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».
