UNESCO participated in the 2018 Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo, held at the UN in New York from 28-30 November, with the overarching theme of “Showcasing Institutions Supporting South-South Cooperation in preparation for the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA + 40).” During the Expo, UNESCO showcased its work to promote South-South and Triangular Cooperation, including with private sector partners, and identified potential partners for expanding our work in this area.
The Secretary-General opened the Expo, during which he stated that he is a “strong believer in South-South cooperation as a key instrument for the implementation of the Agenda 2030 for a fairer globalization.” He stressed however that “South-South cooperation is not meant to replace North-South cooperation and, especially, it is not meant to undermine the commitments that were made in the context of the Addis Ababa Plan of Action by countries of the North. South-South cooperation is an essential tool, but it should not undermine the responsibilities assumed by the global North in relation to the Agenda 2030 and in relation to global development.”
UNESCO’s dedicated publication South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Action was launched by the Director of UNESCO’s New York Office, Ms. Marie-Paule Roudil, during a special event organized with the UN Office for South-South Cooperation on 28 November.
Ms. Marie-Paule Roudil, Director of UNESCO’s New York Office, presenting UNESCO’s publication South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Action
UNESCO also co-organized the High-level Panel and Thematic Solution Forum on Promoting Youth Entrepreneurship for SDGs with the UN Office for South-South Cooperation and UNV on 28 November. During this event, Mr. Laurent Mbosele Ndaywe (project officer, UNESCO Gabon) and Ms. Clare Stark (UNESCO’s South-South Cooperation focal point) showcased UNESCO’s private sector partnership with Artiel Gabon on “Train my Generation 5000.” UNESCO also showed a short film from the Minister of Small and Medium-Term Enterprises from Gabon, Ms Carmen Ndaot, who expressed the Government’s commitment to supporting a phase 2 of the project for 2019-2023. There is also a huge potential to scale up this project to Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Angola and Congo Brazzaville.
