February 20, 2026 – Turin hosts Global Leaders of the Social Economy

On February 20, 2026, Turin will host Business, Social, One Vision, a public forum dedicated to the strategic role of the social economy as a lever capable of integrating economic competitiveness and social justice.

The event is promoted by the Turin Chamber of Commerce, Torino Social Impact, and the International Training Center of the International Labor Organization (ITCILO) and will be held at the Aula Magna Cavallerizza Reale of the University of Turin, on the occasion of World Social Justice Day.

Key speakers

The forum will bring together some of the most authoritative institutional, European, and academic voices on the future of the social economy.

Lucia Albano, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance
Irene Tinagli, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Intergroup on the Social Economy and Services of General Interest (remote)
Juan Antonio Pedreño, President of Social Economy Europe
Mario Nava, Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Silvia Roggiani, Member of the of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament
Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD
Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Simel Esim, Head of the Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit, International Labour Organization and Chair of the United Nations Inter Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy
Aicha Belassir, Director-General for Social Economy and Corporate Social Responsibility Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, Government of Spain
Mario Calderini, Professor at Politecnico di Milano and Spokesperson for Torino Social Impact
Gianluca Salvatori, Secretary General of EURICSE
Sarah de Heusch, Director of Social Economy Europe
Paola Babos, Deputy Director of the ITCILO

Alongside them, numerous experts and key stakeholders from the sector will contribute to the discussion.

A pivotal moment for Italy and global policies

The initiative takes place at a crucial time for the development of the social economy in Italy. The sector has been strengthened by the drafting of the National Action Plan for the Social Economy and by the consolidation of European and global policies, while also facing new uncertainties linked to shifts in the European Union’s strategic and geopolitical agenda.

At the heart of the debate will be the contribution of social enterprises and impact-driven models in promoting a just transition toward a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient economy.

The event will deepen understanding of the role of the social economy as a strategic driver for integrating competitiveness, and will highlight the recent work of the Global Coalition for Social Justice on the role of the social and solidarity economy in advancing a human-rights-based economy. It will also explore how, at a time when democratic identity and core values are under pressure and political systems are increasingly polarized by the dominance of power over cooperative approaches, the social economy offers principles and models that serve as pillars for strengthening, practicing, and promoting civic and democratic values.

Turin as a social economy laboratory

Turin hosts the event with the conviction that local territories play a fundamental role in unlocking the potential of impact-driven entrepreneurship. The city stands out for its dynamic and innovative social economy ecosystem, supported by impact-oriented financial institutions and public policies focused on urban regeneration and sustainable development.

Within this context operates Torino Social Impact, an open platform launched in 2017 and now comprising over 400 partners across public and private actors, for-profit and non-profit organizations, finance, philanthropy, and research. This ecosystem has generated innovative projects such as the Social Impact Exchange and has contributed to the adoption of the Metropolitan Plan for the Social Economy Turin 2030.

The city has also been home, since 1964, to the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO). As an integral part of the International Labour Organization, the Centre is committed to promoting decent work and to redefining the future of learning and skills development in the service of social justice and sustainable development.

In 2025, Torino Social Impact launched the communication campaign Business, Social, One Vision to promote the social economy—also lending its title to the February 20 event. The campaign expresses TSI’s vision of impact and economy as a synergistic action that brings together the for-profit and non-profit worlds, building a bridge between the two. The creative concept is based on the portrait of a person of “tomorrow,” ideally a potential entrepreneur of a future that is already present. One eye is styled in a more classic, “business” way; the other evokes diversity and “social” commitment. Both dimensions can coexist, harmoniously reflected in a single face.