What is Social Solidarity Economy?
Today, perhaps as never before, more people are becoming aware that capitalism has turned our lives and our planet into a commodity. A system that is environmentally unsustainable and socially unjust, and that it is not able to guarantee the happiness and dignified life conditions of all persons in any place on the planet.
Social Solidarity Economy includes a wide range of practices that span economic, social, environmental, political, communitarian or holistic dimensions.
News—
Ana María Condori Fernández: Seeds of dignity and fair trade from Bolivia
From the Altiplano and the colonization region of Alto Beni in Bolivia, Ana María Condori Fernández, an Aymara woman, arrives at the Nyéléni Forum with a story shaped by resilience, organization, and hope. Her journey began in childhood, herding animals and working the land under conditions of extreme poverty. Later, as a domestic worker in La Paz, she endured exploitation [...]
Gabrielle Payette-Bédard : Weaving Territorial Food Systems in Québec
From Québec (Canada), Gabrielle Payette-Bédard joins the Nyéléni Forum representing the Forum on Territorial Food Systems (SAT) – Chantier de l’économie sociale. Her work focuses on bringing together communities, organizations, municipalities, and collectives that, from different sectors, seek an intersectoral vision of agriculture and food. Across Québec, the realities of food sovereignty are diverse: from the fertile southern lands threatened [...]
How 25 years of solidarity resulted in the adoption of the UN Resolution A/RES/77/281
A summary of this paper was presented at a conference on “Inclusive Solidarities: Reimagining Boundaries in Divided Times” organized by Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE), an international, inter-disciplinary organization with members in over 50 countries on five continents. The presentation was made at this SASE Conference held in Montréal on July 11, 2025, in the Network session on [...]
What is RIPESS?
RIPESS is a global network of continental networks committed to the promotion of Social Solidarity Economy. The member networks themselves (Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania) bring together national and sectorial networks, thus ensuring strong territorial anchoring.
The combined local and global scope gives RIPESS legitimacy to promote SSE, foster intercontinental cooperation, and advocate at different levels. RIPESS members believe in the importance of the globalisation of solidarity, and the ability to build and strengthen an economy that places people and planet at the centre of its activities.
