Fair trade, microfinance, non-monetary exchange systems, social currencies, ethical consumption and investment, environmental and local development indicators… Thousands of innovative socio-economic practices are already being put into practice all around the world.

They range from small local initiatives to larger national or international organisations, but they all have something in common: they demonstrate that values such as solidarity can be integrated into any economic activity.

Yet, the actors of these experiences are seldom aware of the socio-economic transformation potential they hold. Daily grassroots work is essential, but leaves little time and resources to think on a broader perspective.

The WSSE is an attempt to collectively build this vision.

Any thinking process contains an intrinsic risk: to detach itself from reality and to end up turning around in circles in a conceptual limbo.

We strongly believe that action is the starting point of reflection, and that is why our collective thinking and debate process is nourished by the experience of grassroots actors.

We also believe that action is the destiny of reflection, and that is why we orient collective thinking towards concrete proposals for socio-economic transformation.

The beginning of the XXIst century has given birth to an unprecedented phenomenon - the emergence of an international civil society consciousness.

For the first time in history, communication technology innovations have become accessible enough as to allow citizens all over the world to share their disappointment. Disillusion towards a globalisation process that benefits the same old few, but also towards the limitations that traditional political mechanisms have shown so far in compensating global imbalances.

The World Social Forum (WSF) has become the biggest symbol of this arising international civil society consciousness. It is a successful attempt to create a physical meeting point for all those individuals and organisations who ask and work for a different globalisation. In so doing, a common ground for an international civil society dialogue has been found.

To expand this dialogue to a truly global level and to orient it towards concrete proposals are two of the greatest challenges ahead. The Workgroup on a Solidarity Socio-Economy aims to put its expertise in multicultural dialogue at the service of this historical opportunity to set up a global citizen’s agenda.