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South-South Co-operation
The structural dynamics of international development co-operation have changed significantly in recent decades. Many countries have begun the transition away from receiving Official Development Assistance (ODA), while some, such as the Republic of Korea, have ‘graduated’ to become donors themselves. Such progress has led to the conceptual differentiation between traditional ‘Northern’ donors and emerging ‘Southern’ providers.
This gradual transformation in the development landscape has been underpinned by the steady rise of ‘South-South Co-operation (SSC)’, which the UN Office for South-South Co-operation defines as “A broad framework of collaborations among southern countries in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and technical domains.”[1] As such, the scope of SSC is conceptually much broader than ODA, which is clearly defined and primarily incorporates grants and concessional loans. In fact, the definition is so comprehensive that it hinders uniform understanding, as there is still much disagreement pertaining to the inclusion of certain components such as policy formulation, the activities of private actors, commercial finance, and military operations[2]. Nonetheless, these differences in conceptual composition only substantiate the ubiquitous understanding that SSC has mobilized a broader array of resources and expertise from a more diverse group of actors.
In this regard, SSC has without a doubt evolved into an increasingly important driver of international
development. Recognizing the holistic importance of SSC to the international development co-operation system, the United Nations organized the High-Level Conference on South-South Co-operation in 2009 to highlight the role that various organizations could play in implementing and scaling SSC. Other processes such as the Busan High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in 2011, where the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) was born, also sought to further strengthen the effectiveness of development co-operation with and in southern countries. Finally, in 2019, the BAPA+40 Conference was organized in order to take stock of progress in South-South and Triangular Co-operation (SSTC), including on strengthening its effectiveness. In a world where leading SSC providers, such as China and India, and emerging providers, such as Rwanda and Bangladesh, are increasingly scaling up their participation in SSC, it is evident that SSC will continue to play an increasingly important role in international development cooperation.
However, unlike traditional forms of development co-operation, southern providers have not
reached a consensus on principles of effective development co-operation.
Background on GPEDC Action Area 2.3 on Country-led Development Effectiveness of SSC
The Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (the Global Partnership or GPEDC) is the primary multi-stakeholder platform for driving development effectiveness to “maximize the effectiveness of all forms of co-operation for development for the shared benefits of people, planet, prosperity and peace.”
It does so by promoting four effectiveness principles – country ownership, focus on results, inclusive
partnerships and transparency and mutual accountability. As a member of the GPEDC Steering Committee, Colombia has decided to lead an “Action Area” that explores development effectiveness of SSC and how it can be monitored and assessed. Under the direct leadership of the Colombian Presidential Agency of International Co-operation (APC Colombia), and building on a previous initiative by Mexico (former Co-chair and Steering Committee Member of the GPEDC), ‘Action Area 2.3’ brings together relevant stakeholders from the Global South to examine how the GPEDC effectiveness principles and indicator framework could potentially be useful and adjusted to the context of SSC (see also here). This includes piloting work with El Salvador, Mexico, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Cape Verde, and Rwanda.
The overall objective of this Action Area is to support country-led efforts to enhance the effectiveness of SSC (for more detailed information, see here). Like all forms of co-operation, it is vital that SSC is delivered effectively to maximize its development impact. This sentiment was echoed in paragraph 11 of the Report of the second High-level United Nations Conference on South- South Co-operation (BAPA+40), which calls for enhanced development effectiveness of this modality of co-operation. It was also reconfirmed in recent discussions at the 20th Session of the High-level Committee on SSC.
UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) at the UNDP Headquarters in New York supports the GPEDC, as well as Colombia in its leading role in carrying out the work outlined above. Moreover, UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) has been very active in supporting the follow-up programmes of the GPEDC; mainly the Busan Global Partnership Forum and KOICA’s Learning and Accelerating Programme. As such, BPPS and USPC have joined forces to support APC Colombia in developing the research paper that this consultancy is expected to deliver. This research paper is part of the Action Area work plan (see output 1.1) that Colombia has agreed with its Action Area Members.
Non-comprehensive Overview of Relevant Papers