Throughout June, we took part in a series of international events in Brazil to share ASETT’s experience, strengthen strategic partnerships, and continue promoting the Social Economy as a response to today’s major economic, technological and urban challenges.
Our programme began with our participation in the National Festival of the Popular and Solidarity Economy, one of Brazil’s leading gatherings for the solidarity economy movement. Natxo Vicente and Ibon Zugasti presented ASETT’s work in Brazil, highlighting our projects in Maricá—the host city of the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF) 2027—as well as our activities in applied research, think tank development and strategic foresight.
The event concluded with the signing of the Rio Charter for the Solidarity Economy, a collective commitment to continue promoting economic models that are more inclusive, democratic and sustainable.
In the following days, we participated in the International Conference on Smart Cities (IC2), the largest event on smart cities in Latin America. During the conference, we presented the ASETT International Forum 2026, which will take place on 12–13 November in Donostia–San Sebastián, highlighting the central role that cities will play in the programme and announcing Brazil as the guest country.
Our agenda in Brazil concluded at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), where Ibon Zugasti delivered the lecture “Perspectives for Building a Better Future,” organised in collaboration with the Futures Studies Centre of the Millennium Project.
The session brought together international experts to reflect on different technological, economic and social development scenarios, examining their impact on inequality and the role that the Social Economy can play in building a more inclusive and sustainable future.
This participation reinforces ASETT’s internationalisation strategy and our commitment to connecting knowledge, strategic foresight, innovation and international cooperation to develop shared solutions through the Social Economy.
If you would like to watch Ibon’s lecture, you can do so here: (https://eventos.pucsp.br/conferencia-ibon-zugasti/)
