South-South cooperation (SSC) plays an indispensable role in today’s development landscape. It represents a shared vision among the peoples and countries of the South that is shaped by close historical realities, similar development pathways, as well as shared challenges. Every country has something to bring to the table in a common attempt to find and share solutions that are both cost-effective and easier to adapt to each country’s unique situation.

The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals acknowledge the critical role South-South cooperation plays in global development. So do other important global agendas, notably the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development. Against this backdrop, the UN system has been enhancing its efforts to promote South-South cooperation, as an important complement to traditional development cooperation.

Since its creation, UNDP has worked with governments of the global South to maximize development impact and to accelerate poverty eradication. Prior to the 1978 Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA), UNDP convened a group of high-level thinkers and planners in Kuwait to outline the main issues to be considered at the conference.