PURPOSE: The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation observed every year on 12 September; aims to raise people's awareness of the UN's efforts to work on technical cooperation among developing countries. It also celebrates the economic, social and political developments made in recent years by regions and countries in the south. It is a time for individuals and organizations to agree on the importance of South-South cooperation, in complementing North-South cooperation, to support low-income countries in achieving development goals. On this day political leaders from different countries reaffirm their goals in working with UN leaders to reinforce or strengthen ties on their commitment to South-South cooperation in developing countries.
FORUM: "A Better Tomorrow with South-South Cooperation." United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation 2024. Development impacts of robust catalytic collaboration among the countries of the Global South in the areas of trade, health, investment, debt relief, regional integration, and digitalization, among others, are being highlighted by Member States in various fora. Global discussions – including the BAPA+40 High-level Conference on South-South Cooperation, the 21st Session of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, and recently at the Third South Summit, the High-level Ministerial Conference on Middle-Income Countries, and the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States, among others – have recognized the urgent need to leverage South-South cooperation more strategically to address the challenges the world is facing more effectively. By harnessing the power of shared experiences, knowledge, and resources, countries can enhance their capacity to address the impact of climate change, ensure inclusive development, and secure a sustainable future for all. In Our Common Agenda, the United Nations Secretary General underlined solidarity among countries as necessary prerequisites for developing collective breakthrough solutions and ensuring the delivery of equitable benefits that leave no one behind. South-South cooperation as a manifestation of solidarity among developing countries has been hailed as an important development cooperation modality. To address those challenges that transcend or spill over borders, and to respond to the knock-on impact of interconnected crises that cascade through immediate geographic areas, South-South cooperation at the regional level will be even more crucial to strengthen such solidarity. Due to their proximity in geography, common experiences, complementarity in economic conditions, as well as in history, language, culture and ethnicity, South-South cooperation at the regional level will enable countries to leverage individual assets for mutually beneficial efforts, make available to peers directly relevant home-grown solutions for collective gains, and strengthen solidarity around emerging trends that greatly influence the prospects and development pathways of neighbors and the region as a whole. At this halfway point to 2030 and as we head to the Summit of the Future, this year’s observance will be an opportunity to take stock of progress and highlight opportunities and challenges for South-South cooperation, as well as emerging trends. It is also an opportunity to go deeper across regions, and capture how South-South cooperation has evolved and helped achieve regional as well as global goals and aspirations, with the view of helping chart pathways to a more inclusive and sustainable future. Through leveraging South-South and triangular cooperation – as envisioned in the outcome of the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40) – there is an opportunity to address both immediate and long-term needs together, supporting countries to get back on track towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #12september, #SouthSouth, #TriangularCooperation, and #SouthSouthCooperation.
EVENTS: On September 12th, from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm; A High-level Panel Discussion to mark the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation 2024 will be held in the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The week of the United Nations Day will be an opportunity to spotlight transformational South-South cooperation actions and efforts that have been made by Member States, the UN System, private sector, and civil society toward addressing the most acute priorities in achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Get the concept note, register to participate and watch the livestream!
Other Commemorative Events:
9 Sept. 2024 - Launch of the new South-South Galaxy online platform. Presentation to the Group of 77 and China.
10 Sept. 2024 - Rome-based Agencies UN Day Event Hosted by Brazil. More information.
12 Sept. 2024, 10:00-12:00 Indochina Time / Bangkok - UNESCAP Event: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow. More information.
16 Sept. 2024 - International Day of Science, Technology and Innovation for the South. More information.
20 Sept. 2024, 09:45-11:00AM - UN Summit of the Future Side-Event: Accelerating SDG Progress through Triangular Cooperation Financing at the 304 East 45th Street, 11th Floor (Doha Conference room). More information.
26 Sept. 2024, 3:00-4:30PM - UN Summit of the Future Side-Event: Just, Equitable Financing and Solidarity for Climate Action: South-South and Triangular Cooperation Pathways to the SDGs Organized by UNOSSC, in partnership with the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) and the President of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation at the 304 East 45th Street, 11th Floor (Doha Conference room). More information
26 Sept. 2024 - UN General Assembly Side-Event: Advancing Strategic Alliances – Leveraging Private Sector Strength in the Global South (Global Advocacy Dialogue Series – Dialogue Two);Organized by Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) and UNOSSC at the 304 East 45th Street, 11th Floor (Doha Conference room).
From 9:30-11:00 – High-level Panel Discussion; and from 11:00-12:30 – Technical-level Ideas Foundry Session; More information coming soon.
PUBLICATIONS: The 2023 Report of the Secretary-General on Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals ’reminds us that it will take exceptional efforts and commitments to deliver a “rescue plan for people and planet.” The task ahead is daunting, but still possible. Unlocking the potential of South-South cooperation offers hope for concerted action and results.
STATEMENTS: “South-South partnerships – along with triangular cooperation – are crucial to building a better future for all. These partnerships can advance a fairer, more inclusive global financial system that responds to the challenges faced by developing countries. They can help unlock the power of digitalization, data, and science-backed solutions for sustainable development.” Read the full Statement from the United Nations Secretary-General on United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation 2024.
PODCASTS: Identifying concrete ways to scale up and adapt solutions to enhance South-South Cooperation. Key Priorities and Future Directions in Advancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable COVID-19 Recovery: Towards a Smart and Resilient Future. Listen to the audio podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: You are invited to join this year observance under the slogan “A Better Tomorrow with South-South Cooperation”. Through South-South collaboration, developing countries share knowledge, skills, expertise and resources to meet their development goals through concerted efforts. Explore the posters and action toolkit, and Get the communication materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
ACTIONS
The objectives of South-South Cooperation are to:
Support the countries of the Global South in collaborative spirit of cooperation
Facilitate South-South initiatives through the provision of funding, training, management and technological systems, as well as other forms of support.
foster and strengthen the self-reliance of developing countries by enhancing their creative capacity to find solutions and technological capacities to their development problems and formulate the requisite strategies to address them;
promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among developing countries through the exchange of experiences leading to a greater awareness of common problems and wider access to available knowledge;
recognize and respond to the problems and requirements of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States and the countries most seriously affected by, for example, natural disasters and other crises, and enable them to achieve a greater degree of participation in international economic activities.
PARTNERSHIPS
The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation is organized by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), theOffice of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), the Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (OSAA), the Partners in Population and Development (PPD), the U.N. Children Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank Group - International Finance Corporation, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Economic and Social Commission for Africa (ECA), the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo, the South-South Galaxy, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the BRICS and several International and Regional Organizations; Civil Society Organizations and Non-Governemental organization.
The Unted Nations General Assembly proclaimed September 12th as the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation to highlight the importance of South-South cooperation and to mark the day in 1978 when the United Nations Conference on Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries adopted the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (A/C.2/66/L.48). Through cooperation and the promotion of the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, the UNOSSC is spreading awareness on the economic, social and political developments made and highlighting United Nations efforts to work on technical cooperation among developing countries.
Many countries in the South have built up significant financial and technical capacities. They have begun to transfer some of these resources, on concessional and non-concessional terms, to other countries in the South in the context of an inclusive approach to the management of global problems, spreading the benefits of globalization more widely, creating new markets, and building a broader foundation for sustainable economic growth. All these efforts were reaffirmed and extended with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the UN General Assembly.