective action “experience takes shape and form.” Therefore, we must ask two questions: What kind of action is most effective? for what purpose (goals of common interest)?
• The pursuit of the common good is not the prerogative of public authorities.

How groups of actors for a more inclusive economy can they constitute a collective actor, that is to say, as an integral part of the alternative in the general economy? Inside – and not at the margin – without diluting itself the market economy?

• How to maintain a dynamic change of scale, hot to lift up needs and achievements, identify forms of collective action between individuals and organizations who share similar views … to make an impact on major global issues and develop governance of the world by using all the levers.

Conclusion :

In the short period of time left before a final synthesis in late October, it would be useful work of gathering experiences, that those who have volunteered, and have not yet completed their contributions, to do so. We want you to reflect and illustrate, whether it is theory, lessons learnt, impacts, from your experiences in a territorial approach. We wish that you share your work at different levels of territory, and actions taken that made a difference.

The objective of this first post Lux’09 sequence remains the same as before: “broaden the basis of consensus to propose, from the local to Europe, and to the international, a response in terms of regulations, organizations, cooperation and decisions». Your contributions, in a significant quantity, will help us to define the next steps for Workshop 7 Task Force. We remind you that the workshop has placed the territory at the highest importance to balance or supplement the sectoral content, and because territories are becoming a key player in the organization of solidarity. As this way of thinking is not usual, the method adopted is a policy of proof and illustrate, discuss and how to make proposals on the basis of a shared diagnosis …

by Gunther Lorenz

1 – Introduction:

The members of the European Network EURONETZ regard their work as a contribution to the global movement for a socially and environmentally useful ‘new economics’.
• Mobilizing local resources
• Investing in the skills of local people
• Financing socially and environmentally useful work instead of unemployment
• Strenghtening and revitalizing the structures of local and regional economic circulation
The aims of the European Network are the promotion of a transnational cooperation by organisations and campaigns working for economic self-help and local development as well as the enabling of joint project work and the creation of a strong lobby in Europe for our interests.

2 Who is behind these initiatives (citizens, civil society, technicians, NGOs, local
authorities, etc. )? followed by a brief account of these

Members of the network are civil society organisations supporting the development of the Local Social Economy.
The members’ areas of activity can be divided into the following categories:
• Research, consultancy and training geared to local employment and economic regeneration as well as social forms of technology;
• developing and realizing projects and enterprises within the social economy, partly on the basis of community work, including alternative finance instruments;
•