Meeting documents

NEW! Meeting Summary

(French) Remarks by Mr. Charles Borromée Todjinou - Permanent representative of Benin to the EU

(French) Remarks by Mr. Rodrigo Rivera- Permanent representative of Colombia to the EU

(English) New Strategy for the Implementation of the Building Block: The Nigerian Experience

(English) Islamic Bank Group: Draft Guiding Note on "Reverse Linkages" (PPT)

(Español) Cooperación Triangular en el marco de la cooperación al desarrollo: Ricardo Cortés

List of participants (French)

Photos

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Background

The IV High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, that took place in Busan, Republic of Korea (November 29 - December 1) was a historic opportunity to recognize that the cooperation landscape is experiencing decisive changes, several of them triggered by the pro-active role of southern partners that are broadening the menu of development options for addressing key development common challenges.

South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development

30. The inputs to sustainable development extend well beyond financial cooperation to the knowledge and development experience of all actors and countries. South-South and triangular cooperation have the potential to transform developing countries policies and approaches to services delivery by bringing effective, locally owned solutions that are appropriate to country contexts.

31. We recognize that many countries engaged in SSC both provide and receive diverse resources and expertise at the same time, and that this should enrich cooperation without affecting a country’s eligibility to receive assistance from others. We will strengthen the sharing of knowledge and mutual learning by:

• Scaling up, where appropriate, the use of triangular approaches to development cooperation.
• Making fuller use of SSC and TrC, recognizing the success of these approaches to date and the synergies they offer.
• Encouraging the development of networks for knowledge exchange, peer learning and coordination among SSC actors as a means of facilitating access to important knowledge pools by developing countries.
• Supporting efforts to strengthen local and national capacities to engage effectively in SSC and TrC.

The Busan Outcome Document not only pledges to broaden support for South-South (SSC) and Triangular Cooperation (TrC), helping to tailor these horizontal partnerships to a greater diversity of country contexts and needs. It also provides a clear and strong political mandate, in the framework of the emerging Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation

More than 60 partners of the South-South process had been working towards this goal since the Bogotá High Level Event in March 2010. This 20-month process marked a milestone in the history of SSC and TrC as countries, international organizations and civil society organizations, with the support of a community of practice of more than 1,400 members worldwide and a broad network of academic institutions from Africa, America and Asia, engaged in an extended and rigorous discussion in order to explore the full potential of this modality and its contribution to global development. 

Commitments derived from the Building Block Proposal

The results of this process not only showed the importance of learning more systematically and rigorously (producing 31 case studies and more than 150 case stories) about what works and what doesn't in SSC and TrC, it also generated valuable commitments at the global and national level that are now key to the success of the implementation of a more detailed work plan.

The Building Block on South-South and Triangular Cooperation is therefore an ambitious but realistic forward-looking agenda that aims to serve as a platform for the implementation of the mandate contained in the Busan Outcome Document.

During the HLF-4, members of the building block committed to implement the following concrete activities, based on a framework of “common but differentiated responsibilities”

1. Develop capacities to facilitate the effective engagement of countries in South- South and Triangular Cooperation

2. Promote “learning activities” from Middle Income countries and other key Southern partners.

3. Improve the access to and information available on the mechanisms for knowledge sharing and other services provided by multilateral organizations.

4. Work towards a monitoring and evaluation framework around the contribution of SSC and TrC to global development goals.

II. Objectives 

As announced during the breakfast meeting that gathered all the Building Block members in Busan (Nov. 30, 2011), the first official working meeting of the Building Block will be convened by the Government of Colombia and facilitated by La Francophonie on March 5-6, 2012 in Brussels, Belgium.

During the meeting, all members will have the opportunity to examine the proposal in light of the commitments contained in the Busan Outcome Document and the current discussions of the Post-Busan Interim Group, and agree on actions and next steps that will allow its successful implementation.

Specific objectives

The meeting also aims to reach agreements around the following topics:

Scope of the proposal. Members will have the opportunity to recommend the adjustment of details or the addition of new ones, prior to the final approval of the work areas.

Action plan and champions. Members are welcome to bring in their proposals and recommendations on how to better implement the work areas outlined above. They are also encouraged to champion, host, coordinate or sponsor some of the initiatives outlined in the proposal.

Structure and coordination. Members will agree on a governance structure in charge of leading the decision-making process as well as a coordination scheme to ensure a proper follow-up for the initiatives. They will also have the opportunity to discuss how they expect this BB to be linked to the Busan Global Partnership for Development

Funding. Members will approve a fund-raising strategy to be launched in the coming weeks in order to guarantee the adequate funding of the work plan.

Building Block on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (PDF)

Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation ( EN / FR / ES / AR )