GFDD Joins the Celebration of United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation

A special celebration of United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation took place at the UN headquarters in New York this September 12. The day celebrated the economic, social and political advancements made by developing countries and marked the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA).

The event was led by the United Nations Office for
South-South Cooperation and attended by members of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) team, as well as dozens of other UN organization and Member State representatives.

The keynote speaker at the event was United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, who spoke at length about the 40-year milestone and achievements made through South-South cooperation.

Additionally, H.E. Mr. Jorge Chediek, the UNOSSC Director and
Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation (SSC), officially launched the “Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development – Vol 2”. This publication is a compilation of best practices and includes suggestions for accomplishing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be shared by Member States, specialised agencies and other stakeholders.

GFDD’s attendance at the celebration is a
continuation of active participation in SSC at the United Nations and the close partnership that it maintains with the UNOSSC.

In July of this year, GFDD and its president Leonel Fernández met with Mr. Chediek to discuss areas of cooperation for the advancement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Among the areas of potential collaboration discussed were youth leadership programs, peace and institution development as well as scholarly
publications on SSC issues. GFDD and UNOSSC plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on these points soon.

During the course of the September 12 event Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Mr. Daniel Raimondi of Argentina invited attendants to his country and unveiled the official logo for the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40) to be held in March 2019. The meeting, inspired by the original in 1978, intends to bring
attention to achievements made over the past 40 years and look for opportunities to heighten SSC.

GFDD will continue its involvement in SSC when it is present at the BAPA+40 in March 2019.

About South-South Cooperation:
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.

That cooperation is done through a broad framework of collaboration among countries of the South in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical domains. Involving two or more developing countries, it can take place on a bilateral, regional, intraregional or interregional basis. Developing countries share knowledge, skills, expertise and resources
to meet their development goals through concerted efforts.

Access more information on the UN Day for South-South Cooperation here.

Access more information about the meeting between GFDD and Mr. Chediek here.