The potential for job creation by promoting social economy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region and in the Balkans continues to be largely unexplored and this presents an opportunity in the post-pandemic recovery. To discuss this, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) held an online workshop on ‘Social Economy and the Post-Pandemic Recovery’.

The event is part of the structured dialogue and systemic engagement of the UfM with key social economy actors to unlock its full potential and explore its role in the post-pandemic recovery. To achieve this, the participants pushed to have the social economy increasingly incorporated into initiatives and programmes aimed at strengthening the private sector in the MENA region and the Balkans. They also declared the importance of improving digital competences within the social economy and increasing their development in emerging and innovative sectors in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

The participants stated that in light of the urgency to address the recovery, it is evidently crucial to facilitate the social economy with the necessary financial instruments for Micro and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs), to strengthen incubators and encourage the adoption of legal framework. The exchange of experiences between national networks and advisory experts has been shown to strengthen existing services as well as help develop and professionalise Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) that form part of the social economy as they adapt to the new market conditions and innovations in different sectors.

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Press Release

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)