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NAPC pushes stronger ASEAN integration of social and solidarity economy at GSEF 2025
BORDEAUX, FRANCE โ National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Lope Santos III championed the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) movement in the Philippines during his plenary presentation at the Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (GSEF), October 30.
Speaking at the three-day forum, Secretary Santos underscored how the Philippines’ initiatives to advance and localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are closely aligned with the principles of SSE.
โ[Our basic sectors] already embody SSE principles: solidarity, collective ownership, democratic governance, and reinvestment of surplus for community benefitโprioritizing people and planet over profit. The Philippine government does not merely support the SSE; it is an active part of the SSE movement itself,โ he said.
The plenary session aimed to assess the current state of the SSE by encouraging organizations to reflect on their roles, reaffirm their commitments, and share the progress of their respective action plans.
Secretary Santos also highlighted that NAPC is among the 21 SSE stakeholder networks and organizations in the ASEAN region that signed a Memorandum of Understanding in May 2025 in Malaysia for the formulation and implementation of the ASEAN SDGโSSE Roadmap 2026โ2030.
He further emphasized the importance of microfinance, cooperativism, support for small enterprises, and the mainstreaming of SSE across ASEAN. While these frameworks are already institutionalized in the Philippines, he noted that continued investments from development partners are crucial to achieving the SDGs.
Joining Secretary Santos in the panel were Ruth Paserman, Director-General of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, and Sรฉbastien Vauzelle, Head of the Local 2030 Coalition Secretariat at the United Nations. The session was moderated by Aude Saldana, Secretary-General of GSEF, France.
This yearโs GSEF features 13 plenary sessions and has drawn more than 6,500 participants from around the world.
NAPC Administrative, Financial and Management Service Director Alexis Lapiz and Office of the Lead Convenor Executive Assistant Jiru Nikko Rada provided technical assistance to Secretary Santos during the activity.
