FAO and the UN Office for South-South Cooperation reaffirm joint commitments to further mainstream South-South and Triangular Cooperation

05/03/2025 Rome, Italy – FAO’s Director of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division (PST), Mr Anping Ye, met this week with UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Director, Ms Dima Al-Khatib, to discuss new and ongoing fruitful joint collaborations on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC).

Since 1974, UNOSSC has been promoting, coordinating and supporting South-South and triangular cooperation within the United Nations system and globally. 

FAO’s portfolio of SSTC projects has also dramatically grown in recent years, in line with the increasing institutionalization of SSTC in the Organization’s programme.

The two organizations discussed a series of important joint collaborations. 

UNOSSC has recently launched a new e-module Leveraging South-South and Triangular Cooperation to Accelerate Transformation Towards Sustainable Development developed with financial contributions from FAO and other key UN agencies. During the event, FAO reaffirmed its commitment to work closely with UNOSSC to further promote this key tool at regional and country levels. During the meeting, FAO, once again, expressed its appreciation of UNOSSC’s dedicated work on the module.

The meeting with Ms Al-Khatib also focused on the imminent signing of two new joint project documents on Climate Smart Agriculture in the Fergana Valley, and on Irrigation Water and Land Management in the Sahel region. 

“This collaboration is a testament to the continued support and efficient work undertaken by both agencies to further mainstream SSTC towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.” said Mr Aping Ye. “I am very glad to see that our joint efforts have resulted in the development of two key projects that will further mainstream and operationalize South-South and triangular Cooperation at country and regional levels” he added.

Mr Anping Ye also informed UNOSSC that FAO is planning to attend the High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation (New York, 27 -30 May 2025). The Thematic Discussion of the 22nd session will focus on “Accelerating the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: South-South Cooperation as a Driver for Transformation”, with a special emphasis on leveraging Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) through SSTC for sustainable development. 

FAO attended the previous HLC on SSC in 2022, confirming its support to SSTC. Discussions followed regarding a potential joint side event to launch FAO’s revamped SSTC Gateway portal during the 2025 High-level event.

In line with the Resolution on South-South Cooperation (A/RES/79/236), both FAO and UNOSSC confirmed the importance of bridging the digital divide, and leveraging SSTC for sustainable development, particularly via science, technology, and innovation.

Additional information was also shared on the FAO-China SSC Trust Fund (TF), which has been instrumental in supporting national, regional, and global SSC projects, with 11 ongoing initiatives and nine more in the pipeline, bringing the current portfolio to USD 70 million in 2024 alone.

The two agencies also recognized the importance of leveraging collective expertise in Trust Fund management between the FAO-China SSC TF and the United Nations fund for SSC (UNFSSC), the Perez Guerrero trust fund for SSC (PGTF), the India, Brazil, South Africa facility for poverty alleviation (IBSA) fund, and the India-UN Development Partnership Fund. 

“FAO has been instrumental in advancing cooperation between developing countries,” said UNOSSC Director Dima Al-Khatib. Highlighting the FAO-UNOSSC collaboration on the development of the new South-South E-Learning module, implementation of the UN System-Wide Strategy and South-South Trust Fund projects, among others, she noted that "UNOSSC values strategic partnership with FAO as we work together to address critical challenges in food security and agricultural development across the Global South.”

Final remarks from both parties touched upon the implementation of joint frameworks, especially in view of global uncertainties and how these types of collaborations are key to effectively addressing and bridging complex issues underpinning agrifood system transformation from the north and the south, leading to better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life - leaving no one behind.