Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy

The Pactes Locaux are a collective of actors who mobilise on a voluntary basis around specific objectives. They have provided original input to both French and European debate, based on the experience and local success stories of meeting some of today’s key challenges. This contribution has now been duly recognised. It is an element that allows the members to propose the “learning journey” approach as a tool for learning from each other in a variety of contexts. It is a horizontal practice that helps create bridges between generations and understanding of stakes as well as developing responsible territorial actions. The meeting that was held on December 1st in Poitiers (France) ended the Lux’09 cycle. It also helped confirm that our projects resonate with other territories.

The positive evaluation of Lux’09 provides a lever for the future. The Pactes Locaux are a small, open collective. They are not party-political affiliated or members of any institutional organisation. Their recognition reaches beyond what they represent in terms of membership. They remain a small dedicated team, united by what they have learned and their willpower and responsibility – as civil society – to change the system.

The Pactes Locaux intend continuing their work on European territorial cohesion. They hope to work on themes and in areas where their members and associate partners and those interested in taking part in the future, can work together. They hope to do this by demonstrating how reality and the expertise gained from practical know-how can help to illustrate, discuss and propose new ways of organising solidarity that can have a considerable impact and help open doors to solutions to the current crisis.

8.5 million jobs have been lost in Europe since 2008. In France, 1 million people in France will lose their job-seekers allowances in 2010. Exclusion is become the rule rather than the exception. The institutions are not supporting those actors involved in hands-on work. Things are increasingly difficult.

The Pactes Locaux will not be able to succeed on their own. The question is how to preserve our individual freedom, while supporting each other and serving the interest of all?

Learning to work as partners involves a legitimate confrontation of ideas and genuinely working together.

This means being realistic and taking stock, the better to position the collective. The members of the collective have decided to:

«  Ultimately, making a pact…is a declaration of collective ability to do things…it involves organising to find solutions to needs. It is also realising that united we stand in strength when we undertake an action. Finally the Pactes Locaux are the emergence of a collective approach to work for today’s and tomorrow’s society ».

President : France Joubert: +33 670 001 467; francejoubert@wanadoo.fr

General Secretary: Martine Theveniaut: +33 468 699 288; martine.theveniaut4@orange.fr

Headquarters: 5 rue de Cadène F – 11580 Alet les Bains

Site: pactes-locaux.org

Aloe has hosted the Pactes Locaux « Democratic participation and territorial anchorage » since 2009. We plan to continue with this co-operation in 2010-11.

We jointly invite you to contribute to these activites.

The theme falls into one of the areas developed by ALOE: Alternatives and solidarity-based innovations leading to socio-economic change. It intersects one of the ALOE projects, selected under the Tender for Proposals 2009-2010. The latter includes a certain number of partners, many from Asia, in the preparatory process of the Vth Intercontinental RIPESS Meeting, scheduled to take place in Manila in 2013.

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PRESENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME FOR 2010

The project is divided in two sections:

First section: Territory and solidarity

Towards a shared framework of reference: documenting the territorial approach tothe organisation of solidarity (follow-up to the  LUX’09 Workshop 7)

This aspect is part of the International and European action plan to implement a policy based on « the proof of the pudding is in the eating »

This section ails to document experiences and « case-studies». You are invited to contribute by filling in the attached form (available in three languages)

Second section : « From Pactes Locaux to European P’Actes »,

Preparation of a launching Forum in the framework of 2010, the European year  for combating poverty and social exclusion, on November 23rd in Brussels.

Part one: Territory and solidarity

Towards a shared framework of reference: documenting the territorial approach to the organization of solidarity (follow-up to Lux’09 Workshop 7)

At international level :

April 25th 2009, the conclusions of Workshop 7 of Lux’09 were unanimous. If we are to balance or complete thematic approaches, the participants agreed that the territorial approach to local and regional initiatives should be included. This question will be placed at the top of the agenda for the 5^th meeting of Globalisation of Solidarity in Asia in 2013. The Pactes Locaux have accepted the responsibility for developing this approach with the Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy (AA4SE) andthe preparation of the “Manila 2013” meeting.

The first step was to participate in the Asian Forum on Solidarity Economy in Tokyo, November 2009. This was prepared using a trilingual electronic forum on the ALOE website.

“The practical dimensions of sharing  experience and case studies …is the most important contribution to the Tokyo gathering. A number of these were regional or national experiences in the EU, the Philippines or based on the Korean national model. In addition the many stories from Malaysia, India, Nepal and Japan added reflections on different models and experiences. In the long run here too we must develop a framework for documentation, analysis and  lessons learnt. Learning the methodology used by the Pactes-Locaux will be useful for us for the development of the learning journey at  local level, incorporating local governance and democracy, the empowerment of local citizens, local development which is comprehensive rather than piecemeal.” Denison Jayasooria, President of the Asian Forum of Solidarity Economy.

