UN Day for South-South Cooperation Highlights Growing Potential for Cooperative Development Worldwide

12 September 2017 UNITED NATIONS – South-South and triangular cooperation offer a path to balancing growth and equity and leaving no one behind, said Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, marking the United Nations Day of South-South Cooperation at a High-level panel discussion organized by UNOSSC. “Agenda 2030 and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda have heralded a new era of commitment for South-South cooperation,” Deputy Secretary-General said. “That is why South-South and triangular collaboration is emphasized in frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Agenda for Humanity.” More than 160 participants were present at the panel, including over 40 representatives of Member States, plus 55 representatives of UN organizations and the media. To mark the importance of South-South Cooperation, the General Assembly decided to observe this Day on 12 September annually, commemorating the adoption in 1978 of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries. “Today is also a celebration of the economic, social and political developments made in recent years by countries and regions of the South,” said H.E. Mr. Adonia Ayebare, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations, and President of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation. “Solidarity amongst peoples and countries of the Global South has contributed to the improvement of developing countries national-wellbeing and collective self-reliance, and has enhanced their capacity to attain national priorities and other internationally agreed development goals – especially the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said H.E. Mr. Adonia Ayebare. “Beyond this, South-South and triangular cooperation has demonstrated significant benefits for the international community as a whole. The achievements and great potential of South-South cooperation, which complements North-South cooperation as an effective contribution to development, are well recognized.” “As a South partner, we consider sustainable development and poverty reduction an effective mean for moving closer to the goals of peace and stability,” said H.E. Mr. Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations. H.E. Mr. Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu, noted that Turkey will be hosting the Ninth Annual Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo in Antalya from 27 to 30 November 2017. The Global South-South Development Expo is an annual event designed to showcase evidence-based successful development solutions and initiatives that are emerging from the global South. It provides a platform for development actors and stakeholders to celebrate South-South and triangular successes, share knowledge and lessons learned, explore new avenues for collaboration, and initiate new partnership efforts. H.E. Mr. Martín García Moritán, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations, noted that Argentina will be hosting in March 2019 the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation to be held on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the signing of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA). He emphasized that the 2017 GSSD Expo must be leveraged to ensure substantive inputs in the lead-up to the 2019 BAPA+40, and invited all present to contribute. “The General Assembly has decided to bring all stakeholders together at a High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation to formalize and link South-South cooperation to the international development architecture,” said the Deputy Secretary-General. “It will enable us to coordinate our South-South efforts, build bridges, cement partnerships, and establish sustainable strategies for scaling up impact together.” “The Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, will be a historic opportunity to scale up global support to SSC,” said Mr. Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “UNOSSC will provide substantive and secretariat support for the preparatory process of the Conference, and UNDP will facilitate this work though our presence in over 170 countries and territories, as well as through joint initiatives.”   Deputy Secretary-General\’s remarks on United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation   Media Coverage: – UN Web TV (full video of the High-level panel) – New China – CNC News (in Chinese) – ONU News (in Portuguese)