The final conference of the MedRiSSE project focused on the role of social innovation in the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in the Mediterranean and highlighted the best practices enabled and tools developed during the project to be replicated to improve people’s lives. Organised by Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz (ACPP), project lead beneficiary, the event was held on 8th November 2023, in Seville, Spain, at the Palacio de los Marqueses de la Algaba, and marked the ending of a remarkable 2-year implementation.

MedRiSSE project partners, stakeholders and associates showed and discussed the outputs and learnt lessons of this capitalized projects. It was an opportunity to gather physically one last time and share the best practices and produced tools during the project among them as well as with institutions’ representatives and the audience.

Opening session

The opening session started with the warm welcome speech by Patricia Sánchez González, Representative of ACPP Andalusian Delegation in Assembly for Cooperation for Peace, as host event and project lead beneficiary. The first panel ‘Social innovation through social solidarity economy (SSE)’ featured enlightening interventions led by key speakers. Victor Meseguer, Special Commissioner for Social Economy in the Spanish Ministry of Labour & Social Economy (MITES) focused on social economy strategy in Spain and Europe. Susana Ortega Díaz, Advisor of Social Market and Coordinator of REAS RdR Social Balance/Social Audit summarised SSE impact data and measuring social impact.

Anna Dorangricchia, Programme manager of the Equality, Social and Civil Affairs Department of UfM provided Union for the Mediterranean point of view on social innovation, women empowerment and SSE. And Joumana Sweiss, ENI CBC Med Programme Officer, focused on experiences of capitalizing projects and explained upcoming opportunities under Interreg Next MED programme. She also highlighted the SSE research and social innovation component of MedTOWN and MedRiSSE projects and encouraged the partner organisations to present new initiatives in the area of governance in NEXT MED which is about to start.

José M. Ruibérriz, ACPP focal point for Social Innovation & Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), stated that results are a testament to ACPP commitment to create a robust and sustainable social innovation ecosystem. He added that efforts are not only to react to current challenges, but also to be proactive in building a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future. Collaboration across sectors is not only desirable, it is essential, so he called on working together to create innovative and transformative solutions, to contribute to SSE movement, and to take concrete steps towards the adoption of disruptive social innovation models. Ruibérriz concluded by reiterating ACPP’s commitment to improving Mediterranean people’s lives.

MedRiSSE main achievements

Second panel was devoted to shared valuable insights into the achievements of MedRiSSE alliances and digital tools for replicability developed over the 2-years implementation. Camilla Guasti, researcher at Social Economy Unit of ARCO, introduced to the audience the five roadmaps and the toolkit to replicate SSE good practices in the Mediterranean. Eng.Fadia Hashaika, project manager at Technology Transfer Office, and Samah Saleh, assistant professor in the Department of Social Work, both at An-Najah National University, highlighted the ten webinars held as a way to share and transfer knowledge. Esperanza Castro Arillo, MedRiSSE project communication manager, presented the integral communication strategy & virtual micro-campaigns design to promote concepts, outputs and best practices.

Eng. Muttasim Al-Hayari, representative of the Natural Resources Management Program at JOHUD, elaborated on the training replication to reach local level, and Asma Mansour, chairwoman & co-founder of TCSE, explained the innovative learning tools used in the SSE Bootcamp & summer school to support SSE actors. Giulia Tacetti, project manager at OXFAM Italia, contributed to the value of cross country analysis & political incidence undertaken as well as policy briefs published.

José M. Ruibérriz explained the Mediterranean Co-production Lab and Georgia Karavangeli, MedRiSSE project director, emphasized the Widened Community of Practice and envisioned the future of the alliance.

All of the shared valuable insights into the achievements of MedRiSSE project and the new opportunities it presents to future iniciatives.

Capitalized projects and partners involved

MedRiSSE five capitalised projects are MedTOWN, MoreThanAJob, MedUP!, IESS! and RUWOMED, all funded by the European Union.

Partners participating in MedRISSE final conference were Assembly of Cooperation for Peace (ACPP), event's host, Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Department (Oxfam Italy), Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), Tunisian Center For Social Entrepreneurship (TCSE) and PIN S.c.r.l. Didactical and Scientific Services for the University of Florence (ARCO). An-Najah National University (ANNU) and Agricultural Development Association (PARC) could not attend in person due to the current situation in Middle East.

MedRiSSE project, co-funded by ENI CBC Med Programme and ACPP, is focused on replicable social and solidarity (SSE) innovations in service delivery and decent job creation in the post-crisis recovery of covid-19. This capitalization project in five countries (Spain, Palestine, Italy, Jordan and Tunisia) reached researchers from universities and organisations in the Mediterranean region, key professionals in companies and policy-makers in the public sector, and above all Mediterranean citizens.  In addition, the digital tool 'Laboratory for the co-production of social innovation in the Mediterranean', training courses, a learning community, roadmaps for the replication of good practices and a replication toolkit, advocacy reports, ten webinars, eight micro-campaigns and international dissemination events were produced and are already available for 500 registered members of the Widened Community of Practice through the Med Social Innovation Lab.

Mediterranean Social Innovation Lab 

MedRiSSE project channel