At European level:

Lux’09 proves that other territories are interested in this mutualisation.. The Committee of the Regions has expressed their interest<http://www.cor.europa.eu/ateliers> In June 2009 they adopted the idea of “multi-level governance”, as a guideline for the framework of the European project for 2020.

This section brings together French, European and international territorial experiences and showcases “case studies”, (c.f. attached form in three languages).

HOW TO TAKE PART?

Initiating a collection process

Form attached (languages: French, English, Spanish)

Objective: Collect a first set of experience forms and begin defining a shared framework of reference to develop a policy based on “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”, coordinated at intercontinental level.

Outcomes:

-     November 2010 : Documentation of recent experiences from the preparation of 2010 the European year for  combating poverty and social exclusion: From Pactes Locaux to European P’Actes.

-     Early 2011: An evaluation and perspectivesbased on the initial experimental stage to be presented at the Asian Forum in Kuala Lumpur in 2011.

Agenda: 2010,  experimental stage

First semester 2010

A first set of experience forms that are already exist will be progressively published on the ALOE website in their original language. They are based on the mutualisation of 2007 – 2009.

a)    regional meetings to prepare Lux’09

b)    speeches from  Workshop7

c)    contributions to the preparatory internet forum prior to Tokyo

There will later be additional other experiences from different countries, continents, and on other  themes.

Second semester 2010: what framework for documentating and analysing   lessons learnt?

Once we have documented about 30 experiences,  several of which will be in English and Spanish, a first evaluation will be carried out(relevance, how to improve, next steps, etc…) according to the perspectives defined during the Asian Forum of Solidarity Economy in Tokyo, in November 2009, as well as those initiated by the RIPESS-Europe at the meetings held on March 6th at the FPH and  March 22nd-23rd in the Atelier (Paris).

First semester 2011

The outcomes of the this first phase will be used to prepare for the Kuala Lumpur meeting. Complementary information will be provided,  including through a Learning Journey at the initiative of the Malayan organizers.

DEFINITION OF “TERRITORY” ADOPTED DURING THE PREPARATORY FORUM of the Asian forum of solidarity economy (Tokyo, November 2009)

What do we mean by «territory»?

This term has different meanings dependent on languages and cultures.

For us, a territory is a geographically based  action system, where social, cultural and economic relations are organized:

·       between inhabitants that share a common heritage, a past and a future in a same area, that  they inherited and have a destiny (whether native born, of adoption, migrants or visitors);

·       between organizations with multiple features (enterprises, local authorities, state, networks, mutual aid, sectors of production, etc,)

·       between these individuals and the organizations with a specific bio-geographical environment;

·       between all these components and larger ones (macro) of smaller ones (micro).

These systems of territorial relations are necessarily open and connected to the outside. For in today’s world, interdependence has increased. Solving concrete problems such as housing, food, development, infrastructure, services, 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 and cultural resources «the global common goods and shared values» and the flows of all kinds that are appropriate to the diversity of different situations (ecosystems, overcrowded metropolitan areas, vulnerable territories, etc.);

Territorial governance must also create new types and forms of organization (institutional, economic, social but also cross-cutting, financial, fiscal, technical, etc…)

Section II: European P’Actes

« From Pactes Locaux to European P’Actes », Preparation of a launching Forum in the framework of  2010, the European year for combating poverty and social exclusion, on November 23rd in Brussels.

2010: Contribute to 2010, the European year  for combating poverty and social exclusion:

Objective:

-       Use the “Learning Journey” as a tool to learn for one another and contribute to the European draft proposal on territorial cohesion and multi-level governance based on selected themes and in territories that volunteer to participate.

-       Write and disseminate “The European Manifesto of Actors for Social and Territorial Cohesion”.

Concluding event

-       November 23rd, 2010 in Brussels: Launching Forum: “From Pactes Locaux to European P’Actes”, scheduled to take place at the Institut des Hautes Etudes des Communications Sociales orat The Committee of the Regions.

-       there will be a follow-up meeting to evaluate the programme and to decide on future actions.

“We should recognise this as an important signal, and contribute to building Europe. Today’s Europe is at odds with a world that is no longer totally adapted to European culture, economy or values. It is essential to take the weakest and most marginalised members of our community into account, and we wish to contribute to jointly building a Europe that is based on fraternity, and governed both economically and socially by the citizens and open to the world.

We cannot achieve this by ourselves. By extending our existing partnerships, we believe that this collective work will help all those organisations and people willing to commit to the process. We are not talking about a federation or a union…all those who take part will retain their own identity, their specificity and their legitimacy.

We hope this day will kindle a light of hope for us all.”

HOW TO PARTICIPATE ?

