South-South cooperation is a term that refers to the technical cooperation among developing countries located in the Global South. These countries are located in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The Global South is not a geographic term. Some people in the Global South live in the Northern Hemisphere. Countries in the Global South typically have lower incomes and lower-quality democracies.
On the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, these countries are encouraged to share knowledge, skills, and resources to meet development goals.
Primary objectives of South-South cooperation include:
- Foster self-reliance
- Formulate strategies to address development issues
- Strengthen technological capacities
- Improve communications between developing countries
- Respond to problems of the least developed countries
- Enable developing countries to participate in international activities
Over the years, countries in the Global South have worked together to achieve success in many areas. Success included Cuba’s support to fight Ebola in West Africa. Another achievement was when diversified corn products from Mexico helped improve nutrition in Kenya.
In 1949, the UN established a technical aid program for countries in the Global South. In 1969, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was created. Both of these events led to the formation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries. This occurred in 1978. At this time, two regional service centers, one in Asia and the other in Africa, were established for South-South cooperation.
In 2003, the UN declared December 19th as the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation. In 2011, the UN moved the date to September 12. The move commemorated the date of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries.
Source: https://unsouthsouth.org
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