On Thursday, 17 October, as part of the Social Entrepreneurship Week, the conference “Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of the Social Economy” will bring together experts, social entrepreneurs, and representatives of national and local authorities to explore and discuss the development perspectives of the social economy in Latvia.
The social economy has significant potential to foster the country’s economic growth while addressing pressing social challenges.
The conference will open with a speech by the Minister of Welfare Uldis Augulis, followed by expert presentations.
The development of social entrepreneurship in Latvia is closely linked to the European Union’s overarching policy promoting sustainable development and inclusive growth across the region.
The conference will feature a presentation by Miia Rossi-Gray, representative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, who will provide insights into the role of the social economy in Europe’s development.
The conference will also include perspectives on Latvia’s social economy development from Imants Lipskis, Director of the Labour Market Policy Department at the Ministry of Welfare, and Regita Zeiļa, Director of the Latvian Social Entrepreneurship Association.
“In recent years, we have strengthened the social entrepreneurship environment in Latvia to address socially important issues. The next step is to promote the development of the social economy more broadly — to enhance social well-being and sustainable growth by integrating socially responsible business models into our economic structure,”
says Imants Lipskis.
To discuss the role of innovation in developing the social economy, the conference will feature Alda Sebre, Director of the Social Cohesion Department at the Society Integration Foundation, who will emphasise that integrating social innovation into everyday practice opens new horizons and expands the boundaries of traditional business.
In the second part of the conference — the panel discussion “The Development Potential of the Social Economy in Latvia” — participants will share different viewpoints on the future of the social economy in Latvia.
The panel will include Imants Lipskis, Regita Zeiļa, Kristīne Segliņa (ALTUM), and Maksims Mihejevs, a social entrepreneur.
The conference “Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of the Social Economy” marks an important step in strengthening Latvia’s social entrepreneurship ecosystem — offering a platform for entrepreneurs and policymakers to exchange ideas that support both social progress and economic growth.
The Ministry of Welfare invites everyone to follow the live broadcast of the conference from 10:00 to 12:15 with sign language interpretation on the Ministry of Welfare’s Facebook page and Delfi TV.
The conference is organised with the support of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) project “Support for Social Entrepreneurship” (No. 4.3.3.3/1/24/I/001).