April – July 2010: Constitution of European Organizing Committee:

- Document examples proposed by its members

- Determine the availability of people and organisations to help prepare for the event and continuity

- Identify availability to host a Learning Journey in 2010 during the preparatory phase, or in 2011 during a European test cycle to experiment the transition from small-scale to mainstreaming and new European regulations for social/ economic/territorial cohesion

-  This phase will conclude with the creation of a European Organising Committee (EOC): it will include 8-20 volunteers, willing to help with the preparation of the Forum.

September – November 2010: Dedicated to preparation.

-  September:  One-day writing workshop to create a draft of the first version of a European Manifesto of Actors for Social and Territorial Cohesion.

- September 15th – end of October: This draft will then be circulated to improve the content and extend the number of experiences, signatories, invitations and active participation (electronic forum)

- November 23rd,  Brussels : The launching Forum will take place under the patronage of the Committee of the Regions. the outcomes will be included as part of a more widely published draft of proposals that will be sent to the relevant European authorities.

The Pactes Locaux are a collective of actors, founded in 1998.  In 2005 they became an officially registered NGO. Between 2007 and 2009, they worked on the approach of open capitalisation based on the broad theme of “Democratic participation and territorial anchorage”. This was the preparation for the International Forum of Lux’09, the IVth Meeting for the Globalisation of Solidarity of RIPESS  (workshop 7), organised in Luxemburg by INEES, the European Institute for Solidarity Economy.

The Pactes Locaux mobilised on a voluntary basis, over and above the members’ own individual activities to reach a specific objective. Their contribution to both French and European discussions has been original, and is based on their significant territorial achievements in dealing with key issues of today’s society. They held five regional meetings supported by a European working Platform. Expert practitioners presented their work at territorial level: work and employment issues in Poitou-Charentes, responsible tourism in Auvergne, local development and solidarity economy in Luxemburg, social cohesion and well-being in the urban environment of Fontenay-sous-Bois, rural/urban solidarity and the associated economy in the metroposiation of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

This contribution has now been duly recognised. It is an element that allows the members to propose the “learning journey” approach as a tool for learning from each other in a variety of contexts. It is a horizontal practice that helps build bridges between generations and develop an understanding of stakes as well as constructing responsible territorial actions. The meeting that was held on December 1st in Poitiers (France) ended the Lux’09 cycle. It also helped to confirm that our projects resonate with other territories.

This process jointly served the following ends:

-    The Lux’09 Forum (cross-cutting and internationalisation of Workshop 7)

-    The FPH (dissemination / discussion of a new approach to œconomy, territories as actors, institutional connections)

- Of the members and associate partners

- The people responsible for developing the dynamics of Asia 2013 have adopted the territorial anchoring of solidarity economy; they now consider us as partners.

The positive evaluation of Lux’09 provides a lever for the future. The Pactes Locaux are a small, open collective. They are not party-political affiliated or members of any institutional organisation. Their recognition reaches beyond what they represent in terms of membership. They remain a small dedicated team, united by what they have learned and their determination as civil society, to  take on reposnibility and change the system..

The Pactes Locaux intend continuing their work on European territorial cohesion. They hope to work on themes and in areas where their members and associate partners and those interested in taking part in the future, can work together. They hope to do this by demonstrating how reality and the expertise gained from practical know-how can help to illustrate, discuss and propose new ways of organising solidarity that can have a considerable impact and help open doors to solutions to the current crisis.

8.5 million jobs have been lost in Europe since 2008. In France, 1 million people will lose their job-seekers allowances in 2010. Exclusion is becoming the rule rather than the exception. The institutions are not supporting those actors involved in hands-on work. Things are becoming increasingly difficult. The Pactes Locaux will not succeed on their own. The question is how to preserve our individual freedom, while supporting each other and serving the interest of all? Learning to work as partners involves a legitimate confrontation of ideas and genuinely working together.

This means being realistic and taking stock, the better to position the collective. The members of the collective have decided to:

- Continue the commitment to work in those territories and networks that make sense to them, and where they are already present

-    Provide each other with mutual support in their respective activities, with priority support for the in-depth projects

- Promote the “Learning Journey” approach as an awareness-raising framework for learning, co-operating and bringing together local actors

- Jointly work on developing means of paid work

- Specifically aim to contact elected local representatives: future local councillors, intercommunal elected representatives, members of collective approaches such as Districts, Agenda 21s, social networks…. The current context favours a return to things local, which is fundamentally important to sustainable development, employment, peace etc… It also shows what a huge deficit exists in the ability to accompany progress and pull together as a system, rather than pulling strings from above or the outside. This is true in all fields: economic, political or alternative approaches. This missing link, the interface between branches and different levels has yet to be created if we are to reach a better understanding and effectively implement an operational approach to restructuring our territories

- Become and remain, active partners in FPH, RIPESS Europe and in French and European territorial networks,  activities and events

- Continue working on consensual aspects of Workshop 7 “Democratic Participation and territorial anchorage” (Forum Lux’09, April 2009) in Europe, and prepare for the Asian Solidarity Economy Forum in Kuala Lumpur in 2011 and “The Road to Manila 2013” (the Vth International RIPESS Meeting).

