On 5-9 December 2011, FAO hosted at its headquarters in Rome the 2011 Global South-South Development Expo of the United Nations (GSSD Expo). The Expo is a multilateral event called by the United Nations General Assembly. This year it was co-organized by FAO and the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and focused on food security and agricultural development. It showcased and discussed solutions for enhancing the capacities of developing countries in food production, agricultural technology and nutrition.

The event featured a wide range of activities, including a Leadership Round Table, a diverse selection of Solution Exchange Forums, a Solutions Exhibition and the launching of new partnerships and initiatives. A host of distinguished and powerful champions of South-South and triangular cooperation  participated, including former Heads of State, prominent government officials, senior officials of the United Nations system, Permanent Representatives to the United Nations and heads of industry from around the world.

Outline of the Expo and FAO Contribution

This yesr Expo was structured in five main segments:

1. The Grand Opening of the Expo took place on 5 December, 2011 and included the High Level Opening Ceremony and Leadership Roundtable on Food Security and the Launch of Major Initiatives. High-level representatives, senior officials of the UN and member states, and academic and technical experts discussed the increasingly important role SSC plays in addressing problems of food insecurity and agricultural development in the world.
2. The second segment on 6 and 7 December, 2011 was dedicated to a series of Solutions Exchange Forums on the themes of (i) capacity development, (ii) social protection; (iii) climate change and the environment; (iv) nutrition and HIV/AIDS; (v) global health; and (vi) agri-business and renewable energy. FAO led the forum on capacity development and co-led together with UNIDO the forum on agri-business and renewable energy.   
3. On 8 December 2011 the High Level Development Cooperation, Directors-General Meeting discussed best practices and solutions for: (i) national policy and strategy; (ii) innovative institutional and financing arrangements; (iii) capacity development in managing South-South and triangular cooperation; and (iv) Partnership Building.
4. Throughout the duration of the Expo, the GSSD exhibition floor was organized to showcase some of the most successful and innovative Southern development solutions and examples of the current and potential strength of South-South and triangular cooperation.
5. On 9 December 2011, prior to the official closing ceremony, awards were given to the most innovative South-South solutions for each of the six themes of the Expo.

South-South cooperation at FAO

FAO has a long history of strong support to South-South and triangular cooperation. The Organization’s SSC Initiative was launched in 1996 in support of country and regional-level action on food and nutrition security, initially through pilot projects and from 2002 onwards through large-scale National and Regional Programmes for Food Security, Within the context of these programmes, FAO facilitates the fielding of SSC experts and technicians to demonstrated how hunger and malnutrition can be reduced by helping small-scale farmers improve farm productivity, reduce year-to-year production variability and thus increase farm incomes and food availability by forming local self-help groups and adopting simple low-cost technologies.

To date FAO has facilitated the implementation of more than 42 SSC agreements through which over 1 500 SSC experts and technicians have been fielded. In response to the changing context in which SSC is taking place, FAO is presently broadening the scope of its SSC programme by including the provision of more specialised support at higher levels and for variable durations, the facilitation of training in contributing country institutions, and the development of SSC knowledge sharing networks.

To meet the increasing demand for SCC assistance, FAO is also developing Strategic Alliances with contributing countries as a mechanism for increasing the volume and reliability of funding streams in support of SSC... read more

The UN South-South cooperation (SSC) and Global South-south Development Expo

For over 30 years, South-South cooperation (SSC) has been part of the United Nations’ strategy for advancing regional development agendas in the South. SSC allows developing countries to take greater control of their regional and national progress and it is more critical than ever as southern countries tackle challenges such as food insecurities, climate change, HIV/AIDS and other global health pandemics. In order to fully capitalize on southern development solutions, the UN Secretary-General, in his report to the sixty-second session of the General Assembly (A/62/295), called upon the international development community, including the United Nations to scale up the impact of SSC. In response, in 2008 the UNDP Special Unit for SSC launched the first Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo) to showcase and exchange successful South-South development solutions (SSDS)... read more