Social Enterprises as a Necessity

United Nations Economic and Social Council

The United Nations has recognized the essential need of social and economic expansion in order for developing countries to advance. While the United Nations has invested a great amount of effort into creating sustainable development, even if they were fully funded the need for social enterprise would still exist.

Social enterprises are created by entrepreneurs who solve issues and create sustainable opportunities to diminish these existing issues. The United Nations follows a similar concept but the tasks are not carried out as directly. The United Nations creates generalist approaches and methods to problems developing nations are facing. Developing nations are given ideas and methods to increase economic efficiency and reduce social problems thus the United Nations efforts help resolve issues at their surface.

While there is undoubtedly a benefit to the United Nation’s actions, problems can arise in sustaining the solutions. This is where the role of social enterprises arises. Social enterprises create a method of sustainable development and focus on specific communities and organizations. Such as seen with the Arc, as it teaches entrepreneurship skills and provides assistance to individuals attempting to succeed in their own business ventures. Their existence alone has ensured several businesses remain running by offering advice to deal with specific problems they are facing. For example Salem Kassahun was advised on how to expand her boutique, Salem’s Ethiopia while maintaining a fair trade operation. Initiatives like this are what ensure the success of economic and social development; where as the United Nations can only provide the basic tools for solving economic and social issues.