Contacts.

-    President : France Joubert: +33 (0)6 70 001 467; francejoubert@wanadoo.fr

-    General Secretary: Martine Theveniaut: + 33 (0)4 686 99 288; martine.theveniaut4@orange.fr. Extended in-depth projects: project leaders.

-    France Joubert: +33 (0)6 70 001 467; francejoubert@wanadoo.fr. Employment and activities, social territorial dialogue: what alliances in/between territories?

- Alain Laurent:   +33 (0)5 61 624 68 ; beira.cfp@wanadoo.fr. Tourism and responsible territories: How can they converge?

- Bruno Racine: +33 (0)6 70 160 489; brunoracine@free.fr. What governance for developing territorial cohesion?

Martine Theveniaut: + 33 (0)4 686 99 288 martine.theveniaut4@orange.fr. «The road to Manilla 2013»: solidarity and territory, an international process.

- Peter Wollny: +33 (0)4 68 318 729; pw@base-sur-audois.fr. ICTs – a vector of democracy and initiatives for collective territoiral  projects

Headquarters: 5 rue de Cadène F – 11580 Alet les

Please receive our best wishes so that the year 2010 will be constructive for “en route to Manila via Kuala Lumpur».

Here are some news from Pactes Locaux. We have not yet renewed efforts to go forward with the Internet forum we had to prepare Tokyo.  There are still strings to be attached. Sorry for this delay.

Pierre Calame is very pleased with our work. But now, he is not any more the «leader» of the FPH. His son, Matthieu Calame has just taken over.  We know that the project Pactes Locaux is included within the «social and solidarity economy” and «territory” projects.  Pierre would be grouped in one cluster around a web-site project on international contacts. I think Pierre has contacted Ben about it. This is an excellent thing.

But for the Pactes Locaux, uncertainty remains on our place to prepare Kuala Lumpur (2011) and Manila (2013), and financial support to continue the learning journey process.

We have general meeting January 20 at the FPH. We requested a moment of encounter (after the conclusion of our internal work), at about 16:00 with our FPH interlocutors in this transition: Peter, Matthew, Gustavo Marin (who follows projects from Asia at the FPH) and Thomas Weiss, who follows the projects on website and COREDEM (Coordination of resources for a global democracy). We hope to learn more.

It is certain that we will continue, but can not yet say in any way. The meetings between practitioners are essential to our eyes for a common understanding and facilitate reconciliation between the different continents. Learning journeys are a great way to learn.

As agreed in writing the draft (June 2009), the involvement of Pactes Locaux in the preparation of 2013 has the objective of “conducting an active approach to research partnerships of grassroots actors with financial and institutional support, to give greater scope to the continental stages of preparation of the meeting in Asia.”

So thank you for your patience. Depending on the response of the FPH (and the support it brings us finally), we can decide how to proceed realistically, but with determination.

A message for Denison. Yvon has shared with me the news he saw on the Internet about the violence that has erupted in Malaysia with religious intolerance as a background.  We are very sad about this and our best wishes for peaceful resolution of this difficult situation.

Yours sincerely

Martine Theveniaut and France Joubert
(and Yvon, thank You Yvon, for helping us to translate and correct this message)

Asian Forum for Solidarity Economy
Tokyo, November 7 2009

Yvon Poirier, Martine Theveniaut

Workshop 7 Task Force – Atelier 7 – Results and Continuation.

Martine Theveniaut

Sociologist

Coordinator of Pactes Locaux since 1998

Pactes Locaux is a member of the European Steering Committee -RIPESS since 2007

Practitioner member of BASE Sud Audois (Bureau pour l’Action Solidaire dans l’Espace Sud Audois) South of France since 2000.

Yvon Poirier

Chair International Committee of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNET)

RIPESS North America

Involved in working with Martine since 2001 on local development

Co-Editor with Martine in publishing a monthly Newsletter since November 2003

International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development

1- Preparation and results: Martine Theveniaut

Pactes Locaux (Local agreements)

Pactes Locaux was created in 1998, supported by the Foundation for the Progress of Humankind. This French network of people and organisations involved in local development, has adopted a solidarity and cooperative approach in addressing socio-economic concerns through sustainable initiatives.

Pactes Locaux assumed the mandate for preparing a Workshop for the 4th Meeting of Globalisation of Solidarity, held from the 22nd-25th April 2009 in Luxemburg.

