- When: 12 September 2022, 7:30 – 9:10AM (EST) | 14:30 to 16:10 (GMT+2/CAT).
- Summary Report: To download the summary report of this event, please click here.
On 12 September, on the sidelines of the Global South-South Development Expo 2022, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), launched the report “Accelerating COVID-19 Recovery through Ushikamano wa Pan-Africa” (Accelerating COVID-19 Recovery through Pan-African solidarity).
Background
African countries have been generating innovative and context-specific solutions, in collaboration with various development actors, to respond to current development challenges. South-South Cooperation (SSC) promotes horizontal knowledge exchanges between two developing countries at similar levels of development, while Triangular Cooperation (TrC), which involves a third TrC facilitating partner from a developed country or multilateral organization, is also growing as a medium for development cooperation. Despite restrictions in travel and the significant socio-economic impacts of the pandemic on countries, South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) is gaining momentum in Africa.
The Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40) held in 2019 makes a number of recommendations for enhancing SSTC, including the scaling up of national-led efforts to institutionalize SSTC; promoting the access to and transfer of technology on mutually agreed terms; and building multi-stakeholder partnerships, including with the private sector. As mandated in the BAPA+40, the UNDP supports these SSTC efforts as a knowledge broker, partnership facilitator, and a capacity development supporter for SSTC.
In this context, building on the First African South-South Cooperation Report launched at BAPA+40, UNDP gathered data through an online survey on African SSTC initiatives in the context of COVID-19 with the support of United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and is proud to present, in partnership with UNOSSC, the report “Accelerating COVID-19 Recovery through Ushikamano wa Pan-Africa”.
The report showcases how African countries have developed coordinated and collaborative responses to COVID-19 and beyond through SSTC partnerships, illustrating the strength of Africa’s resilience through the mutual sharing and the powerful Pan-African solidarity, as the Swahili word Ushikamano suggests. It captures ongoing SSTC initiatives in Africa and articulates the importance of SSTC for addressing the impact of COVID-19 and other development challenges beyond the pandemic.
Objectives
- To promote peer learning through the sharing of national experiences of SSTC practices in addressing African development challenges.
- To generate and promote opportunities for enhancing regional and country-level South-South and Triangular Cooperation post BAPA+40 in Africa.
- To facilitate knowledge sharing and cooperation among partners of the global South.
Agenda
1. Introduction by facilitator and overview of the agenda
- Orria Goni, SDG Finance and South-South Cooperation Regional Advisor, UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub
2. Opening Remarks
- Ayodele Odusola, Director, UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub
- Xiaojun Grace Wang, Head of Delegation, UNOSSC
3. Launch of the report “Accelerating COVID-19 Recovery through Ushikamano wa Pan-Africa”
4. Overview of the report
- Ankun Liu, SDG Finance & South-South Cooperation Programme Analyst, UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub
5. Discussion: South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Africa during COVID-19 and Beyond
Facilitator: Frederick Mugisha, Regional SDG Integration Advisor, Regional Service Center for Africa (RSCA), UNDP
- Rosine Urujeni, Chief Operations Officer, Rwanda Cooperation Initiative (RCI)
- Emmanuel Lao, Global Partnership Focal Point, Directorate of North-South Cooperation and Multilateral Organizations, Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Cameroon
- Wen’an Wang, Vice Chair of the Joint Conference of Chinese Overseas Chambers of Commerce (JCCOCC) & President, South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association (SACETA)
- Nadine Piefer-Söyler, Policy Analyst, Foresight, Outreach and Policy Reform Unit, Development Co-operation Directorate, OECD
- Ulrich Mueller, Senior Advisor, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)
6. Q&A
7. Closing remarks & wrap-up
- Orria Goni, SDG Finance and South-South Cooperation Regional Advisor, UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub