While there is a growing body of research and knowledge on SSE, there has been little attempt to systematically analyse the linkages between SSE practices and the SDGs. The SSE Knowledge Hub for the SDGs is an ambitious initiative that aims to fill that gap by
- synthesizing existing knowledge, evidence and information;
- supplementing these with value-added research and analysis; and
- fostering innovative approaches and inclusive dialogue among policy makers and practitioners of SSE in both developed and developing countries.
The SSE Knowledge Hub for the SDGs is an initiative of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE), with UNRISD serving as the implementing organization.
| Established in May 2013, the UNTFSSE works to increase the visibility of social and solidarity economy and enhance its recognition within and beyond the United Nations system. The mission of the Task Force also includes activities to facilitate multistakeholder initiatives that aim to realize the transformative potential of SSE in creating an economy for people, planet and a fairer world. |
Objectives
The purpose of the SSE Knowledge Hub for the SDGs is to enhance awareness of and contribute to the body of knowledge on social and solidarity economy (SSE) as a means of implementation for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It fosters and convenes systematic analysis of the linkages between SSE practices and the SDGs.
Key insights, lessons and recommendations are published and disseminated in a range of formats.
Outputs and activities
- Open-Access Online Platform
The Knowledge Hub’s free, open-access online platform is a repository for research-based outputs produced by or for the SSE Knowledge Hub for the SDGs, including submissions to the initial Call for Papers in 2018 (see below). Users can sort the resources posted on the platform by language, SDG, and country. A free-text search function is also available.
The SSE Knowledge Hub for the SDGs now remains permanently open for new submissions. Find more details about the ongoing call for papers on the UNTFSSE website.
Development of the online platform was possible with support from the Government of the Republic of Korea (represented by Statistics Korea).
- Call for Papers (2018-2019)
The initial core activity of the Knowledge Hub was a Call for Papers to mobilize insightful and innovative research on the role of SSE as a means of implementation for the SDGs in two main issue areas:
- The role of SSE in localizing the SDGs. The Call sought cases where SSE actors and institutions are facilitating the implementation of national goals and guidelines in concrete local settings, what works and why, and the scope for replicating positive initiatives in other local settings.
- Measuring SSE, its scale and impact. In a context where systematic data on SSE are still scarce, where definitions and indicators vary, and numbers often fail to capture the diversity of SSE actors and impacts, the Call sought innovative methodological solutions to measuring SSE and its impacts.
For full information on the Call for Papers, please visit the UNTFSSE website.
The Call for Papers was supported by seed funding from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Social Economy and Economic Solidarity of Luxembourg.
Beneficiaries
Knowledge Hub resources will be of use to policy makers and their advisors at the local, national and international levels tasked with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. They will also be of value to those involved in SSE enterprises and organizations, as well as civil society actors and advocacy groups aiming to promote social and solidarity-based economic practices. The research community will be able to use them to advance their understanding of the relationship between SSE and the SDGs. And they will inform the UNTFSSE’s communications, advocacy, research and programmatic agenda on SSE and the SDGs.