South-South and International Development Cooperation in the Post Pandemic Era: Seminar on the Prospects for China-Africa Economic, Trade, Green and Technological Cooperation
- When: Thursday, 16 June 2022, 3:30 – 6:00 PM (Beijing Time)
- Meeting Language: Chinese
- How to Join: Tencent Meeting Platform (Meeting ID: 480-382-154)
The continuous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has posed great challenges to the economic and social development in Africa, the China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, as well as the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, Global South-South Development Center Project will be hosting a webinar series which aims to share knowledge and experiences to tackle the common challenges under the framework of South-South cooperation.
The first webinar, in partnership with China-Africa Business Council, will be held this Thursday, focusing on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, green cooperation, and technological cooperation. Two Chinese Counsellors will be invited to share their insights on China-Africa cooperation, which aims to enable the audience a clearer understanding of the current local realities in Africa and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa’s economic and social development. A knowledge video with English subtitles will be produced after the meeting for wide dissemination. Insights and advice will be collected in the meeting summary report. Further actions will be taken to follow up and concretize valuable initiatives out of the meeting discussion to develop more promising and need-based proposals.
Background
Facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing global landscape, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Dakar, in November 2021, which adopted a series of documents including the Dakar Declaration of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC, the Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024), the China-Africa Declaration on Climate Change Cooperation, and the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2030 to support Africa in achieving economic recovery and sustainable development with practical actions.
South-South cooperation has long served as an important platform for promoting global development. The BAPA+40 document expanded the scope of SSTrC to include South-South trade and investment; and acknowledged the roles played by multi-stakeholders, CSOs, and the private sector; national and local authorities in promoting SSTrC for sustainable development.
Since 2000, China-Africa cooperation has gradually become the cornerstone of South-South cooperation, which greatly enhances Africa’s development capacity. Meanwhile, the African region is still calling for more support and strengths through South-South cooperation.
The Global South-South Development Center Project (GSSDC) was jointly initiated by United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) upon the conclusion of the China South-South Development Center (China SSDC) Project. According to the Statement of Intent signed between the Ministry of Commerce of China and UNOSSC, the China SSDC has been upgraded to Global SSDC since June 2019. The Global SSDC project will build on the achievements of the China SSDC project and enhance its global impact, strive to be a global platform for South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTrC), and promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
China-Africa Business Council (CABC) is a chamber of commerce jointly established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), and the China Society for Promotion of the Guangcai Program (CSPGP). CABC’s mission is to actively guide Chinese enterprises in their commitment to “going into Africa” and help enterprises build close partnerships, establish cooperation platforms, and create a good environment for China-Africa economic, trade, and investment cooperation. Up to now, CABC has more than 2,000 member companies.
Through the implementation of South-South cooperation projects, CABC has effectively combined the industrial and technological advantages of Chinese enterprises with the development of African communities, closely integrated the fulfillment of social responsibility by Chinese enterprises with South-South cooperation, expanded the concept and field of South-South cooperation, and developed a unique way of “China-Africa Chamber of Commerce” in South-South cooperation.
According to the annual work plan, GSSDC Project aims to facilitate the transfer of technical know-how and capacity development via organizing need-based training/ workshops and involving more participation from the private sector. By inviting Chinese counselors in Africa to introduce the current local realities and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa’s economic and social development, the seminar aims at analyzing the opportunities and challenges of economic and social development of the African Union and some key countries by focusing on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, green cooperation and technological cooperation, thus mobilizing partners of the Global South-South Development Center project and member enterprises of CABC to participate in China-Africa cooperation and South-South cooperation.
Agenda
Moderators
- Ms. Zhang Wei, Division Chief, Division II of UN Programmes, CICETE
- Mr. Bai Xiaofeng, Executive Secretary-General, China-Africa Business Council
1. Opening remarks
2. Keynote Speech
- Mr. Lin Zhiyong, Minister Counsellor, Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the African Union
3. Q&A session
4. Keynote speech
- Mr. Han Xiaofei, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Senegal
5. Q&A session
6. Closing Remarks
To visit the virtual booths of the Global SSDC Project and China-Africa Business Council at the Global South-South Development Expo 2022, please click here.