A new spirit

Upon the conclusion of the 84th edition of the Social Weeks of France (SSF), held in Paris November 19-22 on the theme “New Solidarity – New Society”, President Jêrome Vignon presented five proposals to promote the dissemination of a new culture of solidarity and lead political, economic and social stakeholders to be more courageous and daring in their choices. SIR Europe followed the three-day meeting in Paris attended by 4 thousand people, with the delegates of 12 European countries, half of whom from Eastern Europe. Participants addresses the issue of fair trade, enterprise accountability, the fight against poverty, justice and the economy as a social ambit, in view of the project of a new society capable of addressing the crisis. The pope sent a message of encouragement and good wishes. The proposals. Increasing financial support to solidarity movements by 40% to address increased help requests, encourage public institutions to do the same; ensuring ongoing funding to the new forms of solidarity in compliance with their own economic situation; creating an ethical code for the reception and training of new staff, especially trainees and those with fixed-term contracts; targeting voluntary civil service to providing advice to the young and the less young seeking for a job or yearning to set up a solidarity activity like micro-credit; establishing a civic forum of European Christians to give renewed thrust to the fight against poverty in the next three-year period (2010), to volunteer work (2011) and to the new forms of solidarity between generations (2012). These were the proposals of Vignon, for whom “it is not only a question of being the outposts of the fight against precariousness and exclusion. Rather, it is necessary to dissipate the air that dissolves the spirit of solidarity in our societies”. The crisis must not be an alibi. “In our capacities as Christians engaged in the social realm – Vignon said referring to ongoing difficulties – we don’t want the crisis to be a pretext to demand cuts in social spending. We do instead believe that the ongoing situation will offer the occasion for cost-effectiveness based on social justice criteria”. For the SSF President this effectiveness doesn’t only consist in “rationalization implemented within the social security areas”. Rather it entails “employment benefits, family allowances, housing subsidies, access to treatment, combined with policies for access to employment, job maintenance, professional development. This articulation – Vignon pointed out – requires decentralization and participatory citizenship”. In this area, the “new forms of solidarity” acquire a special significance, which, he said, “enter the very heart of productive economy through unlimited fields of action and true corporate social responsibility, that is part and parcel of management policy”.Solidarity economy is no utopia. Solidarity economy doesn’t lie on the boundaries of macroeconomic mechanisms as Michel Camdessus, economist and honorary governor of the Bank of France told SIR Europe. “The many social and economic initiatives for beleaguered families and individuals are not intended to replace the macro financial and economic options, nor should they be viewed as culturally insignificant since they call into question economists, politicians and entrepreneurs”. “The new forms of solidarity are no utopia. There is much concreteness in responding to the societal needs and public conscience-awareness is demanded of citizens and leadership”. These new initiatives carried out in France and Europe, he said, “well respond to the thought of Benedict XVI who in the encyclical ‘Caritas in Veritate’ said that these initiatives don’t pretend to replace institutions but rather to operate in conjunction with them recalling man’s centrality in the economic and political domains for the pursuance of the common good”. The contribution of the media. For writer and journalist Bernard Lecomte “non-sentimental attention to world poverties is needed. Strong images are not enough to convey exhaustive information. In this way emotions are triggered without awakening human consciences”. The writer, who is also the member of the SSF committee, told SIR Europe, “Today the media appear more sensitive to technique than to ethics and this does not help promote a culture of solidarity. Indeed, the poor are powerless, they have no tools to let their voices be heard. But the most worrying silence is the silence of the media when for market reasons or other calculations, poverty and solidarity are unmentioned topics or they are addressed for sensationalist purposes only”.