Revisiting South-South cooperation

At multilateral level, the Islamic Development Bank launched its South-South Cooperation Index, a composite measure to assess the existence, effectiveness and growth of the elements of national South-South cooperation ecosystems of a country.(p.7)

At the same level, nearly 23 organizations that responded to the survey by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation for the presently analyzed report confirmed their adherence to the encouragement in the Buenos Aires outcome document to mainstream South-South and triangular cooperation. That response is interpreted as being consistent with the prioritization of such cooperation in strategic plans. For example, 81 per cent of United Nations entities responding to the survey of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs indicated the inclusion of South-South cooperation in strategic plans, and 86 per cent had integrated South-South cooperation results into corporate reporting in 2023, up from 73 per cent and 79 per cent, respectively, in 2022.

The picture has to be supplemented by specific steps taken by United Nations entities to institutionalize South-South and triangular cooperation in their work by assigning South-South focal points (58 per cent), establishing dedicated units for South-South cooperation (29 per cent) and allocating a budget for South-South cooperation (20 per cent).(p.8)

A number of remarkable achievements have been reported at the national level. UNDP realized the integration of South-South and triangular cooperation in over 571 (12 per cent) of all UNDP projects, across 102 countries. More specifically, 347 projects used or will use South-South cooperation in building and enhancing capacities. In addition, 146 projects will utilize South-South cooperation to facilitate knowledge-sharing and exchanges, and 111 projects are aimed at fostering partnerships with Southern partners, underscoring the strategic importance of such collaborative approaches in advancing development objectives to attain the Sustainable Development Goals. Among them, 48 initiatives facilitated South-South and triangular cooperation to address development challenges faced by 25 small island developing States.(p.8)

An interesting example is quoted. The World Food Programme (WFP) updated its policy on South-South and triangular cooperation. As a sign of progress, for the first time, WFP country offices were able to report on specific South-South and triangular cooperation indicators, using corporate monitoring and reporting systems. Hence, country offices from all regions reported a total of 24 national policies, strategies, programmes and other systemic components contributing to zero hunger and other Sustainable Development Goals that WFP supported through South-South and triangular cooperation.(p.9)

An important quoted finding is that the heightened significance that developing countries attach to collaborative solutions justifies the continued integration of South-South and triangular cooperation into the core business of many United Nations entities, reflecting the strengthened ability of the United Nations development system to respond to the demands of developing countries to address specific development challenges through such modalities.(p.9)

Regional organizations have an active role in this field. In the Asia and the Pacific region, UNDP collaborated with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Working Group on Water Resources Management to assist six countries in addressing transboundary environmental interconnections and pollution issues through an integrated approach to river-basin management.(p.10)

UNCTAD continued to support the development and strengthening of its regional centres of excellence in Asia to address persistent and emerging challenges facing the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.(p.11)

The United Nations Capital Development Fund Smart Green ASEAN Cities programme supports 15 cities from six South-east Asian countries, facilitating knowledge-sharing and peer-to-peer learning to develop innovative subnational financing mechanisms for sustainable urban development.(p.12)

Within the framework of UNICEF, China organized several policy dialogues and capacity-building workshops that focused on South-South cooperation, including on maternal, neonatal and child health, child nutrition, water and sanitation, and climate-adaptation action. In addition, UNICEF China facilitated Government missions to Cambodia and South Africa to formulate joint South-South cooperation projects on climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene. UNICEF Thailand facilitated a study visit by officials from the Papua New Guinea Ministry of Education to learn about early childhood education in Thailand, as well as a study visit by officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development of the Philippines to learn about the Disability Grant Scheme of Thailand.(p.12)

In the Asia and the Pacific region, which has the only regional Directors General Forum for South-South and Triangular Cooperation, ESCAP played a critical role in championing South-South and triangular cooperation. As a result, in 2023, the Forum adopted a resolution on accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda that recognized the significance of South-South and triangular cooperation in that regard.(p.13)

The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation developed the Handbook on Integrating South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Voluntary National Reviews under the leadership of the co-chairs of the Group of Friends of the Voluntary National Reviews (Morocco and Philippines).(p.17)