International Day for South-South Cooperation - September 12th, 2022
GHRTV Author
12-09-2022
Beatrice Serra
International Justice and Human Rights Researcher
Global Human Rights Defence
On September 12th the international community commemorates the International Day for South-South Cooperation, to highlight the importance of South-South cooperation and to mark the day 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) in 1978. (UN Office for South-South Cooperation, 2022) What does South-South Cooperation mean? “South-South cooperation is a manifestation of solidarity among peoples and countries of the South that contributes to their national well-being, their national and collective self-reliance and the attainment of internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” (United Nations, 2022)
Nowadays, threats coming from conflicts, disease, hunger, environmental degradation, with particular concerns for the post-pandemic scenario and the political-economic crisis caused by the Ukraine-Russian conflict, are the main challenges that our globalised world is facing. Such common challenges can only be addressed through shared efforts. (UN News, 2022) That is why, “South-South and triangular cooperation are critical for developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate disruption, address the global health crisis, including COVID-19 recovery, and achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It must play an ever-increasing role in resolving our common challenges,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted. (UN Office for South-South Cooperation, 2022) This does not exonerate developed countries which must increase their efforts and take responsibility along with developing countries. On such an important day, it is crucial to remind the whole international community to double “cooperation and build bridges to achieve an equitable and sustainable future for all”. (UN News, 2022)
Sources and Further Readings:
UN Office for South-South Cooperation (2022), United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation 2022, UN Office for South-South Cooperation, retrieved on September 12th, 2022, from https://unsouthsouth.org/south-south-cooperation-day-2022/.
United Nations (2022), International Day for South-South Cooperation, 12 September, United Nations, retrieved on September 12th, 2022, from https://www.un.org/en/observances/south-south-cooperation-day.
United Nations (September 11, 2022), ‘Solutions lie in solidarity’ UN chief says on South-South Cooperation Day, UN News, retrieved on September 12th, 2022, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1
