UNTFSSE statement on “What role for the Social and Solidarity Economy in the post COVID-19 crisis recovery?”

Produced by the members and observers of the UNTFSSE, the statement reflects on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of the social and solidarity economy in post COVID-19 recovery.

In June 2020, the United Nations Inter-agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) released a statement on “What role for the Social and Solidarity Economy in the post COVID-19 crisis recovery?”.

The statement is a joint effort of members and observers of the task force to reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic, its impacts on lives, economies and planet and the kind of recovery necessary to overcome the socio-economic crisis.

The documents states that “it is necessary to address the root causes of exclusionary and unsustainable development, in order to shape a different future. Rethinking the way we do business will be crucial in order to ensure a ‘people-centred and planet-sensitive’ recovery.”

It introduces the SSE as one key actor for shaping such recovery, especially in promoting the access to basic rights, in particular for the most vulnerable people; in generating innovative solutions at the local level; in supporting a just transition; in acting as an anticyclical “antidote”. The statement concludes with a call to action for governments.