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CIRIEC-Colombia, activities 2013-2014

1. Antecedents of the CIRIEC-Colombia organisation process

Since 2008 a number of researchers in the field of the social and cooperative economy have initiated in Colombia a process of alignment with CIRIEC International with a view to the creation of a national section in that country. Previous years saw the formation of the Network of University Researchers UNICOSOL with twelve universities having developed actions for education, advice and research in the social and solidarity economy. Certain of these universities helped in the initial organisation of CIRIEC-Colombia. In these universities there are academic programmes (bachelors and masters degrees) directed to the education of professionals in alternative economics and research groups with a substantial production. These programmes work alongside organisations in the cooperative sector. After these various harmonisations CIRIEC's first encounter in Colombia took place on 29 March 2012, attended by a large number of members of the International Praesidium and its Director-General. This was the moment to pursue the constitution of CIRIEC-Colombia. An international seminar on the theme "The Public, Social and Cooperative Economy as Development Vector, recent trends in governance" on 29 March 2012 in Bogotá (Colombia) also attracted 135 visitors from 13 countries.

2. Legal formalisation process

In June 2013 several researchers attached to various universities most closely involved in the plans towards the constitution of a national section of CIRIEC allowed the formation of the CORPORACION CIRIEC COLOMBIA through a deed in accordance with Colombian legal formalities. During the International Praesidium Meeting of 23 September 2013 in Paris this legal structure was recognised and the decision was ratified by the International Board by the end of the same year.

The status of CIRIEC-Colombia defines as principal administrative body the Annual General Assembly. The Assembly elects the Board of Directors, the

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mission of which is to plan, organise, manage and evaluate the development of the objects of the Corporación. The Chairman of the Board of Directors heads the Corporacion CIRIEC-Colombia and can delegate tasks to the Executive Director according to circumstances. It is established that the academic centres (universities and research centres), organisations in the social and cooperative economy sector and researchers subscribing to the principles of CIRIEC International may become members of CIRIEC-Colombia. Eager to give final form to the structure of CIRIEC-Colombia its members held the General Assembly in Bogotá on 30 April 2014. The balance of the management for the year 2013 was presented, the membership fee system for institutional and individual members was detailed, the membership fees for the year 2014 were defined; the Board of Directors in the Constitutive Assembly was ratified and various administrative matters were discussed. The defined work plan consisted mainly of the pursuit of academic activities, the promotion of and participation in the congresses and conferences of CIRIEC International and the creation of system for communication with members.

CIRIEC-Colombia General Assembly, April 2014

3. Recent activities

Subsequent to the decisions of the 2014 General Assembly the activities of CIRIEC-Colombia are defined as follows: Institutional strengthening • Preparation of documents and contacts with university institutions and

research centres:

- Pontificia Universidad Javeriana - Fundación Universitaria de San Gil - Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios - Fundación Universitaria Luis Amigó - Centro de Investigación y Educación Cooperativa - CIEC

Social meetings were also organised to help the other researchers, enrolled previously in academic centres, to get to know each other better. • Change of institutional image, logo and mail

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Research

• Involvement in research projects of the Centro de Investigación y Educación Cooperativa - CIEC, with the support of a number of government agencies (Ministerio del Trabajo, Ministerio de la Cultura y Procuraduría General de la Nación)

• Presentation of new research: Research Social and Solidarity Economy, Solidarity and Territories (CIRIEC Scientific Committee). Evaluation of cooperative credit entities on the model of identification of liberalized assets and measuring off against the balance-sheet (Centre of excellence in accounting and reporting for cooperatives).

Documentation Participation in the compilation of literature on the social economy and circulation at the 27th Book Fair in Bogotá. Connection with CIRIEC International initiatives

• Praesidium Meeting in Brussels, 13 March 2014 • Involvement in the event "Academy on Social Economy" by the

International Labour Organisation, Campinas - Brazil, 30 July - 2 August 2014

• Promotion and preparation for the participation of CIRIEC-Colombia in the 30th International CIRIEC Congress: 29-31 October 2014, Buenos Aires.

National events in 2014

• Keynote conference: Solidarity Economy and Social Technologies

• Symposium: Application of "social" or "non-cash"money as a tool in the organisations of the social and solidarity economy, with Brazilian sociologist, botanist and economist Heloísa Primavera

• Symposium: Analysis of normative initiatives for the solidarity sector in Colombia: Bogotá, 30 April 2014

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• Contribution to the call for proposals process and organisation of the VIIIth Encuentro of the Latin American Committee of researchers of the International Cooperative Alliance http://encuentrocoopcolombia.com/ that was held in Bogotá on 10 and 11 November 2014.

4. Adopted organisational structure Account being taken of the Articles of Association of Corporación CIRIEC-Colombia, the structure adopted for the administrative and executive bodies is the following:

General Assembly

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Scientific Committee

Vice-President

General Secretariat

President

Treasurer

Education Committee Documentation Committee