This is a historic moment for the social and solidarity economy. On April 18, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution for « the promotion of the social and solidarity economy for sustainable development ». Co-sponsored by thirty countries, including Chile, Spain, France and Senegal, this resolution marks the culmination of years of work for the recognition of the sector.

Taking up the definition of SSE adopted in 2022 by the International Labour Organization, the UN recognizes the role of the sector in promoting democracy and social justice. Among the provisions of the resolution, the organization encourages all member states to implement local strategies and public policies to develop SSE at all levels. Beyond member states, UN agencies and multilateral financial institutions are strongly encouraged to take into consideration the social solidarity economy in their support, development, and planning policies, in particular regarding the United Nations Development Cooperation Framework.

The adoption of the resolution was welcomed by many personalities, such as Mr. Houngbo, Director-General of the ILO, for whom:

“This UN Resolution shows that momentum is building behind this idea, and we must seize the moment. […] A broad, healthy social and solidarity economy can play an important role in reducing inequalities and spreading prosperity, opportunity and sustainability. At the same time, it can help create a virtuous circle, bringing greater awareness of the need for social justice, which in turn will encourage the systemic changes we need for the social and solidarity economy to flourish.”

Finally, the resolution also calls for the preparation of a report, in collaboration with the Interagency Working Group on the Social Solidarity Economy. This report will evaluate the implementation of the resolution and the contribution of the SSE to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The social and solidarity economy is also already put on the agenda of the next session of the United Nations General Assembly, under the issue entitled « Sustainable Development ».