International Day for South-South Cooperation

The United Nations observed The International Day for South-South Cooperation on 12 September 2020. The day is celebrated to recognize the economic, social and political developments that have been made in recent years by regions and countries in the south. It also highlights the efforts made by United Nations in order to work for the technical cooperation among the developing countries.

About 2020 Edition

This year, UN hosted a virtual high-level event in the backdrop of the observance the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. The event reflected the role of international solidarity, while responding to the global COVID-19 crisis.

What is South-South cooperation?

It is a broad framework that collaborate among countries of the South in the domain of political and economic relation, social welfare, cultural ties, environmental and technical developments. With the establishment of the UN technical aid programme by the Economic and Social Council, South-South cooperation began in 1949.  Adoption of  the Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA) In 1978 for promoting and implementing technical cooperation among developing countries. This step was one of the main pillars for the South-South cooperation. Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in 2001 also stressed the importance of South-South cooperation. It emphasized on the capacity-building in the areas including health, education, training, environment, science and technology, trade and investment.
With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the UN General Assembly, all these efforts were extended further.

2030 Agenda for sustainable development

United nations had launched the 2030 agenda for sustainable development to bring sustainable development in the mainstream. This is a universal, integrated and trans-formative agenda. It aims to spur actions so as to end poverty and build a more sustainable world in next 15 years. These includes 17 goals and 169 targets out of which some specific targets have to be achieved by 2030. But yes, the Sustainable Development Goals are not legally binding.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2020