Assembly chief highlights cooperation among developing nations on shared concerns
The President of the General Assembly today stressed the value of greater economic cooperation and exchange of ideas among developing countries, known as South-South cooperation, in addressing common problems and encouraged new opportunities to work together.
“South-South cooperation today includes the exchange of technologies, knowledge and experiences, and every country, regardless of its size or economic status, has something to offer,” Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser said in remarks to the high-level meeting on South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Rome.
In the remarks, delivered by the President’s Deputy Chef de Cabinet, Tariq Al-Ansari, Mr. Al-Nasser noted that South-South and triangular cooperation has become a major subject of international development discussion.
“Although the long-term prospects for continued growth of the South and expansion of South-South development cooperation remain positive, major challenges lie ahead,” he stated.
“On the other hand, these challenges present opportunities to reform and introduce new approaches to dealing with common problems and promoting further regional cooperation.”
The meeting aims to introduce innovative South-South and triangular solutions and explore new opportunities for effective partnership.
Mr. Al-Nasser said that effective approaches to South-South and triangular cooperation can include capacity development, peer learning, and the sharing of successful practices in the field.
The importance of knowledge exchange through South-South and triangular cooperation was emphasized at the High-Level UN Conference on South-South Cooperation, held in Nairobi in December 2009.
He said it is important to implement the recommendations of the Nairobi Outcome Document, which urged UN entities to take concrete measures to support South-South and triangular cooperation to help developing countries, at their request and with their ownership and leadership, to develop capacities to maximize the benefits and impact of such cooperation.
The President called on Member States and partners to strengthen the role of South-South and triangular cooperation for development, and to promote new opportunities and collectively work toward sustained economic growth and development.
A related initiative was the Global South-South Development Expo in Rome, which saw the participation of UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP), which led a forum on nutrition, HIV/AIDS, agriculture and food security.