Background

In developing countries, current development models weaken the social and ecological environment. Poverty, exclusion, insecure employment, overexploitation of natural resources and pollution are all threats that compromise any hope of a earning a reasonable standard of living for hundreds of millions of people and put the future of our planet in danger. We urgently need to “act differently”. 

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted in New York in September 2015 and the Paris Agreement on climate change signed in December 2015 have set a course of action. To meet these goals and make the world a more fair, united and sustainable place, we must work together to invent new business models and ways to live in society. 

Numerous French stakeholders have already begun working on solutions. Across the developing world, associations and small and large companies are committed to innovating, changing their production methods and incorporating the various dimensions of sustainable development into how they do business. New models are gaining traction, such as the social and solidarity economy, social entrepreneurship, the circular economy and the sharing economy. 

To better support these new models and help them scale up, France has decided to adopt a  government strategy, developed in line with its framework law on international development and solidarity policy of 7 July 2015 and its law on the social and solidarity economy of 31 July 2014. 

This strategy confirms France’s willingness to support innovation and the stakeholders who are driving change, one of the major aims of the country’s development policy. 

This strategy is the result of cooperative efforts by social and inclusive economy stakeholders (companies, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], associations, consulting firms, the French Development Agency [AFD], Social and Inclusive Economy stakeholders, the Directorate General of the Treasury, etc.). Professionals from these organizations met during group and bilateral meetings to discuss, debate and share their expectations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI) of France.

Contents

1. Promoting New Development Models

2. Advocating for a social and inclusive economy in public development policies 

3. Proposals for action to support new social and inclusive economy models

Read the full report (pdf).

Read the summary in French and the full report in French.

Read the summary in Spanish and the full report in Spanish.