Tunisia

CIRIEC-Tunisia, based in Tunis, is hosted and managed by the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), the main trade union center in Tunisia.

Created at the initiative of some activists, experts and academics working in the UGTT, and more specifically in the departments of international relations, studies and legal affairs, CIRIEC-Tunisia is officially recognized as a CIRIEC national section in October 2019.

CIRIEC-Tunisia has the following missions:

• study and research;;
• capacity strengthening;
• guidance/supervision and support/assistance of actors;
• developing strategies, action plans and programs on Social and Solidarity economy (SSE) and public economy;
• ensuring co-ordination between UGTT departments on SSE;
• creating a space for debate, exchange of experience, good practices and capitalisation between actors, trade unions, companies, around SSE and public economy at national and international levels;
• strengthening the partnership with education, training and research institutions;
• supporting public institutions in developing strategies and public policies;
• engaging in partnerships and alliances with social actors and support organizations at national and international levels.

Its fields of action are public economy, social and solidarity economy, public policies, environment and territorial development.

And its more immediate objectives are:

• contributing to the emergence of a fully-fledged SSE sector capable of positioning itself in the economic landscape as an essential component of a plural economy;
• promote the public economy and preserve the development and quality of public services;
• encouraging a dynamic and strategic partnership between the public sector and SSE structures;
• supporting the UGTT in tripartite negotiations on public policies of the SSE and the public sector.

Its founding members are Souad Khallouli (Attaché to the Department of International Relations and Migration, UGTT) – Lotfi Ben Aïssa (Financial Expert and former Director of Tax Studies at the Ministry of Finance of Tunisia) – Akram Bel Hadj Rhouma (Expert in SSE and Strategic planning in Tunisia) – Sami Aouadi (Professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management, University Tunis El Manar) – Naouel Jabbes (Project Manager at the Ministry of Agriculture of Tunisia) – Karim Trabelsi (University teacher-researcher & Director of Studies at the UGTT) – Ahmed Galai (Vice-President of the Tunisian League of Human Rights (LTDH).

Report on the Constitution of CIRIEC-Tunisia