A majority French working group, thinking globally, and led by Pactes Locaux, prepared this meeting.

Common learning methodology: The experience takes shape.

In the current context of deep crisis of democracy and the growth model, Pactes Locaux, devised a mobile, learner-centered capitalization process, which involved a broad working platform at the European level.

December 2007 the group preparing for Workshop 7 “Democratic participation and territorial anchoring” agreed to hold 5 regional meetings.

A lot of material, many questions, valuable ideas and proposals were collected through this sharing process .The five meetings concluded in January 2009 and the results can be seen on the website. www.pactes-locaux.org

What lessons have we learnt that will help the future?

To put the economy back on its feet, we need

• to start from concrete reality, needs, aspirations and human inventiveness rather than at institutional level, with its power-based logic and fragmented, biased vision.
• to affirm that the new economy is one of shared responsibility: What is my responsibility within the economy, society, culture and nature? And how can I create links between these fields and my own life?

The lessons were enriched and enlarged at international level (February / April 2009).

Using presentations 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.

A learning journey in Aude (South of France)

Hosting an international delegation in the Aude before the Lux09 meeting, from April 16 – 21: Yvon Poirier and Jacques Fiset (Quebec), Denison Jayasooria (Malaysia) and Ben Quiñones (the Philippines), President of the CSRSME Asia (Coalition of Socially Responsible SMEs).

April 20, Terménès (France)

The conclusion of Workshop 7 is that 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.

This approach is a pillar of the solidarity economy and will be placed at the heart of the 5th meeting of RIPESS

A provisional steering committee to carry out this process (June 2009) based on exchange between practitioners or catalysts, is formed of:

• Ben Quiñones (Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy).
• Denison Jayasooria (Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy)
• Yvon Poirier (International Newsletter on Sustainable Local Development)
• Martine Theveniaut (Pactes Locaux).

At the end of July 2009 the internet Forum opened an initiative of:

• the Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy, the principal partner of the 5th meeting of the Globalization of Solidarity in Asia in 2013
• and Pactes Locaux who accepts the responsibility to implement the consensus of the Workshop

The forum is hosted on site by ALOE (the Alliance for another economy) to benefit from their experience in facilitating intercultural dialogue at a distance.

Thinking «locally» is becoming a major force in the organization of solidarity.

As this way of thinking is not usual, the approach is one of proof, we must: illustrate, discuss, compare how to make proposals on the basis of a diagnosis.

It is a must to convince that solidarity economy has the capacity to become a sustainable and responsible alternative in the context of globalization process

It is a must … to engage together in strategies for change.

This Forum was in three languages: English, Spanish and French.

We agreed that : « In this Forum, we assume that we are all, to varying degrees, practitioners of an economy with more solidarity, all rooted in a particular territorial context, but living and sharing many issues and values that we agree upon”.

Participation: about 150 people; 30 contributions – illustrative and theoretical.

The contributions served to produce a synthesis and are the basis of reflection for the future work program on “territorial anchoring” in 2013.

2 Territory in a global approach: Conclusions and proposals for the Future.

Yvon Poirier

Many contributions linked «territory» and «sustainable development»

A-Access to land and the production of food for local territories

Examples

- A land Trust in France «Terre de liens» for buying farmlands to settle young farmers An Association of 25 villages in Ivory Coast (West Africa) working in a long term perspective so strengthen the villages though farming

- Seikatsu Club Co-operative Union in Japan (300 000 members). Linking directly famers and consumers in cities

B- New forms of organisations and social innovation

In most contributions, people share initiatives they have built over the last 20-30 years

Examples

• Employers groups in Europe to create full time jobs in regions with seasonal or part-time jobs
• Networking in Agriculture Supported by the Community (ASC) with an international network called URGENCI
• Transition Towns to adapt to a world of sustainable communities (less use of energy)

GLOBAL PERPECTIVES

Two papers presented a global perspective

Pierre Calame (FPH) proposes the idea that the «territory will become the key actor of the 21st century» He suggests that territories are better place to face the «Four major challenges of our time: the integration of human activity in the biosphere, the search of a new equilibrium, social management, reducing energy consumption and the economy of knowledge»

Michael Lewis from the Canadian Center for Community Renewal and Pat Conaty from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) in the UK say in their paper: “The Great Transition: Navigating social, economic, ecological in turbulent times.” The global challenges we face demand a radical transition from a globalised growth economy driven by escalating levels of debt to a federation of decentralised, social, and ecological economies. This paper is not merely a theoretical discussion, however. The thesis proposed for SEE (Social, Ecological, and Economic) Change builds upon historic and contemporary efforts by co-operative organisations to end usury, advance local land reform, reconstruct local food systems, and forge energy solutions that can decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. The dynamic and complementary innovations introduced in this paper explicate strategic pathways that need to be interconnected to shape the social and ecological system. »

The analysis and perspectives of these authors help us link the territorial approach with the global picture; especially since papers both place the territory in a central position.

