On 11 June 2026, at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends on SSE was held, establishing a new intergovernmental space to strengthen international cooperation and reinforce the role of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in advancing decent work, sustainable development, and social justice.
Following the meeting, the Group adopted its official Declaration, available in Arabic, Spanish, French, English and Portuguese on the UNTFSSE website.
A Declaration that reinforces global recognition of SSE
The Declaration formally establishes the Group of Friends as a mechanism to facilitate intergovernmental cooperation and promote coherent policies that support SSE within the United Nations system. As stated in the document:
“We hereby establish the Group of Friends on Social and Solidarity Economy to facilitate intergovernmental cooperation with a view to promoting the contribution of SSE to decent work, sustainable development and social justice…”
It also highlights the role of SSE in poverty eradication, social inclusion and structural transformation, in line with the Doha Political Declaration of the World Social Summit:
“The social and solidarity economy can play a key role in eradicating poverty, promoting social inclusion and catalysing social transformation…”
The Declaration recalls recent milestones, including:
- The ILO Resolution on Decent Work and SSE (2022)
- The UN General Assembly Resolution 79/213, recognising SSE as a driver of inclusive economies, social innovation and empowerment of women, youth and vulnerable groups
Growing intergovernmental support
The Declaration is initially supported by 20 governments — Barbados, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Romania, Senegal, Spain, State of Palestine, Uruguay and Uzbekistan— committed to advancing SSE in multilateral processes and promoting enabling policy frameworks.
RIPESS participation in the launch
RIPESS took part in the inaugural meeting as a stakeholder, contributing reflections on the role of SSE as a systemic response to inequalities and as a key pathway toward an economy grounded in human rights, decent work and social justice.
The intervention, delivered by Sandra Moreno Cadena, Executive Secretary of RIPESS, emphasised the importance of strengthening public policies, regulatory frameworks and international alliances that expand the transformative impact of SSE worldwide.
The full note on RIPESS’ participation is available here.
A call to expand international cooperation
The Declaration invites additional governments to join the Group of Friends and acknowledges the essential role of SSE networks, social partners and actors of the Global Coalition for Social Justice:
“We welcome the continued participation of social partners, SSE actors… in our joint work to strengthen the role of SSE…”
RIPESS welcomes this milestone and reaffirms its commitment to advancing SSE within the multilateral system.
Declaration
Read and download the declaration
