The three UN Rome-based agencies – FAO, IFAD and WFP teamed up with host Rwanda Cooperation (RC) to celebrate this year’s UN Day for South-South Cooperation. In addition to the Rome-based Agencies (RBAs) and the RC, the event was attended by Government Ministers from Rwanda, the UN community in Rwanda led by the Resident Coordinator, members of the Diplomatic Corps, and representatives from civil society and the private sector; and provided a great opportunity to mobilize stakeholders to deliberate on the ways in which the full potential of SSTC may be put to the benefit of marginalized communities.  

In her opening remarks, Amb. Christine Nkulikiyinka, CEO of Rwanda Cooperation, noted that development challenges abound in the Global South, ranging from education, where the rate of primary school enrolment is declining; to access to health services that is still problematic for over half of the world’s population. Events such as these, she said, are essential to shaping the agendas to build partnerships to mitigate these and other challenges, including those from climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

 The transformative capacity of solidarity and collaboration was underscored by the other keynote speakers. IFAD’s Vice President Ms Geraldine Mukeshimana emphasized the pivotal role that the RBAs and similar agencies play as brokers of strategic partnerships targeting poverty alleviation and food security. In the East African region, she said, we have seen lives impacted when partners come together from all parts of the world to support the most vulnerable communities. We need to work together to create the conditions that will enable more partners from the South as well as the North to engage in South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

From WFP, Mr. David Kaatrud, Director of Programme - Humanitarian and Development (PRO-T) Division in WFP, emphasized the great potential and impact HGSF programmes can have on entire communities. Using SSTC as a match-maker and a facilitator, such excellent practices can be replicated in the neighboring countries, in the region and also globally. “The RBA joint SSTC programme on HGSF is a concrete way to operationalize each Agency’s commitment and respond to the growing country demand for enhanced support in SSTC,” David Kaatrud stated at the event.

From FAO, Mr Anping Ye, Director of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division (PST), reiterated FAO’s willingness and support for the joint HGSF programme and how the RBAs joint actions are fundamental to accelerating the recovery and transformation of agrifood systems in the Global South. “In line with FAO Director-General Dr. Qu Dongyu’s motto of working together, learning together and contributing together for the benefit of our Member Countries, I am glad to see how this joint commitment has resulted in further mainstreaming South-South and Triangular cooperation”, Anping Ye emphasized at the ceremony.

Three plenaries were held, during which panellists considered different ways of making South-South and Triangular Cooperation more effective – by mobilising multi-stakeholder partnerships; by leveraging the mechanism towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals; and by strengthening the institutional capacity building. Discussants agreed that SSTC represents a paradigm shift from top-down development approaches to a demand-driven model that allows the participation of local communities to benefit from innovative and adaptable development solutions.

It is therefore important for policy makers and other actors to increase resources to SSTC, in order to facilitate innovations and enhance its transformative potential.

The collaboration between the RBAs and the RC was recognized and commended as an example of convening different perspectives, resources in support of global development commitments such as the Agenda 2030 of the UN, and the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063. Such an event could only strengthen joint efforts toward tangible impact in the lives of the community we serve said the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Ozonnia Ojielo.