“South-South Cooperation, whether in times of the pandemic or not, is an effective tool to mobilise global solidarity, and drive progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”
From 6-8 April 2021, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Division for Arab States, Europe and the CIS, Istanbul, organized an inter-regional policy dialogue and stocktaking event on public policy leadership and institutional arrangements for advancing South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC) in the Arab States, Europe and the CIS, within the overall context of COVID-19 response and recovery, Decade of Action, UN Development System Reform, and post-BAPA + 40 Conference.
Participants at the three-day event included renowned public policy experts, directors general for development cooperation, other senior public officials, senior and technical level UN representatives, representatives from international financial institutions, regional inter-governmental organisations, and think tanks. There were over 200 registrants from over 40 countries, across Arab states, Europe and the CIS, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America.
Day 1 focused on identifying key public policy challenges and opportunities.
Day 2 made a deep dive into the key outcomes of the 12th Edition of the High-level Forum of Directors General for Development Cooperation, held from 17-19 March 2021, and identified key opportunities and demands for strengthening national capacities for South-South, East-East and triangular cooperation.
Day 3 brought together UN Resident Coordinators, Regional Directors, as well as global and regional UN agency leads for a conversation on how to scale-up support to national and regional development priorities through South-South, East-East and triangular cooperation.
This report summarizes the discussions and findings of the inter-regional dialogue, and points to topics for future debate and further collaboration, including with the UNOSSC.
More information about the event available here.