MAIN CONCLUSIONS (from the synthesis paper)

1 – The global vision of solidarity economy contributes to the “great transition” with other currents of thought and action, including those of sustainable development. They have a common purpose is: “put the economy in the right direction and its rightful place: a means to serve the purposes of living together on the same premises in a liveable world for all – a world of finite resources, shared fairly, and deliberately democratic. “

2 – The territorial approach opens the possibility to balance the excesses of thematic and sectoral inputs towards a comprehensive approach.

“When the focus is placed on the sector (fair trade, social currency, finance, social, ethical consumerism, food sovereignty, etc…) Solidarity Economy, as an approach, treats the constraints of territory as one parameter among others.»

A NEW DEFINITION OF TERRITORY

As we concluded this first initial step (Luxemburg to Tokyo), we came to realise that we had a more precise knowledge of different aspects of the concept of territory.

In the conclusion of the Synthesis, we said:

· We must continue discussions on this territorial approach: what is a territory? What is territorial anchorage? what are the meanings of these words (vocabulary) in different languages?

· We received many comments after sending the synthesis.

· We are now ready to suggest a revised definition. These proposed changes come from friends in France. We acknowledge that we will need to continue to improve the definition to take into account other languages and cultural contexts.

What do we mean by «territory»?

This term has different meanings dependent on languages and cultures.

For us, a territory is an action system geographically based, where are organized social, cultural and economic relations:

· between inhabitants that share a common heritage, a past and a future in a same area, that they inherited and gas a destiny (whether native born, of adoption, migrants or visitors);

· between organizations with multiple features (enterprises, local authorities, state, networks, mutual aid, sectors of production, etc,)

· between these individuals and the organizations with a specific bio-geographical environment;

· between all these components and larger ones (macro) of smaller ones (micro).

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, services, 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 and cultural resources «the global common goods and shared values» and the flow of all kinds that are appropriate to the diversity of different situations (ecosystems, overcrowded metropolitan areas, vulnerable territories, etc.);

Territorial governance must also create new types and forms of organization (institutional, economic, social but also cross-cutting, financial, fiscal, technical, etc…)

NEXT STEPS

Continue our learning journey:

• listen to the practitioners
• links with researchers,
• knowledge exchange with others pursuing alternative approaches
• overcome the challenge of intercultural and language barriers

ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE…. AND NECESSARY|

A final thought:

Gandhi once said « the world has enough for everyone’s needs but not their greed».

By Martine Theveniaut, General Manager of the Pactes Locaux

Octobre 2009

Pactes Locaux started in 1998 as an informal network of people and organisations.

- A way of thinking and being “among peers”: this involves neither evaluation not judgement of others, nor any external posturing, and enables a genuine sharing and reflection on our experience as practitioners

- Critical well-intentioned observation: to mutually help distance ourselves and others from our practice, to improve, compare, become more effective and powerful in our actions, to start afresh…

… all allow us to build a shared framework of reference for action as we go down the road.

In 2005, the Collective became an officially registered NGO.

The objective: “Develop and provide services that help to promote, consolidate, improve and link all forms of co-operation aimed a supporting change in territorial and human environment” (article 2 of the statutes of the NGO).

A pool of human resources.

- Voluntary contribution and participation.

- Different themes based on individual expertise and practical know-how: social cohesion, local development, solidarity economy, social territorial dialogue, tourism and territory, sustainable development, democracy and citizen’s participation, interculturality, evaluation.

- Permanent group dynamics and moderation

- A collaborative empowered group with no headquarters

- Regional branches or resource-people, affiliated NGOs, trusted by the other members, empowered to act.

Different configurations for co-operating:

- Based on territorial anchorage/grounding

- Based on a specific theme related to a territorial approach

⇒ Examples

1st regional preparatory meeting for Lux09: France Joubert:

A complete cycle of territorial innovation, up and running since 1985, aimed at maintaining and creating project-based employment.

- The tools: Employers groups, a “helpful” law in 1985, followed by the Planned Management of Territories and an Employment, Employer’s Group Resource Centre. This was created as a prototype in 1999, and has now been disseminated in 7 regions in France, with an uptake at European level in 2008. Contact: http://www.crge.com

- Promoting a concept: social territorial dialogue opened a 4th level of negotiation and gained official recognition in a report by the Economic Social and Environmental Council (an official French Institution), in July 2009.

- “Crossroads for Social Innovation and Employment”, is a unique regional tool in France: it is an association bringing together both trade union and employers’ representatives for social dialogue before negotiations on key questions like aging work force, seasonal jobs etc. Although officially part of the Regional Governmental and Territorial Plan since 1999, there is still resistance to changing traditional institutional habits…handing over power is a difficult step.

