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A two-day regional seminar, “The Role of Social and Solidarity Economy in Promoting Social Justice”, convened within the framework of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025. The seminar brought together public authorities, cooperative leaders and technical partners in Dominica, to share good practices, co-design practical actions and agree priority steps to strengthen cooperatives in the agriculture and fisheries sectors across the Eastern Caribbean.
The promotion of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) entities, and particularly cooperatives in the agricultural and fisheries sector, holds significant potential for strengthening rural economies and fostering social cohesion and economic inclusion. However, the enabling environment remains constrained by outdated legislation, insufficient data collection, limited institutional coordination, and inadequate access to financial and non-financial services.
The forum was organised under the European Union-funded EUCaN project, implemented by the Foundation for the Internationalization of Public Administrations (FIAP) in partnership with the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA). The forum was developed in collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development of Dominica.
Convened within the broader framework of global commemoration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives, the forum highlighted the catalytic role of SSE and cooperatives in delivering inclusive economic opportunities, especially for women, youth and vulnerable groups.
Gretta Roberts, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development acknowledged the need for solidarity-based models that link civil society, the private sector and public policy, stressing that development must be people-centred and backed by strengthened capacities.
The representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, highlighted the crucial role played by cooperatives and SSE actors play in promoting decent work, inclusive value chains and local food sovereignty. Through projects such as EUCaN, the EU will continue to support regional initiatives that strengthen food systems and build resilience across the Eastern Caribbean States and the Caribbean.
Joni Musabayana, Director of the ILO Office for the Caribbean, recognized that the strength of this initiative lies in collective action. He stressed that by working together, our islands can build a Social and Solidarity Economy that empowers people, protects livelihoods, and supports a more resilient Eastern Caribbean.
Dr. Roxanne Brizan-St. Martin, Programme Director, OECS Commission, emphasized the importance of forming strategic partnerships, in line with SDG 17, to turn common obstacles into collaborative strategies that strengthen resilience, social protection and sustainable livelihoods across the region.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Economy of Spain and the Spanish Confederation of Social Economy presented international frameworks and national experiences on SSE, demonstrating legal instruments, institutional support mechanisms and financing models that can be adapted to the Caribbean context. Technical contributions from ILO, FAO, IICA and Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies provided evidence and operational guidance on cooperative governance, market aggregation, access to inclusive finance, and climate-resilient practices. Country delegations presented situational analyses of cooperative ecosystems and identified priority needs in legislation, capacity building, data systems and market facilitation.
At the end of the two days, participants had agreed on the broad outline and priorities of a common workplan for future action and collaboration that would address capacity building, inclusion policies, data collection and digital technology/AI.
Cooperatives are locally rooted vehicles for generating decent and dignified work, improving small-producer access to markets and value addition, strengthening community resilience to climate shocks, and enabling shared investment in infrastructure, processing and logistics.
A two-day regional seminar, “The Role of Social and Solidarity Economy in Promoting Social Justice”, convened within the framework of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025. The seminar brought together public authorities, cooperative leaders and technical partners in Dominica, to share good practices, co-design practical actions and agree priority steps to strengthen cooperatives in the agriculture and fisheries sectors across the Eastern Caribbean.
The promotion of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) entities, and particularly cooperatives in the agricultural and fisheries sector, holds significant potential for strengthening rural economies and fostering social cohesion and economic inclusion. However, the enabling environment remains constrained by outdated legislation, insufficient data collection, limited institutional coordination, and inadequate access to financial and non-financial services.
The forum was organised under the European Union-funded EUCaN project, implemented by the Foundation for the Internationalization of Public Administrations (FIAP) in partnership with the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA). The forum was developed in collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development of Dominica.
Convened within the broader framework of global commemoration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives, the forum highlighted the catalytic role of SSE and cooperatives in delivering inclusive economic opportunities, especially for women, youth and vulnerable groups.
Gretta Roberts, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development acknowledged the need for solidarity-based models that link civil society, the private sector and public policy, stressing that development must be people-centred and backed by strengthened capacities.
The representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, highlighted the crucial role played by cooperatives and SSE actors play in promoting decent work, inclusive value chains and local food sovereignty. Through projects such as EUCaN, the EU will continue to support regional initiatives that strengthen food systems and build resilience across the Eastern Caribbean States and the Caribbean.
Joni Musabayana, Director of the ILO Office for the Caribbean, recognized that the strength of this initiative lies in collective action. He stressed that by working together, our islands can build a Social and Solidarity Economy that empowers people, protects livelihoods, and supports a more resilient Eastern Caribbean.
Dr. Roxanne Brizan-St. Martin, Programme Director, OECS Commission, emphasized the importance of forming strategic partnerships, in line with SDG 17, to turn common obstacles into collaborative strategies that strengthen resilience, social protection and sustainable livelihoods across the region.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Economy of Spain and the Spanish Confederation of Social Economy presented international frameworks and national experiences on SSE, demonstrating legal instruments, institutional support mechanisms and financing models that can be adapted to the Caribbean context. Technical contributions from ILO, FAO, IICA and Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies provided evidence and operational guidance on cooperative governance, market aggregation, access to inclusive finance, and climate-resilient practices. Country delegations presented situational analyses of cooperative ecosystems and identified priority needs in legislation, capacity building, data systems and market facilitation.
At the end of the two days, participants had agreed on the broad outline and priorities of a common workplan for future action and collaboration that would address capacity building, inclusion policies, data collection and digital technology/AI.
Cooperatives are locally rooted vehicles for generating decent and dignified work, improving small-producer access to markets and value addition, strengthening community resilience to climate shocks, and enabling shared investment in infrastructure, processing and logistics.
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
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Nice job