The Commission leverages its convening power to promote dialogue and knowledge sharing at the national, regional and global levels, and to foster interregional cooperation and vibrant South-South partnerships.

South-South and triangular cooperation activities are at the center of ESCWA’s work: through knowledge generation and sharing, capacity-building and policy advice, ESCWA creates a platform where the capabilities of the South are shared and enhanced through peer learning, and where the human and financial resources of the North can be invested to broaden the horizons of cooperation in support of sustainable development.

The sharing of experiences across countries and regions, South-South cooperation, the use of national expertise from the beneficiary countries to the extent possible, and the building of knowledge networks to facilitate continued exchange and assistance are characteristics of ESCWA’s technical cooperation.

The Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP) is the primary United Nations regional coordination mechanism. It aims to optimize regional United Nations assets in the service of member States through United Nations country teams and resident coordinators, as they strive to support the Member States in achieving the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. RCP is supported by a joint secretariat,  chaired by the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, and ESCWA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as co-vice-chairs.

The UNOSSC Division for Arab States, Europe and the CIS in Istanbul partnered with ESCWA to support Arab countries in systematic knowledge and experience exchange on social justice with other Southern countries that have similar complex socioeconomic and political situations. This collaboration is also in line with the Division’s overall policy, partnerships, and technical and capacity development support priorities to the Member States, UN system entities and other stakeholders in the advancement of the South-South, East-East and Triangular cooperation agenda.

Within the South-South framework of cooperation and ESCWA’s technical cooperation work with Arab countries, the objective of the project is to exchange knowledge and capitalize on experiences from conflict and fragile situations to foster dynamic engagement and streamlined action by relevant actors to ensure social justice for citizens. The project will explore the challenges and potential solutions for mainstreaming principles of equality, equity, human rights, and participation under socio-economic and political complex conditions. For more details, click here.