“ The joint development of tools that enable people to work together on the same subjects is a 20-year journey, with markers along the way. Our ideas are clearer today: the pact is a contract and the local is the territory. This is the level where it is possible to regulate employment. When we scale up, we are talking to the same people, but their attitude has changed. The problem of exclusion is too serious. The elected representatives have stepped down from their pedestal. They need other people. Obstacles havebeen removed, and globalisation is the name of the game.”

France Joubert, 1st regional preparatory meeting for Lux09, Poitiers, December 2007

Languedoc-Roussillon (South of France), the BASE Sud-Audois, created as an independent initiative of local civil society in 2000

The Office for Solidarity Action in the South Audois Area contributes to local economic development by a strategy of solidarity and sharing of experience.

- They operate with a mandate conferred by a Public/Private Local Authority-related management structure of the Haute Vallée de l’Aude District.

- A demographic survey: Human Resources and New Residents in the District (2003).

Directory of Solidarity Initiatives (2005).

- A local Forum: exchange of experiences: « Nothing to sell, our currency is exchange

»: brought together 32 self-employed people and collectives who had stands to exchange on their respective learning journeys (June 2007)

- An interactive web site created in 2008, (www.base-sud-audois) informs, invites people to contribute, and encourages people to get together. 350 different visitors per month (2009).

- Regional branch of the Pactes Locaux since 2008.

- Peter Wollny (President) and Martina Wollny (general secretary).

- Contact: pw@base-sud-audois.fr

Lower Normandy: Géraldine Lechevalier: How to maintain the elderly in their home environment and within the framework of their local relationships. Age is not an illness or a commodity.

- President of «Myosotis» an NGO (created in 1997) providing services to people

- Diploma in caring for the sick and elderly (Accreditation of experience…).

- Collaborative research-action on how to change attitudes and professional practice

Regional branch – Contact: geraldine.lechevalier@wanadoo.fr

Midi-Pyrénées: Judith Hitchman, international conference interpreter, committed to “cross-cultural communication in the service of peace”

- Practical knowledge of peasant agriculture and food sovereignty and “language of alternatives” (Social Fora, Via Campesina, URGENCI…)

- Involved in the Collective for the International Solidarity Week in Tarbes

- Resource person – Contact: hitchman@club-internet.fr

2nd regional meeting in Auvergne: responsible tourism, a laboratory for greater solidarity, co-operation and culture in territorial economy. Alain Laurent

This meeting was organised by Alain Laurent of Beira-CFP and the Pactes Locaux. It was hosted by Jean-Claude Mairal, Vice-President of the Regional Government for the Auvergne region. It took place in May 2008.

- It catalysed 20 years of reflection and action.

- It created a space for dialogue and new forms of relationships between stakeholders in the tourist sector, the region as well as international co-operation networks and structures.

- It enabled all the actors the consider the issues of inhabitants and territory (publication of a collective work entitled “Responsible Tourism, the key to sustainable territorial development”, published by Chronique Sociale, 2009)

- In the following months (2009), it contributed to defining a French governmental strategy for co-operation with developing countries (ex-colonies in particular) under the heading “Responsible Tourism and Territories”.

Principles have provided a framework that validates or prepare an across-the-board, interministerial public action.

Constitution of TERritoires_RESponsables in 2009.

One outcome of this meeting, the NGO TER_RES brings together committed experienced individuals, as well as representatives of different families of actors, businesses, consumers, citizens, and organised local inhabitants

- The project is managed and co-ordinated by Alain Laurent, initiator of the approach, supported by the University of Toulouse. The first UNI_TERRES (Open University project on Responsible Territories) is scheduled to be held in autumn 2010.

- It proposes a bespoke and holistic approach to methodological project management.

- There is an international referential that takes the reality and rhythm of each territoryinto account.

- It aims to provide an accreditation for quality and territorial responsibility through a System of Collective Guarantees. (Collective Guarantee System)

- It is based on the choice of a dominant theme: responsible tourism (sustainable, solidarity, eco- cultural…)

- Contact: territoiresresponsables@orange.fr

- There is a particularly strong partnership between TER_RES and the Pactes Locaux

« Ultimately, making a pact…is a declaration of collective ability to do things…it involves organising to find solutions to needs. It is also realising that united we stand in strength when we undertake an action. Finally the Pactes Locaux are the premises of a collective approach to work for today’s and tomorrow’s society ».

Contacts for the Pactes Locaux: France Joubert, President: + 33 (0)6 70 00 14 67

francejoubert@wanadoo.fr

Martine Theveniaut, General Manager Telephone + 33 (0)4 68 69 92 88

martine.theveniaut4@orange.fr

Address: 5 rue de Cadène, F- 11580 Alet-les-Bains

English translation: Judith Hitchman.

