South-South and Triangular Cooperation Forum – Expo 2020 Dubai, 18-19 January 2022

By January 13, 2022 January 18th, 2022 Events
  • When: 18-19 January 2022
  • Where: In person at the Colombia Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai | Online with registrations here.

As part of Expo 2020 Dubai, on 18-19 January 2022 the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Forum will be take place in the Colombia pavilion. The forum will be a hybrid event, with invited delegates participating in-person, and publicly accessible via video conferencing.

Background

For the first time since the Human Development Index was utilized, many countries have either seen their human development indicators stagnating or going backwards in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has highlighted the importance of creating mechanisms to allow the Global South to be in a more resilient position to face future global setbacks, while providing a pathway towards socio-economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic. The success of these efforts necessitates a stronger focus from Global South countries in leveraging mutually beneficial relations in development cooperation, especially as they work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals at national and transnational level.

Rwanda Cooperation, in partnership with APC Colombia and the German Development Institute, is hosting a Forum against the backdrop of “Global Goals Week” at Expo 2020 Dubai, themed “Harnessing South-South and Triangular Cooperation: How to accelerate contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. The Forum will provide an opportunity for global actors in South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTrC) to share their experiences in implementing SSC, and explore how best they can work together to realize the objectives of Agenda 2030, as we enter its last decade.

Envisioned Outcomes

The South-South and Triangular Cooperation Forum will provide an opportunity to:

  • Contribute to the attainment of Agenda 2030 through thought-leadership on SSTrC and the drafting of an outcome document
  • Share our respective knowledge exchange programs
  • Engage with other key actors in SSTrC, and forging meaningful partnerships

Agenda

Session One: Operational Innovations in Knowledge Sharing – Examples for Effective and Sustainable Operations

  • 18 January 2022

Knowledge-sharing is not only a crucial component of SSTrC, but an imperative to its success in allowing actors with shared contexts to build on each other’s experiences to ensure their own continued development and also to be able to add their contribution to global development.

The session will allow various national and international development cooperation bodies to share insights into how knowledge-sharing is integrated within their countries’ development policies, in line with SDG17 (Global partnerships). It will also provide an opportunity to explore innovations in operating models of cooperation agencies, as well as various knowledge- sharing tools developed to enhance access to innovative development initiatives.


Session Two: Knowledge exchange in the context of SSTrC: Concepts and evidence about effective and sustainable approaches

  • 19 January 2022

The BAPA+40 outcome document rightly highlighted the proximity of experience as a key catalyst in promoting capacity development towards eliminating barriers to achieving the SDGs. But so far, there has been a marked absence of regional mechanisms to support bilateral efforts to learn from each other’s know-how and experience, therefore creating gaps that prevent effective scaling-up of initiatives that could provide tangible results at regional level, potentially positively impacting millions people more than they currently are.

The session with focus on effective and sustainable approaches of knowledge sharing, exploring gaps in current SSTrC policies/concepts, and brainstorming on changes necessary to allow for better management of knowledge concepts, more mainstreaming of SSTrC, and stronger collaboration between SSTrC actors, in order to achieve the goals of Agenda 2030, most especially SDG1 (No Poverty), SDG3 (Good health & wellbeing), SDG5 (Gender Equality), SDG8 (Decent work & Economic growth), SDG9 (Industry, innovation & agriculture), SDG10 (Reduced inequalities), SDG16 (Peace, justice & strong institutions), and SDG17 (Global partnerships).