Marking South-South Cooperation Day

12 September 2015, Rome - The United Nations day for South-South Cooperation is observed on September 12. South-South Cooperation is having an increasing impact on the global development context by offering valuable opportunities for countries in the South to pursue sustained economic growth and development within similar contexts and conditions. 

South-South Cooperation has been facilitated by FAO since 1996. It has since has gained prominence as an innovative approach that complements traditional models of development assistance.

Via FAO’s facilitation, over 1900 experts have been deployed to offer guidance and expertise in more than 60 countries. Again, since 2012 alone about 50 South-South and Triangular Cooperation projects have been facilitated by FAO and resource mobilization received a major boost following this year’s $50 million donation from China. To date, South-South Cooperation’s main providers are Brazil and China. 

“The post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda will require expanded partnership and resources. South-South and Triangular Cooperation is gaining increasing momentum as a key mechanism for eliminating hunger and malnutrition and achieving sustainable agricultural development. FAO is mainstreaming South-South Cooperation as a key means to deliver on FAO’s Strategic Objectives, Regional Initiatives and Country Programming Frameworks,” said said Jong-Jin Kim, Director of the FAO South-South Cooperation and Resource Mobilization Division.

With South-South Cooperation’s potential and role now in full-focus – as recognized at a series of international development conferences – a number of challenges and opportunities lie ahead. Priority issues among these are: how to efficiently make matches for South-South Cooperation between providing and host countries while securing finance. 

To meet these goals, the South-South Cooperation and Resource Mobilization  Division (TCS) at FAO is currently piloting a Gateway platform – which has already been widely recognized as a successful bank of information about Southern countries’ expertise and institutions in the realm of food security and agriculture. The site is a starting point through which countries can engage with FAO to facilitate South-South Cooperation. 

Development cooperation beyond 2015 will have to increase and continue to support developing countries, with a special emphasis on poor and vulnerable communities. Mobilizing additional resources and a wide range of actors to address global challenges, such as the ongoing threat of climate change, will be central to this effort. South-South Cooperation is a relevant and cost-effective model for the future.