Málaga, in Spain, becomes the capital of new economy this spring
NESI Forum aims to lay the foundations of a new economy which is more sustainable and social, based on values and aimed at the common good. Up to 10 new economy movements will be sharing their experiences and explaining how they are changing the world for the better with their everyday practice.
On 19th-22nd April, Malaga (Spain) is hosting the first New Economy and Social Innovation Global Forum (NESI Forum). The event, is taking place at the Trade Fairs and Congress Center of Málaga, has been officially launched today, with the participation of Diego Isabel La Moneda, director of the Forum and co-founder of the Global Hub for the Common Good Foundation; Julio Andrade, councillor for social Rights, Good Governance and Transparency; and Ana Carmen Mata, vice-president of Málaga County Council.
NESI Forum will bring together the main actors of change and opinion leaders with the goal to lay the foundations of a new economy paradigm that is better than the dominant economic system. During its presentation, La Moneda said: “The current economic model has brought lots of good things with it but it has also got a systemic flaw: it puts capital before anything else, including people.” As a result, NESI Forum encourages participants to rethink money so that it becomes a means instead of an end, to reshape organisations so that they promote the common good, to redistribute power and explore new governance models -more decentralised, more democratic-, and to foster collaboration in times of crisis.
Julio Andrade pointed out: “The City Council wants Málaga to take the lead in social innovation worldwide, by promoting new economic models, sustainability and tech.” NESI Forum, he added, is just one of the projects that the local government is implementing and “that are becoming a model to follow for other cities.”
Ana Mata, vice-president of Málaga County Council, said “employment is one of our main goals, but we aim to create jobs with values, and that is what social innovation means.” That’s the reason why the Málaga County Council has so high expectations on NESI Forum. Mata explained this event will be a key tool to boost social and solidarity economy as well as a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources.
With this purpose, NESI Forum is gathering over 600 opinion leaders and more than 60 speakers from all over the world, including Marcos Eguiguren, director of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values; Carlos Trías, adviser to the European Economic and Social Committee; Katherine Trebeck, senior researcher for Oxfam GB; and Christian Felber, an economist and founder of the Economy for the Common Good international movement.
Attendees are able to explore ethical and sustainable banking, the circular economy proposals, social and solidarity economy, B Corps, and many other projects that are working hard to find solutions to the main challenges of our time: poverty, overpopulation, inequality…
According to Oxfam, 50 million people live below the poverty line; meanwhile, 1% of the world’s population holds 50% of the wealth (source: FAO). We have gone from 1 billion inhabitants in the year 1800 to 7 billion in 2016 and, if current trends continue, it is calculated that in 2050 we will be 10 billion people on the planet. Up to 10 new economy movements will be sharing their experiences and explaining how they are changing the world for the better with their everyday practice.
More in http://neweconomyforum.org