We are glad to announce that on July 3rd in Brussels the Public Event of the PEACE’22 project was successfully completed!
Gianluca Pastorelli, Executive President of Diesis Network and Fabiana Pompermaier, Project manager of Diesis Network, kicked off event with a warm welcome.
The event provided a space for dialogue between international and European institutions and practitioners from the field, sharing success stories of social economy organisations who are active in promoting more peaceful societies through community engagement, identification of shared solutions and the socio-economic empowerment of most vulnerable groups. Here’s a glimpse into the inspiring highlights:
Viktorija Bražiūnaitė from the Lithuanian Social Business Association shared a keen perspective on freedom, drawing parallels between the history of Lithuania and the current situation of Ukrainian refugees. She stressed the importance of recognising them as a community and supporting their long-term recovery and reconstruction.
Simel Esim, Programme Manager at ILO and Co-chair of UNTFSSE, delivered a compelling video speech on the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). She highlighted SSE’s potential in promoting social justice, economic development, and peacebuilding, stressing the importance of international collaboration and local community support. Her contribution highlighted similar reflections that emerged in the framework of the PEACE’22 Research, Social Economy contribution to peaceful societies: social and economic inclusion of refugees as a response to crisis.
Živilė Paužaitė from Kaunas Science and Technology Park discussed their mission to support young and innovative businesses. She highlighted the BSI4_Women project, which adapts to the needs of Ukrainian refugee women, and shared insights and inspiring experiences from the Entrepreneurship Opportunities FAIR the organisation held in the framework of the project on January 18, 2024.
Vano Grigolashvili, Director of Rural/Regional Development for Future Georgia (RDFG), shared insightful opportunities from their work supporting displaced individuals. He underscored the importance of partnerships, resilience, and sustainable development, sharing success stories of women entrepreneurs making their mark in international markets.
Both organisations were among the participants to the PEACE’22 Peer Learning Sessions, which took place online from March 2024 and were held in Vilnius and Brussels. 10 participants, both from Lithuania and across Europe, joined to share and draw shared opportunities through a future design methodology adapted to the framework of the project. The outcome of these sessions and the lessons learnt will be available soon in our PEACE’22 Handbook.
We thank all the speakers and participants of the event and look forward to continuing engaging the PEACE’22 community in upcoming projects, activities and opportunities.
For more information about the PEACE’22 project and its objectives, you can visit project webpage.