By Martine Theveniaut, General Manager of the Pactes Locaux

October 2009

- Up-front preparation, based on the conclusions of the approach, 20 summaries of actions and examples by people who had participated in the preparation. 21 people expressed their interest in a follow-up.

- 80 people signed up to the workshop, 40 people attended, representing Europe, Burkina Faso, Chile, Ivory Coast, Georgia, India, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Quebec, The Philippines, and Senegal.

- The workshop had three sequences, based on illustrating and discussing viewed from the North and from the South; the third day was dedicated to a comparison. This enabled us to identify factors of convergence between participants of various levels of responsibility.

- The objective of the workshop was to “create a broad consensus to jointly put forward ideas on regulations, organisation and co-operation and decisions” This objective was met.

- The conclusions confirmed in the closing plenary session how important the territorial

approach is in building the future of solidarity economy in mainstream economy, and laid out the road for the next four years.

The main lessons learnt: How does the experience shape and take shape?

- Producing context-related knowledge that is useful on the ground causes things to happen and to move forward.

- Opening “in situ” dialogue between practitioners, theoreticians and regulators opens up perspectives.

- Deciding to hold an event within an up-front planned, methodological framework broadens the basis for consensus and consolidates energies.

- Stating from the outset that the final results would include the elements of the discussions, stimulates interest and creativity.

The outcome is… a new departure: on-going progress for the future

- Illustrate/discuss/propose, bringing together people of different nationalities, languages, cultures and themes is a method that provides a rich input for building policies based on things that are proven to work. It is less ideological than the World Social Forum and can be improved and used to write a road map for solidarity economy in Europe and at global level.

- The across-the-board approach is relevant (participation + territory); it stands back from the theoretical concepts, places the cursor on how and where things fall into the general economic framework and provide the levers for change.

- . How can we translate values into acts? A platform is a new collective form of organisation. It cuts across functions and is intercultural, is composed of multiple actors, who are involved at different levels of society. It aims to experiment on the basis of voluntary convergence, rather than to define a structure for its’ own sake.

Tasks and responsibilities exist, and are assumed on the basis of individual commitment to a collective approach, placing the common good at the centre.

2010-2013: From a collective of actors to a collective actor. Learning how to co-operate.

The starting points are the actors involved in hands-on concrete reality. This means declaring that solidarity economy is an economy of shared responsibilities.

- Solidarity is not something that can be decreed. It needs to be organised at different levels and between levels.

There are three main levels:

1- National and European levels:

« Communication Day » scheduled for December 1st in Poitier s: How to reinvest the lessons learnt in public discussion and action. The title will be “The role of civil society in territorial development: Imagining, organising and producing together”

2- Regional and local levels:

involving people and territor ies that volunteer to analyse and evaluate their practice? Staying the course and moving forward means letting time run its course and allowing things to fall into place.

- Twinning, formal and informal support. Specific partnerships in the framework of programmes.

- Identification and showcasing of progress by collecting stories

- In-depth work to help create new institutional structures, experimenting with branches/ territories…

- Tools to evaluate, and indicators to measure and report.

“Accompany an overall global policy of communication, vulgarisation, and pedagogy to create more accurate and representative information that is adapted and accessible to everyone”.

3 – Open up at international level. Intercultural relations are the levers of solidarity

- Follow-up actions to Workshop 7: Workshop 7 Task Force (W7TF) « Territorial Anchorage ‘: An Internet Forum: workshop7-w7tf@socioeco.org, this is an initiative of

- Asian Alliance for Solidarity Economy (AA4SE) (www.aa4se.org), leading partner in

the 5th Meeting of the Globalisation of Solidarity in Asia for 2013.

- The Pactes Locaux (www.pactes-locaux.org) accept the responsibility for implementing the consensus reached in workshop 7, with the support of the FPH.

- Hosted on the ALOE web site, and moderated in three languages by Yvon Poirier, Martine Theveniaut and Françoise Wauttiez.

“Territories are in the process of becoming an unavoidable aspect in the organisation of solidarity. The territorial approach to local or regional initiatives is of the highest

importance, in balancing or completing the approach to different sectors”.

Committing to working on this process is aimed at bringing experience together, and creating

an international non-academic think tank with a view to running a programme between 2010 and 2013.

Contacts for the Pactes Locaux: France Joubert, President: + 33 (0)6 70 00 14 67

francejoubert@wanadoo.fr

Martine Theveniaut, General Manager Telephone + 33 (0)4 68 69 92 88

martine.theveniaut4@orange.fr

Address: 5 rue de Cadène, F- 11580 Alet-les-Bains

English translation: Judith Hitchman.