Who we are
RIPESS Europe – Solidarity Economy Europe, was born from the synergy produced by the meetings of the Globalisation of Solidarity organised by the intercontinental network RIPESS Intercontinental, the first of which took place in Lima in 1997. The 4th International Forum of “Globalisation of Solidarity”, Lux’09, which took place in Schifflange in April 2009, led to the launching of a dynamic by establishing trust and shared-knowledge between networks of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) at continental and intercontinental levels. During this meeting, Eric Lavillunière (INEES) and Christine Gent (WFTO) initiated the structuring of a European RIPESS platform.
In Barcelona, in 2011, RIPESS Europe was born. It included representatives of networks from Belgium, Catalonia, France, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania and Germany.
News from Europe—
Dražen Šimleša: Solidarity Ecosystems, From Local to Global
From Croatia, Dražen Šimleša brings to the Nyéléni Forum the experience of Recycled Estate, a living community and eco-social education center in permaculture, located 25 km from Zagreb. In a context where rural areas are losing population and much farmland remains uncultivated, this space has become a laboratory for the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in service of food sovereignty. [...]
Seeds of Solidarity on the Road to Nyéléni
Voices and experiences from the Social and Solidarity Economy for Food Sovereignty. From September 6 to 13, a delegation from RIPESS, representing all its regions, will take part in the International Nyéléni Forum on Food Sovereignty in Sri Lanka. On the way to this gathering, we want to highlight the voices, experiences, and struggles of those who, from their territories, [...]
Judith Hitchman: Building Bridges between Food Soverignty and Social Solidarity Economy
Since the late 1990s, Judith Hitchman began her path in the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) as an interpreter. Very soon, her work led her to encounter the food sovereignty movement and to become part of Urgenci, the International Network of Community Supported Agriculture. There she first served as cross-cultural advisor, then advocacy officer, and later, President. Over time, Judith [...]



