Presse release - 30 November 2007

The Mont Blanc Meetings, the international forum for leaders in the social economy, held their third summit in Chamonix Mont-Blanc on 9 and 10 November 2007 on the theme of: Sustainable Consumption, Production and distribution of Energy: The Response of the Social Economy.

140 leaders of cooperatives, mutuals, associations, and foundation from 27 countries representing every continent took part in this summit meeting, with directors from UNCTAD, UNPD, UNITAR, three organisations from the UN, and the President of the International Cooperative Alliance, with the active participation of world renowned scientists including a representative of the IPCC (2007 Nobel prize-winners).

Following the two days, which combined plenary sessions, presentations of experiences and discussions, around 20 multi-national commitments were taken by the participants.

These include:

- disseminating practical, educational information on good practices with members of their companies and organisations;

- the setting up of a “sustainable energy” project market putting people with projects in touch with financiers from the social economy;

- the creation, with social economy foundations, of an international award supporting innovative initiatives in the energy sector.

Above and beyond this, the signatories committed to:

- assessing their carbon emissions and use of a compensation system for the social economy sector;

- improving the design, management and renovation of buildings belonging to companies in the social economy in terms of energy savings, the use of renewable energies and helping their members to do the same (the setting up of adapted financing by cooperative banks and insurance mutuals);

- mutualising the means of players, particularly cooperatives, to move towards fair trade in energy, with the use – among other things – of biogas;

- opening cooperative bank solidarity funds to producers of renewable energy;

- setting up a shared savings fund to finance all sectors of sustainable energy;

- acting on sustainable tourism;

- encouraging the grouping together of small farmers, in the form of cooperatives, to develop bioenergy production, particularly in Southern countries.

A “steering committee” has been set up with representatives from the social economy and energy experts. It will actively monitor these commitments.

Furthermore, alongside this work, the Mont Blanc Meetings 2007 also provided an opportunity to finalise agreements between various partners in the social economy to:

- set up an international chair for open source software dedicated to social, solidarity and socially responsible financial services;

- found an International Observatory on Achievements in the Social Economy (with the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme);

-  take stock on the other projects underway (active shareholder network, SOL-sustainable development currency, CoopEst, etc.).

Contact:

Thierry Jeantet, President of the Association Les Rencontres du Mont-Blanc: (33)-6 07 28 12 72. thierry.jeantet@euresa.org