From the 22nd to the 26th of November 2005, 1200 people from 66 countries met in Dakar for the promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy.

After the meetings of Lima (1997) and Quebec (2001), it was the turn of Africa to share its vision of the Social Solidarity Economy. The meeting allowed for:
> Networking and increasing the value of experiences

> A plea in favor of economic pluralism

> An international perspective for local actions

>Training on flourishing concepts such as ethical consumption, fair trade, corporate social responsibility, active citizenship, social and political change

Dakar 2005 offered a comprehensive program of conferences and debates with keynote speakers from all the continents, and also innovative related activities:

> 31 workshops, 4 plenary conferences, 9 caucuses, 5 continental meetings
> A panel of governmental representatives
> An international village for the promotion of fair trade
> A grass-roots demonstration march
> A special “extra-muros” activity program
> Field visits
> An international youth camp

During the meeting, 6 topics were specifically analyzed:

> Solidarity-based finance
> Grass-roots alternatives to private and State-controlled development models
> Local development
> Fair trade and ethical trade
> The promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy

After the success of Dakar 2005 : RIPESS perspectives

During the 3rd Intercontinental Meeting on the Globalization of Solidarity, RIPESS organized the content of its activities around five main themes, which were analyzed in depth. These themes are: solidarity finance, people’s alternatives to private and state-controlled development models, local development, fair and ethical trade, and the promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy.

At the end of the meeting, the International Liaison Commission identified some core unifying points, among which actions and means for action, aiming at the development of the Social Solidarity Economy at global level with a view to bringing about a change in the economic order in societies.

In order to provide RIPESS with added value in terms of activities and content, the unifying actions that are recommended are the following:

Promoting the Social Solidarity Economy in order to encourage economic pluralism ;
Facilitating recognition of the Social Solidarity Economy and the full expression of its values;
Building new bases for exchange between producers and consumers;
Including Social Solidarity Economy on the agenda of international negotiations
Being actively present in the World Social Fora by organizing activities related to the Social Solidarity Economy
Helping achieve an articulation between the local and the global: reinforcing national capacities for action and working to spread wealth.
Promoting cooperative entrepreneurship in national economic policies;
Encouraging national food sovereignty and denouncing the infringements of the WTO;
Persuading National and Regional Government to identify the Social Solidarity Economy as a development priority
Working positively to influence public policies. In order to achieve this it is necessary to establish principles and methods for the co-production of public policies;
In the field of solidarity finance, it is necessary to ensure passing from micro-finance to the creation of wealth in a sustainable way based on the action of grassroots operators.

The following means will be mobilized to enable implementation:
1-Diversified networking

In West Africa, networking needs to be intensified to enable the emergence of the program that will reinforce the capacity of Social Solidarity Economy-based enterprises; for the other African regions (English and Portuguese-speaking, Central Africa), there is a need to take advantage of the Dakar meeting to facilitate the synergy of actors of the Social Solidarity Economy. The objective concerning networks on other continents (Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania) is to work jointly with and involve leading networks who implement showcase actions and establish links between the social solidarity economy stakeholders.

These national, regional and continental networks must also have some thematic focuses in order to establish shared visions related to the Social Solidarity Economy.
Finally, new alliances need to be developed with players who belong to related fields in such a way that the network can be enriched by their input (research groups, development organizations, etc.)

2. Network Governance

The stakes are the construction of a more comprehensive democratic space, built on the principle of participation of networks, of collegial management, and based on regular debate and deliberation on issues of content.
There is a need to clearly establish operating rules which guarantee the expression of these democratic values.

3. Lobbying of international regulation bodies and institutions : WTO, United Nations, European Union, African Union, Lain American and Caribbean integration bodies, etc.

A means of action that should be prioritized is the ability to guide the decisions taken by the major international bodies. To play this role RIPESS needs to develop its own tools and instruments.

4. Network Content

The strength of RIPESS presence on all the continents should lead to publishing a newsletter on the Social Solidarity Economy, and producing analyses of the international context in each continent. It must be alert on the evolution of contents in the field of the Social Solidarity economy and take advantage of progress made at global level.