The Asian Solidarity Economy Forum (ASEF) which began in 2007, aims to provide a platform for organizations and enterprises in Asia to share their social solidarity economy (SSE) initiatives that prioritize people and planet over profit. SSE is a viable pathway to sustainable development, particularly in the rebuilding of economies in the context, and the aftermath, of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The ASEF’22 comes at an auspicious time when the 110th session of the International Labor Conference (ILC), held on May 27-June 11, 2022, passed a resolution which enjoined Member governments to, among others, value the local anchoring of the SSE and its contribution to both well-established and innovative solutions to provide decent work opportunities and meet the needs of disadvantaged groups and persons in vulnerable situations, particularly women, including in rural areas; and develop an inclusive, integrated and gender-responsive approach to the promotion of the SSE, including with respect to groups in situations of vulnerability, recognizing the value of care and unpaid work.

Under the title “Creating Convergence Spaces for SSE Community Builders in Asia”, ASEF 22 aims to broaden awareness and deepen understanding on how SSE entities develop inclusive, integrated and gender-responsive approaches to sustainable development; and strengthen networks of “SSE Community Builders” at the national and local levels. Each participant will be encouraged to participate actively in one to three provided spaces:

Workshop 1: The SSE Course is a basic introduction to the theory and practice of Social Solidarity Economy (SSE). The ASEF workshop shall review the course outline and deliberate on why the SSE course is important for government officials, businessmen, cooperatives, NGOs, and social enterprises

Role Players (L-R): Dr. Rosalinda Ofreneo; Mr. Paul Casuga.

 

Workshop 2: The Social Entrepreneurship Development Roadmap (SEDR).  Developed by Bayan Academy and launched during the Philippine Social Entrepreneurship Summit in November 2021, the SEDR is a strategic tool for building a common understanding of social enterprises and mobilizing commitment to their development.

Role Players (L-R): Mr. Carlo Sagun; Mr. John Xavier Francia.

 

Workshop 3: Climate Change & Environment (CCE). The CCE workshop will deal with people’s initiatives in conserving the environment and developing local communities’ resilience to climate change. It will feature the experiences of the community forest user groups in protecting, growing, & benefiting from the forests of Nepal.

Role Players (L-R): Mr. Bhola Bhattarai; Mr. Kon Onn Sein.

 

Workshop 4: Transformative Social Protection (TSP). The TSP Workshop will deal with programs designed to reduce poverty and vulnerability by diminishing people’s exposure to risks, and enhancing their capacity to protect themselves against hazards and interruption/loss of income. It will feature the safety net measures provided by Habitat for Humanity India for the poor in India

Role Players (L-R): Dr. Rajan Samuel; Mr. James Ryan Raj. 

Workshop 5: Community Supported Production (CSP). Community supported production has risen importance in the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic as people in quarantine zones sought to secure food supplies from local producers. To be featured in this workshop are two models of CSP: the women self-help groups of ASSEFA in India; and the Fair Trade experience of Dew Crafts in Bangladesh.

Role Players (L-R): Mr. Shah Abdus Salam; Mr. Kumar Loganathan; Mr. Ryan Joseph Marti.

Workshop 6: SSE Financing and Mutual Insurance (FMI): Access to finance is important for the survival of start-ups as well as for the sustenance of growing enterprises. But there are serious constraints to banking access of SSE organisations and enterprises, many of which are micro and small in terms of business size. This workshop will showcase the experiences of the Alalay Sa Kaunlaran Inc. )ASKI) In financing micro & small enterprises and in facilitating mutual insurance among the poor households.

Role Players (L-R): Ms. Emeteria Quijano; Mr. Junjay Perez; Ms. Thes Molino.

To register for ASEF’22, please send an email to the ASEC Secretariat  asecphilnet@gmail.com , providing the following information: 

  1. Full name (first name, family name)
  2. Name of organization 
  3. Designation 
  4. Email address 
  5. I’d like to participate in – please include whether as a potential resource person or as a participant, and in not more than 3 convergences/workshops.