Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development – Vol. 4 (2022)

Unprecedented challenges have arisen in the first years of the Decade of Action for the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030: the Covid-19 pandemic, climate crises and war in the Ukraine are among other hardships threatening progress. In these crucial times, South-South and triangular cooperation can be fundamental for ensuring we continue to move ahead in recovering losses and furthering the global commitment of leaving no one behind.

At the core of South-South and triangular cooperation is the understanding that exchanging knowledge, skills, experiences and lessons learned between and among countries of the global South serves as a powerful catalyst for development. These exchanges complement and may even improve traditional North-South cooperation and are a fundamental tool for inclusive global partnerships towards sustainable development.

Fulfilling its mandate and the commitments expressed in the BAPA+40 Outcome Document, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation works to record, systematize and facilitate access to development knowledge from and for the global South. The Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development publication series is the culmination of that mission and documents the incredible work that is currently happening in the global South.

Building on the successes of previous installments, the 4th volume of the Good Practices series further expands the body of knowledge on how development actors are utilizing South-South and triangular cooperation to accelerate progress towards the attainment of all 17 SDGs. This volume documents evidence-based good practices, showcasing over 130 development solutions that have demonstrated cross-boundary cooperation and knowledge transfer between countries of the global South and which are highly adaptable to local economic and social conditions. These cases come from over 50 partners, including Member States, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations entities and other development stakeholders.

The good practices herein highlight the spirit of multilateralism and camaraderie that characterizes South-South and triangular cooperation. An amazing array of sectors and countries are represented in this volume. From a training centre in Indonesia partnering with a food authority in the United Kingdom to share food packaging and labelling skills with technicians in 15 African, Caribbean, Central American and South American countries; to a United Nations-sponsored project for Chinese private investment in Africa that transformed into a permanent South-South chamber of commerce; to the training of medical physicists in regional centres in Asia and the Pacific who in turn trained their peers in neighbouring countries, the projects are impressive, creative and necessary.

While COVID-19, and other recent crises, have challenged our ambitious global agenda, it has also shown the importance of global solidarity. South-South and triangular cooperation can help us stay in the right track towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. We hope the sharing of this actionable knowledge will encourage development stakeholders to connect with the providers of the Good Practices in this volume to support their own efforts in adopting and scaling up innovative solutions and making strong collaborations that will advance the achievement of the SDGs.