In fact, developing countries seek multilateral cooperation enabling them to gain increased access to the knowledge and expertise of other Southern countries and to identify partners in key strategic areas such as industry, trade and investment, environment and natural resource management, etc. Most of the UN offices, 20 out of 22 UN organisations working on South-South cooperation confirmed their full integration into their strategic plans. For example, ILO, UNIDO, UNV, WFP, UNDP, WHO, UNFPA, FAO, WIPO, UNCTAD, UNEP, etc. responded positively to their requests. The information gathered from the UN Office of South-South Cooperation shows that "having included South-South cooperation in their strategic plans for 2014-17, these UN organisations and agencies have taken further measures to design and implement policies and strategies to advance such cooperation".
Their support is leading to an increasing volume of research and analysis spotlighting South-South cooperation in areas such as clean energy and decent work solutions, improvement in access to essential medicines, technology and other innovations. Also notable is the growing support of middle-income countries for improved food, nutrition and energy security, South-South efforts to address climate change, rapid urbanisation, youth under-employment and paucity of human and institutional capacities also receive considerable support from the UN system.
For example, ILO drafted its 2016-17 programme budget in which South-South and triangular cooperation are regarded as means, by which ILO can draw its particular advantages in building and promoting interregional cooperation and mobilise resources. UNIDO is also developing a new Operational strategy for South-South and triangular industrial cooperation and their budget of 2016-17 embedded SS cooperation in it. UN Volunteers (UNV) in its Youth Volunteering Strategy 2014-17 embedded a strategy to increase and diversify young people's opportunities to contribute to global peace and sustainable human development.
The World Food Programme (WFP) in its Zero Hunger Challenge, nutrition security and school-feeding programs in Latin America facilitated the sharing of experiences and innovative practices. The UNDP in its strategic plan for 2014-17 has made clear and substantial commitment to utilise SS and triangular cooperation as one of the core ways of working at the global, regional and country levels. Through the analysis of 79 South-South cooperation projects that FAO implemented since 2008, it is apparent that Brazil and China become the main partners of FAO. The list for mainstreaming South-South cooperation is pretty exhaustive and therefore, may I refer you to UN Report A/70/344 instead taking your valuable time. Â
BANGLADESH AND SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION: In context to post-2015 development agenda, or SDGs, the UN member states have emphasised that South-South cooperation will be among the 'means of implementation for the post-2015 development agenda'. For example, in the Sedai Framework for Disaster Risk reduction 2015-2030 adopted in March 2015, Member states identified the significance of South-South cooperation in reducing disaster risk and called for strengthening of such cooperation.
At the Dhaka High-level meeting on South-South and Triangular cooperation, the participants stressed among other things, that achieving the sustainable development goals hinged heavily on the application of science, technology and innovation in the South, especially in tackling the issues of insufficient food supply, limited value-chain technology, land degradation and climate change. They also emphasised the need to improve tax policy and strong regulatory framework to combat tax evasion and address illicit financial flows. As a follow-up, a high-level multi-stakeholder strategy forum was held in the Macao Special Administrative Region of China in August 2015 to develop a long-term vision and partnership for South-South cooperation towards achieving the sustainable development goals. Â
In order to articulate the critical issues of the South and to explore and make optimal utilisation of the potentials of the South-South countries in context to current global scenario, it also emphasised and endorsed the establishment of a South-South Finance and Development Ministers Forum, an initiative of Bangladesh government. For taking leadership, the UN High-level Committee of the South-South Cooperation in its Washington DC multi-stakeholders event, therefore, awarded the South-South Leadership Award to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The award was received on her behalf by her representative, Prime Minister's IT Adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Unfortunately, although there has been overwhelming support for this Bangladesh initiative, the process has been delayed and stalled for months. Good news is, the External Relations Department (ERD) has recently started to formalise it and therefore, has sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry to instruct its Permanent Mission in New York to include this item in the upcoming UN agenda and to start negotiating a resolution for adoption in the next UN session. Â
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: (i) Lessons from MDGs is that for a successful implementation of SDGs, adequate and proper implementation of "global partnership" is critical. It is critical that shared commitments are needed for a sustainable future. High priority should be given for fostering of robust multi-stakeholder partnerships - with civil society, the private sector, foundations, business, academia and the media.
(ii) For achieving the goals covering all the three aspects of the new and transformative post-2015 development agenda, a key requirement is adequate, predictable and affordable financing and technology transfer that Dhaka meeting emphasised. South-South and Triangular Cooperation in this context can play a pivotal role.
(iii) During the recent financial crisis one after another, the vulnerable countries suffered immensely -- it is commonly said, if there is a hiccup in a big economy, it creates devastating tremors in the small and vulnerable economies. We observed that during the financial debacle while our development partners came up with many 'innovative stimulus packages to help their economies' the vulnerable ones left out to mercy of God. Therefore, it is imperative to create an in-built mechanism so that once there is any disruption in the economies of the development partners, a proportion of their 'innovative stimulus packages', say 10 per cent be automatically directed to the well-being of the vulnerable countries without too many conditions.
(iv) Bangladesh has witnessed a silent revolution in the agricultural sector, it raised its agricultural production more than 3.5 fold in spite of lower acreage and climatic vulnerabilities and help achieve self-sufficiency in food production and in reducing poverty. Such was possible besides target approaches, dynamic and innovative people and leadership also for the use of appropriate Technology and therefore, we need 'improved and affordable technology' in all areas for sustainable growth. Bangladesh is actively promoting a Digital Bangladesh and I shall be pleased if a Regional UN Science, Innovation and Technology Data Bank be established in Bangladesh to facilitate dissemination of affordable technology to South-South and to LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS countries.
(v) In the case of MDGs, we did not have any evaluation and monitoring system to ensure and understand the lacks of MDG-8. In case of SDGs, the South-South Cooperation countries should form a Forum of Finance and Development Ministers to get-together periodically to articulate their critical issues, explore the potentials of the Southern countries and utilising them optimally under the UN framework of South-South Cooperation. Development partners are likely to welcome it as their ability to contribute is shrinking while requirement is ever increasing.
(vi) We all know that 'free trade and free mobility is the vehicle of growth and prosperity'. The present civilisation prospered through free mobility of people and trade. Therefore, duty-free-quota-free market access to trade and easy mobility of migrant workers especially from LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS, and vulnerable countries be granted without delay both by development partners and the emerging ones for a win-win situation for all.
In conclusion, although there are uncertainties and flux at present in the horizon more so for the US Presidential race, Brexit, extremism and Middle-east crises, yet there is hope, hope for a better future. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is doing well and is on a highway of growth and prosperity leading to dream 'Sonar Bangla'. Therefore, although there is cloud, don't be afraid. 'Megh dekhe tui korish ne bhoy, arale tar surjo hashe" (don't be afraid of the cloud, there is always bright sunshine behind the clouds).
 Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, Professor Emeritus and former President of the UN High-level Committee on the South-South Cooperation, United Nations, presented this paper at a seminar in Dhaka organised by Economic Relations Division
on August 20, 2016.
abdul_momen@hotmail.com
There is hope, hope for a better future
A K Abdul Momen concluding his three-part paper, titled Should Bangladesh take leadership role in South-South cooperation? | Published: August 27, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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