At the closing ceremony for the 2017 Social Enterprise World Forum in Christchurch, New Zealand, Angela Constance, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities led a Scottish delegation that accepted the handover of the event, which will next take place on 12-14th September 2018 in Edinburgh.
Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said, 'Creating a fairer Scotland is something that I am passionate about. Social enterprises are at the heart of this and fantastic examples of what we want to achieve – reducing inequality, lifting people out of poverty and encouraging more empowered and resilient communities.'
She added, 'we will continue to support social enterprises and will work with social enterprise communities at home and abroad. I look forward to welcoming the Social Enterprise World Forum back to Scotland next year.'
As part of the handover ceremony in Christchurch, the British Council and Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEIS) launched a video to showcase Scotland’s diverse, vibrant social enterprise sector and introduce Edinburgh as the event’s next host city. To view the video, click on the image above.
The Social Enterprise World Forum was first held in Scotland in 2008 and the organisers of the 2018 event expect to welcome 1,200 delegates from across the globe to the ‘Most Beautiful Country in the World’ as recently voted by the Rough Guides Readers’ Poll 2017.
Gerry Higgins, CEO, CEIS, who founded the Social Enterprise World Forum, commented: “Since organising the first event in Edinburgh in 2008 we could see there was a real passion to establish social enterprise as a viable business model for non-profits looking for sustainability and entrepreneurs seeking to create businesses that benefit society. Visitors to Scotland in 2018 will engage with our unique Scottish and UK social enterprise scene, where social enterprises and government work together to tackle inequality, build healthy communities and create vibrant local economies.”
The Scottish Government and the British Council are partnering on the event.
Mairi Mackay, Global Head of Social Enterprise, British Council, said, 'The work of the British Council in over 100 countries has highlighted the incredible potential and rapidly growing demand for social enterprise solutions that enable more inclusive and prosperous economies. The UK and Scotland are seen as global leaders in developing vibrant social economy ecosystems, and this experience has enabled us to collaborate with policy makers and social entrepreneurs around the world. We look forward to welcoming the global social enterprise community to Edinburgh in 2018 as a key opportunity to enhance our collective progress towards a fairer and more sustainable future.'