The 8th edition of the ILO Social and Solidarity Economy Academy (ILO SSE Academy) took place in Seoul, the Republic of Korea from 26 to 30 June 2017. The Academy was opened by the co-chairs of the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF) Mr Won-soon Park, mayor of Seoul, and Reverend Kyong-young Song. The ILO Director General, Mr Guy Ryder, greeted participants with a video message, underlining the importance and honour of hosting an Academy in Asia for the first time. With over 150 participants from more than 30 countries, the Academy achieved its objective of providing a space for participants from around the globe to exchange on experiences, best practices, challenges and share knowledge.

The theme for this Academy was "Innovative ecosystems for SSE public policies: A contribution to the future of work." After the official opening, the Academy kicked off with a roundtable discussion on the topic, featuring academicians, local SSE actors and representatives of local governments. On the second day, participants joined in field visits to experience first-hand the diversity of SSE organizations and enterprises in and around Seoul.

The week continued with a variety of elective sessions on legal framework and public procurement, social finance, South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), SSE and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), networks and fair trade, social innovation, and SSE and youth. On the fourth day, participants engaged in a plenary session on co-construction of SSE public policies and participatory governance. The week ended on a discussion on the ways forward within these innovative ecosystems and the future of work, with a panel of international experts including Vice Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce of Costa Rica, Mr Carlos Mora Gomes, and Senior Policy Analyst with the OECD LEED Programme, Ms Antonella Noya. Highlighting the importance of tripartism, Mr Pong-Sul Ahn, Regional Specialist in Workers’ Activities’ (ILO ACTRAV) made a statement on the important role workers play in SSE and re-iterated ACTRAV’s commitment to support to SSE enterprises and organizations.

The Republic of Korea, and particularly its capital Seoul, has fostered a favourable SSE ecosystem in recent years. This favourable environment has been achieved through public procurement, and provision of business services such as management support, consulting and work space. Capacity building, in the forms of education and the promotion of innovation, cooperation and communication have also yielded promising results. These initiatives are highlighted in a recent case study on public policies in the Republic of Korea, launched during the Academy.

The Academy was a joint effort of a number of partners, and was made possible by the efforts of all partners including GSEF, the Seoul National University, the International Training Centre of the ILO, and the ILO Offices both in Geneva and the Regions, among others.