speaking united nations information Forward of Worldwide South-South Cooperation Day, Dima Khatib, Director of the United Nations Workplace for South-South Cooperation, explains the transformative energy of solidarity amongst creating international locations.
UN Information: Why is South-South cooperation so necessary?
Di Mahatib: Right now, international locations within the South are grappling with quite a few advanced growth points. In fact, lately, the pandemic and its aftermath have exacerbated this case.
Nations are additionally grappling with the impression of the a number of crises occurring on the planet at the moment, whether or not they’re geopolitical crises, meals crises, schooling crises or financial crises. It is a pretty advanced growth atmosphere.
On this context, present growth points require cooperation amongst international locations.
For instance, once we speak about local weather, we’re not speaking a couple of nation. Local weather, water administration, and pure disasters respect no geographical boundaries. Peace and growth even have spillover results.
Subsequently, alternatives will probably be misplaced if international locations don’t work with one another to deal with, mitigate and adapt to those completely different complexities.
UN Information: What are some examples of how international locations within the World South are working collectively and supporting one another?
Di Mahatib: I’m from Lebanon and I want to introduce a regional initiative led by UNDP to battle corruption. This measure supplies technical help to international locations to develop anti-corruption methods. It has succeeded in making a community of policymakers from all international locations within the area who meet commonly to debate how you can be taught from one another, from a coverage perspective to authorized facets and particular circumstances. These networks had been very profitable.
UN Information: How frequent are examples of cooperation between a number of international locations?
Di Mahatib: A serious mission funded by the United Nations Partnership in India focuses on the vitality transition. It is a multi-national mission involving 10 international locations, each supported by the Photo voltaic Vitality Alliance. It not solely helps international locations be taught from one another, but in addition ensures that any outcomes from these measures are carefully linked to every nation’s nationwide growth priorities and plans. Subsequently, it has each nationwide and regional significance.
UN Information: Is cooperation between continents efficient?
Di Mahatib: I like this instance as a result of I noticed it firsthand once I visited China not way back. We have now established a partnership with China by means of the City Transport Digital Administration Initiative.
This is a superb instance of cooperation between Hangxue Native and Santiago de Chile in studying how you can use digital expertise to handle visitors in giant cities, alleviate visitors congestion, guarantee citizen consolation and scale back air pollution.
So there are numerous examples the place this rising affect is felt.
UN Information: What function do younger individuals play in South-South cooperation?
Di Mahatib: Should you have a look at the demographic make-up of nations within the South, most are younger individuals.
They’re brokers of change and are essential to us. We’re already engaged on a good looking initiative with UNESCO to attach universities between international locations within the South.
This is essential because it not solely promotes the house of inexperienced schooling but in addition creates a community of connections amongst younger individuals within the college.
This might simply be replicated throughout many different universities. To me, scalability and resiliency are an important components in driving this ahead.
UN Information: How is South-South cooperation related to the upcoming Future Summit?
Di Mahatib: The Future Summit is a important second as a result of we’re nonetheless 5 years away from reaching the Sustainable Improvement Targets and we’re falling far behind. Solely 17% are on observe.
This is a chance for us to reaffirm our dedication to the South-South cooperation agenda and to utilizing this method to deal with the extraordinarily advanced growth points that international locations are grappling with, together with debt misery, local weather change and well being resilience.
I consider that many international locations within the South have proposed many options and are ready for the help of different international locations to maneuver ahead.
