South-South Cooperation Day focuses on sustainable development

As part of the 40th anniversary of the International Day for South-South Cooperation, the United Nations drew together on September 12, more than 100 best-practices developed in the countries of the Global South, which embody the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“Today, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation – in collaboration with the Member States, UN agencies and other development partners – is launching a compilation of ‘Good Practices,” together with “Triangular Cooperation, for Sustainable Development,’” said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on behalf of the Secretary-General at a commemorative event in New York.

She showcased works-in-progress, including an ecosystem-based approach for managing freshwater resources, in six small island developing States.

“The transfer of technologies and vast inter-regional infrastructure investments are facilitating access to international markets for medium and small-scale enterprises,” she stated. “However, we are all keenly aware that there is more to be done to fully leverage the potential of South-South collaboration and partnership.”

In the late 1970s, the Global South embarked on a knowledge-sharing collaboration featuring economic, political, environmental, social and technical know-how, that formally became the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA) – a blueprint for South-South cooperation.

According to Ms. Mohammed that “marked the beginning of a new phase of cooperation.”

Since that landmark agreement, there has been a surge in South-South and triangular cooperation, with developing countries becoming key actors in implementing the 2030 Agenda.

Furthermore, over the last decade, greater trade between developing countries has driven an increase in world trade and new multilateral institutions devoted to South-South cooperation.

The deputy UN chief pointed out that in a few months, Member States would meet again in Buenos Aires for the Second High-level Conference on South-South Cooperation, BAPA+40, to review four decades of trends, and to launch an inclusive South-South and triangular strategy to implement the 2030 Agenda.

“I encourage us all to actively participate in the BAPA+40 preparatory process,” she said. “And I invite you to participate in the Global South-South Development Expo here in New York from 28 to 30 November.”

In concluding, she encouraged all to “reaffirm our commitment to this invaluable means of achieving sustainable development and improving the lives of billions of people in the Global South and beyond.”

Original source: UN News
Published on 12 September 2018