The first panel 'Social innovation & public policies in the Mediterranean' at MedTOWN International Seminar on Social Innovation & Inclusion was held on 26th January 2022 wtih the aim of discussing for one hour on how social innovation models affect public policy at different levels.

The panel was hosted by Georgia Karavangeli, Director of MedTOWN project at Assembly for Cooperation for Peace (ACPP), and it was structured as a conversation focused on the topic. 

Profound and diverse, it featured reflections from a global perspective on a worldwide scale by high experts like Vic van Vuuren, Chair of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE); Judith Hitchman, Joint Coordinator of the Intercontinental network for the promotion of social solidarity economy (RIPESS) & delegated by Urgenci's International Committee; Amal Chevreau, Policy Analyst in Social Economy & Innovation Unit of the Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities in the OECD; and Victor Mesegué, Director of the Social Economy Europe.

They examined the current state of these policies from the different perspectives of the agents and organizations involved in the development of the Social and Solidarity Economy in the Mediterranean countries.

The most important conclusions of the seminar were the importance of transforming political momentum into action, put in place the framework conditions and implement policy and social innovation within the priorities of the local context. Also, we should amplify the impact of SSE through the creation of networks and the sharing of experiences by peer learning partnerships, listen to the networks, promote bottom up approaches and improve access to finance.

Watch full conversation by clicking here.

More info about MedTOWN's Community of Practise (CoP), here.