THE EUROPEAN EVENT: XI European Forum on Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship. June 9, 2023

What is the European Event?

The European Event, or the European Forum on Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship, organized by the European Network of Innovation for Inclusion of Acción contra el Hambre, is an annual date that brings together national and European experts in the field of social innovation.

The XI European Forum on Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship is an inspiring space in which to learn about European priorities in innovation to generate a more inclusive social and labor ecosystem.

This meeting recognizes and shares best practices in inclusive employment and entrepreneurship from all over Europe and facilitates the meeting of key actors, favoring collaboration and networking.

XI European Forum on Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship

Experiences and trends in Innovation for Inclusion

XI Forum

On June 9, 2023 the XI European Forum on Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship took place in Madrid with livestreaming through our Youtube channel.

At the event, which welcomed representatives from various Spanish and European institutions involved in public social policies, the keys to financing projects related to employability, entrepreneurship and inclusion were shared, detailing financial instruments such as the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), and its new programming period, such as the grants that are managed from the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda.

The Forum also addressed the future implementation, both in Europe and in Spain, of the Competence Centers for Social Innovation - centers in the Member States of the European Union for knowledge and capacity building, to support innovation projects so that they make themselves known, creating synergies - that will help social organizations to program and carry out actions in this area. Since this center has been designed to be a reality in our country in the coming years, the proposal for its implementation by the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 was advanced, and in what way it will benefit these entities.

XI EUROPEAN EVENT'S PROGRAMME

08:30 AM
09:30 AM
GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE EVENT
  • Olivier Longué, General Director of Action Against Hunger
09:40 AM
BUILDING EQUALITY WITH THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND
  • María Iglesia, Head of Unit for Employment, Skills and Social Policies for Spain and Malta. Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission
  • Patricia Bezunartea, General Director of Family Diversity and Social Services. Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030
  • Angel Mª García Frontelo, Deputy Director-General of the Administrative Unit of the European Social Fund, State Secretariat for Employment and the Social Economy
  • Luis González, Director of Technical Engineering and Social Action Spain
10:30 AM
PUBLIC POLICIES AND SOCIAL INNOVATION FOR SOCIAL EQUALITY
  • José Moisés Martín Carretero – Partner - Director of Red2Red Consultores. Member of the Advisory Council on Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition of the Government of Spain
11:00 AM
COFFEE BREAK
11:30 AM
THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN EUROPE

THE EUROPEAN COMPETENCE CENTRE FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION 

  • Irina Stankevičienė, CoP Coordinator on Employment, Education and Skills. European Competence Center for Social Innovation. European Social Fund Agency

PROMOTING SOCIAL INNOVATION: THE EXAMPLE OF PORTUGAL 

  • Vera Egreja Barracho, Strategic Advisor and Regional Representative at Portugal Inovação Social  

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WORKING ON SOCIAL INNOVATION PROCESSES 

  • Berta González Antón, Advisor to the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Social Rights. Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030
12:45 PM
EUROPEAN NETWORK OF INNOVATION FOR INCLUSION

Social innovation experiences, winning and finalist good practices

AWARDS CEREMONY 

  • SOCIO-LABOUR INCLUSION 

- Susana Hernández, President of FACIAM Network  

- Leyre Jauregui, Officer for socio-labour inclusion in the BATZEN project - Youth Employment Host System at Zabalduz 

- Luciana Verona, Project Coordinator at InterProFinland

  • INCLUSIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

- Sophie Guénebaut, Director of Le LABA 

- Desiree Scalia, Project Manager and trainer at CIAPE 

- Daria Gavrilova, Head of the Training Area at the St. Ezekiel Moreno Foundation 

01:30 PM
CLOSING

Speakers

    • Picture of Olivier Longué
      Olivier Longué
      General Director of Action Against Hunger

      With two Masters' degrees in Political Science (Institut d'Études Politiques) and in International Relations (Univ. de la Sorbonne - Paris I), Olivier Longué has focused his professional career since 1987 on international aid.

      Longué has worked on humanitarian action and has specialized in crisis interventions, whether in natural or man-made disasters, in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. He has developed specific analysis and methodologies in conflict analysis, security management and long-term resilience.


      Since 1995, Olivier Longué has been the General Director of Action Against Hunger in Spain, a member of ACF's global humanitarian network. The network operates in more than 50 countries.

    • Picture of Luis González
      Luis González
      Director of Technical Engineering and Social Action Spain

      Agricultural Engineer graduated from the University of Lleida and Technician in Agricultural Business Management from the University of Valladolid. He has also completed a Master in European Development Cooperation Policies at the UAB and has completed an Executive Programme at ESADE in Leadership and Social Innovation.

