An event will be held in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where global scholars and social economy organizations will discuss the social value and sustainable strategies of social economy organizations and look ahead to the future.
On September 10, Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Social Economy Center announced that they will host the "2025 Gyeonggi-do Social Economy Expo" at Suwon Convention Center over two days, from September 12 to 13.
This year's event, under the slogan "A Better World with a Social Economy for People!", will feature an international conference, exhibition and sales booths with participation from 115 social economy organizations, a social innovation talk concert, hands-on events, and other programs that visitors can enjoy.
In celebration of the "International Year of Cooperatives" designated by the United Nations this year, Gyeonggi Province will invite a UN official to the "Social Economy for All Conference," the main program of the Gyeonggi-do Social Economy Expo, to discuss the international role of the social economy.
The conference will reflect the core value of "Human-Centered Humanomics" from the 8th popularly elected administration of Gyeonggi Province and will address four main topics: peace (the role of social economy for a sustainable society), climate (responding to the climate crisis with AI), care (changes in population structure and a caring society), and opportunity (inclusive cities that provide more opportunities in daily life).
The main conference, "Peace: The Role of Social Economy for a Sustainable Society," will be held at 2:30 p.m. on September 12 and will begin with opening remarks by Maher Nasser, UN Assistant Secretary-General. This will be followed by keynote speeches from Simel Esim, Chair of the UN Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE), and Srinivas Tata, Director of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
In addition to the conference, there will be a public procurement consultation, a Social Economy Seed Investment Meetup Day, and 115 exhibition and sales booths, creating a collaborative space for public institutions, companies, and social economy organizations.
At the public procurement consultation, one-on-one meetings will be held between pre-registered participants and public institution procurement managers. The Meetup Day will feature special lectures from companies with investment experience and IR presentations from companies seeking investment. At the social economy enterprise promotional booths, visitors can purchase a variety of products, including goods produced by workers with disabilities and products made with local ingredients.
Programs for the next generation, including youth, will feature an idea presentation contest for solving social issues and a social innovation talk concert.
Out of the ideas discovered by a total of 104 youth clubs, 10 teams will be selected and awarded through a final presentation contest. Before the contest, there will be a social innovation talk concert titled "Stories of Social Innovators Changing the World," with broadcaster Susan Shakya, youth, teachers, and parents participating together.
Other programs include national networking events such as the Korea Social Enterprise Association and Cooperative Forum, ESG Leading University Seminar, and the National Solar Power Plant Debate, as well as hands-on activities for residents, including a value tour (social economy docent), value stationery (claw machine), and a photo booth experience zone.
Gong Jeongsik, Director of the Social Innovation Economy Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The social economy is a new solution to social issues such as the climate crisis and care," adding, "We hope this expo will establish itself as a platform connecting people, communities, and businesses."
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