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Ambassador Peter Mohan Maithri Pieris, President of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation,

Ms. Dima Al-Khatib, Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation,

Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues,

I am pleased to join you for today’s special session to commemorate the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation.

This meeting comes at a time as we celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting South-South Cooperation. 

The theme of today’s commemoration “Solidarity, Equity and Partnership: Unlocking South-South Cooperation to Achieve the SDGs” could not be more appropriate.

At the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda, we need to raise our collective ambitions to rally more support for countries in the Global South to recover the lost ground on achieving the SDGs and charting a prosperous future for all.

Excellencies, 

For the world’s 92 most vulnerable countries, the LDCs, LLDCs and  SIDS, the situation is now especially difficult. 

These are the countries experiencing the worst impacts of the interconnected crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, global economic slowdown, escalating debt, climate emergency, and conflicts in different parts of the world.

The progress of these countries in realizing the SDGs has been seriously jeopardized, further widening the development gap between them and the rest of the world. 

Against this backdrop, the countries in the Global South, especially the LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, need a comprehensive rescue plan. 

To that end, South-South cooperation can complement North-South cooperation. By collaborating on various fronts, the countries in the Global South can leverage each other's strengths to address common challenges, reduce inequalities, and work toward a more sustainable and equitable future.

Excellencies, 
 
In recent decades, LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS have forged closer partnerships among themselves and collaborated with their Southern partners in areas including policymaking, trade, infrastructure, human capital development, resource mobilization, and technology transfer.   

At the Ministerial Meeting on South-South Cooperation, held during the LDC Conference in Doha, in March this year, we had substantive discussions on how South-South cooperation can help the LDCs overcome structural challenges, reduce poverty, and achieve the five deliverables of the DPOA, which are: a food stockholding; an online university; an international investment support center; enhanced resilience building mechanism; and a sustainable graduation support facility. 

 We are now preparing for the 3rd UN Conference on LLDCs and the 4th International Conference on SIDS, both to be held in 2024. 

These conferences offer important opportunities to forge durable South-South partnerships to help these countries overcome their unique development challenges and unlock their potentials. 

Excellencies, 

The LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS are in a race against time to overcome structural challenges and achieve the SDGs.

Global South partners can play a pivotal role in this process, by focusing on high quality, action-oriented, and innovative solutions tailored to ground realities of individual countries. 

 Allow me to highlight three specific areas in this regard: 

First, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and other overlapping crises have plunged millions of people in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS into extreme poverty, malnutrition, and food insecurity. 

South-South cooperation can play a catalytic role in the adoption of context specific and innovative solutions to help these countries alleviate poverty, enhance food security, and make food systems more resilient to external shocks.  

My Office plans to facilitate further work with all relevant stakeholders to create more effective platforms to share knowledge, experiences, and best practices, as well as further policy alignment at regional and subregional levels, to harness the full potentials of South-South cooperation. 

Second, enhanced access to technology can be a game changer for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS to achieve the SDGs. 

The UN technology Bank for LDCs has already had some success stories in this regard. 

Now, we need to further scale it up and explore new avenues for 
LLDCs and SIDS to also benefit from such STI partnerships.  
 
Third, and finally, Southern partners can help the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS tackle their perennial gaps in financing for development including through innovative funding mechanisms, such as blended finance. 

South-South cooperation is not, however, an alternative to North-South cooperation. 

 It is imperative that traditional development partners honor their ODA commitment and step-up support for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS to fully recover from the  current crises and make meaningful progress on the SDGs. 

Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues, 

 We are just a week away from the SDG Summit. 

Given the complex mix of challenges and crises we are facing, it has never been more crucial for the global community to come together, across all sectors, with all stakeholders, to find solutions and deliver on its commitments. 

It is time to build on the momentum we have right now to revitalize global partnerships in all its forms including South-South, North-South and triangular cooperation, to accelerate actions to achieve the SDGs, and realize the potential of LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.

It is time we deliver on our promise to build a more equitable and sustainable world for all, leaving no one behind. 

 Let me assure you of my full support to advance our collective actions toward that end.

I thank you.