      At a professional level, he has held technical positions in the Department of Agriculture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and in the Department of International Cooperation of COPCA (ACC1Ó) within the program to promote the participation of the Private Sector in International Cooperation for Development. 

      In 2008 he started his professional career in Action Against Hunger in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia working as a socio-economic consultant specialized in Inclusive Markets. In 2009 he started his work in Spain as Head of the Regional Delegations of Action Against Hunger managing the portfolio of public and private regional and local donors. 

      Since 2020 he holds the position of Director of Technical Engineering and Social Action Spain.

    • Picture of Angel Mª García Frontelo
      Angel Mª García Frontelo
      Deputy Director-General of the Administrative Unit of the European Social Fund, State Secretariat for Employment and the Social Economy

      Ángel Mª García Frontelo, Deputy Director General of the Administrative Unit of the European Social Fund (UAFSE), Secretary of State for Employment, Ministry of Employment and Social Security.

      He holds a degree in Law from the Complutense University and a degree in Political Science and Administration from the Autonomous University of Madrid. He has developed most of his professional career in the UAFSE where he has held various positions. Since January 2015 he has been the head of this Unit, which is responsible for the management and certification authorities of the European Social Fund and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived Persons. He is a permanent member of the ESF Committee of the European Union.

    • Picture of Irina Stankevičienė 
      Irina Stankevičienė 
      Coordinator of the CoP on Employment, education and skills 

      Irina Stankevičienė is currently working as the coordinator of the Community of Practice (CoP) on Employment, Education and Skills in the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation and oversees the development and delivery of activities in this CoP. She has thirteen years of experience working with ESF structural funds. Irina recently worked as a programme manager at the European Social Fund agency and was responsible for the administration of ESF-financed projects in the fields of employment, education, and public administration. 

    • Picture of José Moisés Martin
      José Moisés Martín Carretero
      Director of Red2Red Consultores. Member of the Advisory Council on Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition of the Government of Spain

      José Moisés Martín Carretero holds a degree in Economics from UAM and postgraduate diplomas in International Economic Relations (UPM) and Economic Analysis (UNED).

      He has been head of the Multilateral Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. He has been collaborator and consultant in programs of the Inter-American Development Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the World Bank and the International Labor Organization, and senior economic advisor to the South Korean Embassy in Spain. He is currently managing partner of Red2Red Consultores. Since 2020 he has been a member of the Advisory Council for Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition of the Government of Spain. 

      Since 2016 he has been a professor at the Camilo José Cela University and is a regular contributor to El País. He is the author of "Spain 2030: Governing the Future" and "The Future of Prosperity".

    • Picture of Vera Egreja Barracho
      Vera Egreja Barracho
      Strategic Advisor and Regional Representative

      Vera is Strategic Advisor and Regional Representative at Portugal Social Innovation Mission Unit, a government initiative aimed at promoting social innovation and stimulating the social investment market in Portugal. Politics and International Relations professional specialised in strategy, innovation and foresight with work experience in Europe and beyond, including several years located in Brussels and after that in São Paulo. She has worked with the European Commission and at the EU|BIC Innovation Network on business innovation and entrepreneurship; at the United Nations Global on the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development (SDGs); and at the Aga Khan Foundation. She is a globetrotter by accident, a caregiver but above all a mental health’s and gender equity advocate.

    • Picture of María Iglesia
      María Iglesia
      Director in the Working Conditions and Social Dialogue of the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion in the European Commission

      Maria acts as Director in the Social Affairs of the Directorate General of Employment, of the European Commission. 

      She heads the Directorate on Working conditions and Social Dialogue and she is also responsible for the European Social Fund in the area of employment, social affairs, skills and labour mobility for Spain and Malta. During the last fifteen years, Maria was leading, as Head of Unit, different DGs at the European Commission in the areas of Employment, Health, Innovation, Trade, Food Safety and Better Regulation. 

      She also worked for the World Bank (Washington DC) as Senior Adviser on Human Development. 

      She holds a scientific background with a specialisation on Food Technology. Maria also studied Political Sciences and holds a Master on European Economy by the ULB (Brussels). She holds a Master on Health Systems by Harvard University.

    • Picture of Patricia Bezunartea
      Patricia Bezunartea
      General Director of Family Diversity and Social Services. Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030

      Patricia Bezunartea is responsible for the protection and promotion of families and their diversity, as well as the prevention of situations of need in which these groups may incur, within the scope of the powers constitutionally reserved to the State and without prejudice to the powers attributed to other bodies, as well as all the functions set out in Article 4 of Royal Decree 452/2020, of March 10, which develops the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030.

