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New Opportunities and Innovation through South-South and Triangular Cooperation

As we move past the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda and take stock post Summit of the Future (2024), we note that the world is still grappling with deep, interconnected challenges. Climate change, debt burdens, food insecurity, and widening digital gaps continue to affect millions. More than 650 million people remain in extreme poverty. Many countries are spending more on debt repayments than on basic public services.

In the face of these hurdles, South-South and triangular cooperation are offering practical ways forward. Built on mutual support and shared experience, these partnerships provide real-world, locally grounded solutions that complement traditional development aid.

This year¡¯s theme; ¡°New Opportunities and Innovation through South-South and Triangular Cooperation¡±, calls for turning promises into progress. It highlights the growing role of the Global South in tackling shared problems; from strengthening health systems and adapting to climate change to driving digital innovation and sustainable finance.

These forms of cooperation bring countries together to exchange knowledge, scale what works, and build more inclusive partnerships. By tapping into this collective strength, we can move faster toward the Sustainable Development Goals ¡ª and build a more just, sustainable future for everyone.

Key priorities for South-South cooperation in 2025:

• Sustainable financing is essential ¨C Countries are calling for more stable, long-term funding for South-South and triangular cooperation, including smarter tools such as blended finance and debt swaps.
• A platform for resilience and innovation ¨C South-South and triangular partnerships offer grounded, flexible solutions that help countries tackle today¡¯s overlapping crises together.
• Driving the SDGs and global vision ¨C These forms of cooperation are key to making real progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and delivering on the promise of a fairer, more sustainable world.
• The Global South as a development leader ¨C The Global South brings valuable ideas, leadership, and local know-how to the table, and is shaping the future of development through regional solidarity and shared experience.
• Tools for action and scale ¨C Platforms like South-South Galaxy and the new Solutions Lab are helping countries connect, learn, and scale up solutions that work.

What is South-South Cooperation and why does it matter?

South-South cooperation is a collaborative approach among developing countries, built on mutual respect, shared goals, and a deep sense of solidarity. Unlike traditional aid models, it¡¯s not about one side giving the other receiving, it¡¯s about countries working together to solve common challenges by exchanging knowledge, skills, and technology. It¡¯s voluntary, driven by the priorities of the countries involved, and free from conditions. While it doesn¡¯t replace North-South cooperation, it complements it; drawing in governments, regional groups, civil society, academia, and the private sector through a flexible and inclusive model.

This approach took shape in 1978 when 138 UN Member States adopted the Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA). It was a turning point for the Global South, offering a path toward greater self-determination and collaboration outside the dominant systems of the time. BAPA laid out principles like equality, non-interference, and mutual benefit, and called for practical structures ¡ª legal frameworks, financing mechanisms, and shared tools ¡ª to make cooperation sustainable. Over time the model expanded to include triangular cooperation where a developed country or international organization helps enable exchanges between two Southern partners, bridging resources with local know-how.

Today, South-South cooperation is more than a framework. It is a growing force behind sustainable development. The Global South now drives over half of the world¡¯s economic growth, fuels expanding trade and investment, and leads countless innovative initiatives. From Cuban doctors responding to Ebola in West Africa, to Colombian experts sharing strategies to fight hunger, these partnerships are solving real-world problems and reshaping what development looks like. As UN Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres put it, the world can't achieve the 2030 Agenda without the energy, ideas, and leadership of the South. Together, countries aren¡¯t just helping each other, they are building a more just and sustainable future.

Objectives of South-South Cooperation:

• Build self-reliance by empowering developing countries to craft solutions aligned with their values and needs.
• Strengthen collective self-reliance through shared experiences, pooled resources, and complementary capabilities.
• Improve joint capacity to identify key development challenges and design strategies to address them.
• Expand and enhance development cooperation by pooling capacities to use resources more effectively.
• Develop and upgrade technological capabilities to better use, absorb, and adapt technology and skills.
• Boost communication to widen access to knowledge, share experiences, and generate new solutions.
• Prioritize and address the specific needs of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDs), and crisis-affected countries.
• Increase developing countries¡¯ participation in global economic activity and broaden international cooperation.

South-South Cooperation Project between FAO, China & CELAC achieves regional impact for 4,000 people

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