Enhancing Management Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation – Study on Country-led Practices (2013)

FOREWORD

Leveraging the current global development cooperation environment, emerging countries are exploring new avenues for fostering development cooperation. South-South and triangular cooperation are playing a greater role than ever before in tackling the daunting challenges faced by developing countries.

With just two years to go until the 2015 target year of the Millennium Development Goals, global demand is at an all-time high for successful South-South and triangular development solutions.

In November 2012, international partners began implementing the project ‘Capacity Development in Management of South-South and Triangular Cooperation’. The partners include the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) together with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), with financial support from the Japan-UNDP Partnership Fund. The aim of the project is to develop the capacity of Southern practitioners engaging in technical cooperation, including South-South and triangular cooperation.

One of the most important activities of the project, peer-learning training on management of South-South and triangular cooperation was held in March 2013. Participants at this event requested careful analysis of the cases shared during the training, echoing the global interest in good solutions offered by South-South and triangular cooperation to development cooperation. In a direct response to the request, this study was commissioned by long-time partners JICA and UNOSSC. The study details objectives, rationale, roles and responsibilities of concerned parties and other specifics of managerial arrangements and practices that contribute to our understanding of how to more effectively implement South-South and Triangular cooperation.

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the representatives of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency and every organization engaged in the cases analysed in this study. Without their kind cooperation and advice, this work would not have been possible.
We hope that this study will offer food for thought to all those interested in learning more about dynamism of South-South and triangular cooperation and lead to their improvement to better serve to the poorest and vulnerable communities in the developing countries.

Masayuki Karasawa
Head, Office of Global Issues and Development Partnership, Operations and Strategy Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency

Yiping Zhou
Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation