Who's IRIS
IRIS is the Inter-network of responsible economy Initiatives. Founded in January 2007, it is the connection between European and international networks representing different families of responsible economy initiatives : responsible finance (FEBEA, INAISE), Fair Trade (IFAT), responsible consumption (ASECO, URGENCI) and Social Integration Enterprises (ENSIE), with the participation and support of institutional partners (the Council of Europe and the Trento Autonomous Province, Italie).
IRIS activities aim to:
· Connect, exchange and dialogue within the responsible economy networks ;
· promote mutual training and support ;
· Dialogue with public institutions ;
· Develop further links and initiatives between governmentall concepts and methodes initiated by the Inter-network members.
A partnership was established with the Council of Europe and the European Commission in order to work against poverty and social exclusion: looking at how conventional support approaches (public policies or NGOs humanitarian aid) can be comlimented by responsible ecomomy approache supported by the Council of Europe in its platform.History of the inter-network
On the basis of its social cohesion strategy, defined as the capacity of society to ensure well being of all using co-responsibility of public and privat actors, including citizens, the Council of Europe engaged since 2003 a process of political dialogue aiming to facilitate the expression of new forms of fight against poverty and social exclusion based on citizens initiatives and the dialogue with authorities.
Until then this dialogue was led between representative institutions within the Council of Europe (Parliament, Local and Regional Authorities Congresses, Ministers Comity, CDCS, etc) and the European networks of responsible economy initiatives, in particular in the fields of ethical finance and responsible consumption including fair trade.
It led in the end of 2004 to the installation of the European dialogue platform on ethical and solidarity-based initiatives for combating poverty and social exclusion. It also led the networks to agree on the idea of IRIS, the european inter-network of ethical and responsible initiatives - formally founded in january 2007 - with the objective of (I) facilitating exchange and dialogue between various approaches of fight against poverty and social exclusion, (II) communicating with public authorities and (III) developing other complementarities in order to promote concepts and methodes carried out by its members.
Within this framework, a partnership was established with the European Commission (DG Emploiment and social affairs) to identify, implement and promote complementarities between various approaches of fight against poverty and social exclusion, in particular the conventional approaches of assistance (public policies or humanitarian aid NGOs) we can find in the NAP / inclusion supported by the European Commission, and citizens' ethical and responsible initiatives (ethical finance and responsible consumption) that the Council of Europe supports in its platform.
This is why the inter-network's objective in 2007, cofinanced by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the Autonomous Province of Trento, was to facilitate and capitalize the complementarities and the creation of synergies between the citizens' ethical and responsible initiatives and more specific approaches to fight poverty and social exclusion in order to integrate them in the follow-up processes of the NAP / inclusion and the MOC in general.Our aims
IRIS, an explorer of innovative and alternative solutions for creating an inclusive society founded on the concept of joint responsibility
The general aim of IRIS is to explore innovative and alternative solutions for creating an inclusive society, founded on the joint responsibility of public and private actors, by developing in particular the potential of ethical, responsible and sustainable economic solutions, initiated by citizens.
This general objective consists more specifically with:
- the integration of the concept of citizen responsibility and solidarity based employment;
- the development of synergies and new concepts by connecting different methods of fight against poverty and exclusion;
- the promotion of new concepts which systematize these synergies and their impact in terms of social inclusion, like, for example, theMultiparty Social Contrat (MSC)and theResponsible Territory for Social Inclusion/Cohesion.
IRIS thus connects actors working for the inclusion of the more vulnerable groups in order to guarantee equity in the access to rights, dignity, autonomy,personal and professional development of each one and the right to active participation of all in the public space.
IRIS, a motor of convergence between different families of ethical and responsible initiatives.
As a representative of the various networks of citizens' ethical and responsible initiatives and responsible economy in general, IRIS intends to be the advocate of approaches which integrate the objectives of social inclusion and employment with those of economic competitiveness and sustainable development.
Finally, as a structure linking various families of the responsible economy at the European level, IRIS intends to promote convergence between those families and create a common vision by developing methods and concepts specific to the responsible economy.Our projects: responsible territories
We define social cohesion as the capacity of society to ensure well being for all and avoid exclusion and disparities, by the joint responsibility of its actors.
The responsible territory for social cohesion and sustainable development is where a process of dialogue is set up to build this joint responsibility.
The development of responsible territories implies several stages of action:
- the definition of "well being for all";
- identification of existing responsible economy initiatives expressing synergies with public authorities and other NGOs;
-Increasing citizens' possibility for solidarity with those more vulnerable.
- Identification of potential responsible economy activities to encourage the spreading of successful projects and improve weaker initiatives.
- the permanent follow-up, evaluation and promotion of the concept.Our projects: the Multiparty Social Contract
The Multiparty Social Contract (MSC)is a new concept for the treatment of social exclusion integrating various dimensions of inclusion (social support, employment, financial resources, responsible consumption, social relations, etc).
It is the binding together of several specialized organizations with beneficiary-partners under a single contract.
Complementarities, roles and responsibilities are then defined, followed and evaluated by all the participants.The new elements of this concept are of three types:
- a relation of partnership rather than of assistantship;
- the commitment of all the partners to shared objectives of social inclusion;
- introducing a citizen responsibility dimension with responsible consumption and ethical finance.
The first experience with over-indebted (Strasbourg)
On February 6, 2007, a ceremony for signature was held in which 13 economically excluded citizens in excessive debt situations and 8 associations and institutions committed themselves to the experimental project: conception and adaptation of the method, discovering responsible consumption, search and creation of social relations and mutual responsibility.
The social inclusion objective specific to the MSC is accompanied by the need to test the method's possible transfer to other exclusion situations and/orother socio-economic cultural and political European contexts, (an extension of the MSC to long-term unemployed is being prepared).
The institutional and associative partners participating in this experimental phase are:
-CRESUS, organization specialized in the long term care for the over-indebted proposing also a social credit;
-The town of Strasbourg- Direction of the Social action;
-HUMANI PSYNGO, coaching and psychological support;
-CARITASsocial groceries, access to food at reduced prices;
-AMAP(local partnership between farmers and consumers) this low price vegetable "basket" gives access to healthy food and teaches responsible consumption;
-Mijara(Fair Trade shop) andCOLECOSOL(Fair Trade promotion) another dimension of responsible consumption;
-La Chambre de consommation d'Alsacetraining for responsible consumption;
-La NEF(New Fraternal Economy), access to an ethical savings account.
Following the contract's signature several workshops were proposed: joining the AMAP to enjoy vegetable baskets at a reduced price (thanks to the mutual aid funds of the AMAP members), cooking healthy food workshops, various conferences on reducing households expenses and responsible consumption, a work group with HUMANI PSY... the beneficiaries-partners also opened a savings account at the NEF.
In spite of the intensive presence required, global participation was excellent. And even if certain workshops were not sufficiently attended, the general interest in the project was never contradicted and the objective of social bonds creation seem to be achieved as testifies the remarkable level of presence in group meetings.
