The World Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy

BORDEAUX, OCTOBER 2025

Convivence, understood as the promotion of living together based on cooperation, solidarity, and mutual respect, lies at the heart of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). The term was not explicitly used, yet it underpinned the spirit of the World Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy, Bordeaux GSEF 2025 (29–31 October 2025, Bordeaux). This link was clearly highlighted: the SSE is presented as a condition for a “just transition towards resilient territories and the well-being of their inhabitants”.

In this sense, Convivence becomes both an objective (creating supportive communities, strengthening human relationships) and a method (collective participation, democratic governance, territorial proximity) within the SSE. By bringing together stakeholders, communities, networks, and citizens, the Bordeaux Forum embodied this dynamic: it is no longer solely a matter of public policies or businesses, but of an economic and social model that relies on “living together” as a driver of development. Thus, when the SSE acts “in the service of the common good”, as stated in the forum’s declaration, it makes Convivence not merely an ideal, but an active tool with a networking dimension today, aimed at building local, resilient, and inclusive economies; and, where possible, making use of Artificial Intelligence, provided it is used with discernment.

Robert Lanquar