United Nations(UN) International Day of South-South Cooperation Day or United Nations Day of South-South Cooperation is annually observed on 12th September since 2011 to create and spread awareness on the social, economic and political developments made by the regions and countries in the south and to highlight the efforts of UN on the technical cooperation among the south countries (developing countries).
United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation will host a virtual high-level event 2 days prior to the observance and ahead of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/58/220 on 23rd December 2003 declaring 19th December, the date when the UNGA endorsed the “Buenos Aires Plan of Action(BAPA) for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation Among the Developing Countries” as the United Nations Day of South-South Cooperation.
ii.Later in 2011, The UNGA moved the date to 12th September, the date on which the “Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation Among the Developing Countries” was adopted by the UNGA in 1978.
India UN Development Partnership Fund:
i.The India UN Development Partnership Fund promised 850000 USD (around Rs.6.25 crore) to support the new initiative “Developing Climate Disaster Risk Financing framework and Parametric Insurance” to create a climate disaster risk financing framework of Fiji.
ii.This fund is sponsored by the Government of India and implemented in collaboration with the UN.
iii.UNOSSC, the coordinating partner, contributes the resources and expands its partnership for the development in the Global South.
iv.This initiative is led by the Climate Change and International Cooperation Division of the Fiji Ministry of Economy along with the UN Capital Development Programme (UNCDF), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Munich Climate Insurance initiative (MCII).
South-South Cooperation:
i.South South Cooperation is the exchange of development solutions between and among the global south.
ii.This is a framework for cooperation among the south countries in the form of knowledge sharing, capitalizing on experiences and good practices, policies, technologies or resources in political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical domains.
Events of 2020:
High Level Virtual Event:
i.United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation hosted a virtual high-level event “Pathways toward the SDGs through South-South solidarity beyond COVID-19” on 10th September 2020.
- Around $5 million is now being fast-tracked from the UN Fund for South-South Cooperation to support developing countries’ collective efforts to respond to the pandemic.
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to be currently working with the support of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund on a total of 27 projects across the Global South. One project has fully rehabilitated Barbuda’s only hospital following the devastating Hurricane Irma.
ii.“Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development – Volume 3” featuring around 200 good practices presented by 35 member states, 23 UN entities and other partners was launched during the event.
CADFund:
2020 UN Day for South-South Cooperation: Launch of South-South in Action Report
i.UNOSSC organised a side event for the launch of South-South in Action on 11th September 2020.
ii.China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) is one of the important initiatives of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
In September 2018, the CADFund and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) signed a memorandum of understanding in which the two organizations committed to jointly promoting cooperation in poverty reduction, capacity development, joint research and project incubation in Africa.
- CADFund has been committed to serving China-Africa cooperation with a market-oriented approach, giving full play to its financial advantages and guiding role as a platform.
ii.UNOSSC and China-Africa Development Fund(CADFund) launched the South-South in Action report titled “China-Africa Development Fund: Promoting the Sustainable Development of Africa through South-South Investment”.It developed by UNOSSC and CADFund.
South-South Galaxy:
United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation along with development partners has developed a global knowledge sharing and partnership-brokering platform – South-South Galaxy.
The global knowledge sharing and partnership platform “South-South Galaxy” which was launched in 2020 offers webinars adapted to the COVID-19 situation and COVID-19 response of UNOSSC.
About UNOSSC:
Director– Jorge Chediek
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