      Bezunartea holds a Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the UNED 2007 and Diploma in Social Work from the Complutense University of Madrid. I also obtained a Master's degree in integral and person-centered care in the fields of aging and disability from the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia. 

    • Picture of Susana Hernández
      Susana Hernández
      President of Red FACIAM

      Network Representative. Together with the Permanent team and the Board, he encourages the participation of the members in the daily work carried out by FACIAM.

    • Picture of Luciana Verona
      Luciana Verona
      Project Manager at InterProFinland

      Luciana Verona is a certified translator and cultural manager based in Finland since 2014. She joined InterProFinland in 2022 as Project Coordinator and Board Member, and has been successfully running the 2nd edition of Degree AMPLIFY.

    • Picture of Leyre Jauregui
      Leyre Jauregui
      Socio-labor Inclusion Officer in Zabalduz

      She is part of the team working on the award-winning project - BATZEN Youth Employment Reception System. She is a social and labor inclusion technician, and her role in the project is to establish relationships with companies, development agencies and business associations in the territory of Guipuzcoa, with the aim of continuing to increase the network of companies working with the project to respond to the needs and interests of the young people with whom they work.

    • Picture of Desiree Scalia
      Desiree Scalia
      Project Manager and trainer at CIAPE 

      Desiree Scalia, Project Manager and trainer at CIAPE 

      Areas of interest: youth, entrepreneurship and sustainability. 

      Main responsibilities: 

      - Draft and manage European projects  

      - Develop training activities

    • Picture of Daria Gavrilova
      Daria Gavrilova
      Head of the Training Area at the St. Ezekiel Moreno Foundation. 

      Within the framework of the Hilvana Program, together with the technical team, she designs and implements the methodology of direct intervention with the women participating in the Program.

    • Picture of Berta González Antón
      Berta González Antón
      Advisor to the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Social Rights. Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030

      Berta González Antón, Advisor to the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Social Rights. Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030

Highlights from the X European Forum on Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship

Cooperation ecosystems and food security as key elements to foster socio-labour inclusion

Members and National Contatc Points of the Network at the X Forum of Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship

Last November 3rd, the European Network of Innovation for Inclusion together with Acción contra el Hambre celebrated the X Forum of Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship in Madrid. This gathering, in which experts in employment and entrepreneurship participated, highlighted the need to address, through different social spheres, public entities and companies, issues such as the health-employment binomial or the importance of ecosystems to promote cooperation and collaboration in social innovation. These topics were discussed as key elements to improve the impact on vulnerable groups and enhance their access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

The CEO of Acción contra el Hambre, Olivier Longué, emphasized how “the multiple crises we are currently facing underline the need to foster collaboration between entities in order to keep thinking, devising and innovating for social inclusion". Drawing on this idea of interconnectedness and innovation, the General Director of Open Government and Social Innovation at the Government of Aragón, Raúl Oliván, highlighted the importance of placing social innovation “in a pivotal position within the current political system and linking it to the social contract. We must understand that social innovation cannot be a magical seed, but rather a systemic one, and needs long-term involvement of key actors”.

Pilar Martínez, Sustainable Food Programme's Manager at Fundación Daniel y Nina Carasso, together with Claudia Rocío Magaña, researcher at the University of Barcelona, directed the discussion towards new food security approaches and health practices, stressing how “food security goes beyond mere economic access to food products and includes broader aspects such as education or physical access to products”. Additionally, they encouraged all attendees to innovate, think and imagine through the ecological transition process.

During the presentation of her research study “Feeding a sustainable future”, Claudia Magaña put forward some relevant figures, like the fact that 13% of Spanish households experience some type of food insecurity. She also stressed how "understanding why these households cannot access sustainable, adequate and decent food" is the first step that needs to be taken in order to fulfil people’s right to food security. In her speech, she also recalled the value of measurements, since "what cannot be measured is difficult to manage”, and “in order to design effective solutions that tackle food insecurity, we ought to know the scope of the problem”

In a similar vein, Noemi López, Researcher at the Research Group in Nutritional Epidemiology (EPINUT-UCM) at the University Complutense of Madrid, explained the work she undertakes jointly with Acción contra el Hambre in the promotion of the healthy life approach as a driver for employability, entrepreneurship and health. “Job insecurity increases the risk of suffering from food insecurity and, at the same time, health also conditions access to employment. It is a bidirectional relationship between health and employment”, the researcher claimed.

Finally, the event finished with an award ceremony to the winning and finalist entities of the VI Call for Good Practices on Inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship. The awarded organizations were Monaliiku, Plan International Spain, Ingeus, APID – Imprendirotialià Donna, Cyprus Energy Agency and KMOP.