26 September 2015: Participants highlighted the role of cooperation among developing countries in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at a High-level Roundtable on South-South Cooperation hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and China’s President Xi Jinping.

The event – convened on 26 September 2015 on the sidelines of the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York, US – provided a platform for an exchange of views on ways in which South-South and triangular cooperation can contribute to implementing the 2030 Agenda, particularly for the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).

Ban told participants, “All developing countries, regardless of size or level of development, have accumulated capacities and experiences that can be shared.” He observed that the leadership, focus and contributions of developing countries contributed to the achievement of many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and said such factors will also be critical in achieving the SDGs. Ban also stressed that replicating and adapting examples of South-South and triangular cooperation “can provide cost-effective and replicable solutions to the challenges faced by many developing countries,” a point echoed by several speakers.

Ban then outlined three areas where he said strengthened South-South and triangular cooperation can contribute to Agenda 2030: scaling up global support through a sustainable South-South support architecture; supporting science, technology and innovation (STI) through a Multilateral South-South Innovation Fund for the SDGs; and committing to holding an annual high-level South-South cooperation meeting.

José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), highlighted the role of South-South Cooperation in eradicating hunger and achieving poverty reduction, food security and sustainable agriculture in developing countries.

South-South cooperation “is a complement to and not a substitute for traditional development assistance,” UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark said. She informed that UNDP and the UN Office of South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) are exploring the establishment of a virtual platform to facilitate the global exchange of knowledge and expertise among governments and the private sector, which would enable more people to utilize and benefit from South-South cooperation and share solutions.

Participants highlighted initiatives such as the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Belt and Road Initiative, the BRICS Development Bank, the Silk Road Development Fund and the newly announced South-South Climate Cooperation Fund. They recognized that South-South cooperation now encompasses many areas, from trade and remittances to technology transfer and capacity development. They highlighted programmes that: connect farmers to markets; reduce poverty, energy poverty, hunger and malnutrition; and build rural infrastructure, among others.

Participants also discussed the importance of, inter alia: promoting environmental protection and the green economy; moving toward balanced, inclusive economic growth; and encouraging development support for the establishment of a Technology Bank.

The UN marked its annual South-South Cooperation Day on 12 September. [UN Press Release, 26 September] [Press Statement by Co-Chairs of High-Level Roundtable] [FAO Press Release] [UNDP Administrator Statement] [Event Website] [UN Press Release, 12 September] [IISD RS Coverage of UN Sustainable Development Summit]