South-South and Triangular Cooperation In Action THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC GROUP OF STATES South-South and Triangular Cooperation In Action THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC GROUP OF STATES Table of Contents 01 Abbreviations 03 Acknowledgements 05 Joint Foreword 07 Chapter I: Introduction The ACP Group of States 09 ACP Group Activities in Support of 19 South-South and Triangular Cooperation 25 Chapter II: South-South Cooperation and Triangular Cooperation in Action ACP Group-European Union Partnership as a 26 Driver for South-South and Triangular Action Case Studies: Intra-ACP Programmes 28 Case Studies: South-South Cooperation 39 among ACP Member States 45 Chapter III: Looking Forward: ACP South-South Cooperation and Triangular Cooperation and Global Development Frameworks Supporting the 2030 Agenda in the Global Arena 46 Lessons Learned and Challenges 49 Conclusion 51 References 52 Abbreviations and Acronyms ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific EDULINK African, Caribbean and Pacific - European Union Programme for Higher Education SRP African, Caribbean and Pacific Sugar Research Programme BAPA Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries COP 21 Conference of the Parties DAC Development Assistance Committee EDF European Development Fund EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations HLF-4 Fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness OIF International Organization of la Francophonie LDCs least developed countries LLDCs landlocked developing countries MSIRI Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute MoU memorandum of understanding NFIDCs net food-importing developing countries NAMA non-agricultural market access RIOs regional integration organizations SIDS small island developing states SDGs Sustainable Development Goals UNDP United Nations Development Programme UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme UNOSSC United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation WTO World Trade Organization Acknowledgements This SSiA report is a result of intellectual Our deepest gratitude also goes to all our credence, wisdom and exemplary colleagues from various departments and dedication by members of the ACP Family services of the ACP Secretariat and the as well as generous contributions from Project Management Units for their efforts partner organisations, particularly the and contributions. United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation. Recognising that the list would be too long to name them all, it is fair to express The ACP Secretariat therefore, wishes our indebtedness to our former colleague, to convey a word of appreciation to Mrs. Josephine Latu-Sanft. We wish many individuals and institutions which to commend her for the sterling work contributed to the publication with guidance, ideas, materials as well as by in gathering, compiling the available providing case studies and examples of information, and drafting the report taking their work on the ground in the 79 ACP on board many rich exchange of views on Member States. the best way to integrate the plethora of ACP experiences and best practices in We are deeply appreciative of the advancing South-South cooperation and guidance provided by ACP Secretariat’s Management team under the overall Triangular cooperation. supervision of the Secretary-General, We are more than deeply grateful to the His Excellency, Dr. Patrick Gomes. In UNOSCC contribution and, particularly of particular, we wish to thank the team Mr. Michael Stewart whose technical and for the instrumental role it played to editorial guidance are highly appreciated. bring this report to light at a crucial time We wish to commend him and the team when the ACP Group is at the crossroad for their assistance and close cooperation to reposition itself to better tackle the with the ACP team. challenges of the contemporary world and to meet the expectations of our Finally, we wish to thank each and peoples towards the implementation everyone who, in one way or another, of the Agenda 2030 and of regional and provided contributions to make this national development strategies. report a success. Joint Foreword It is with great pleasure that the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, on behalf of the ACP Group, has joined forces with the United Nations Office for South- South Cooperation (UNOSSC) to provide this first joint ACP Group-UNOSSC publication, the latest volume of the South-South in Action series. It is a concrete translation of the commitment expressed in the Memorandum of Understanding established in 2016 between the ACP Secretariat and UNOSSC that includes cooperation on joint publications. The present report is being published at a crucial time marked by two important developments. Patrick Gomes First, the ACP Group is at a crossroads in repositioning and reinvigorating itself to become Secretary General African, Caribbean and Pacific an effective global player fit for meeting the Group of States emerging challenges of the twenty-first century, thereby assisting its 79 Member States to achieve their aspirations and realize the ultimate goal of the right to development. Second is the preparatory process now under way for the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation to be held in Buenos Aires in March 2019 and to which the ACP Group can contribute its experience as part of the stocktaking of 40 years of implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA). The Conference will reinforce the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as specific Jorge Chediek continental and regional development strategies. Envoy of the Secretary-General Moreover, the transcontinental nature and strength on South-South Cooperation of the 79 ACP countries speak to the relevance of and Director, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation South-South and triangular cooperation for the Group, based on the principles of solidarity and shared interests. This report illustrates the intersection between the ACP Group’s policies and practices under South-South and triangular cooperation and global development and policy arrangements, including the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. It lays out the ACP Secretariat framework for South-South and triangular cooperation in ACP countries, as highlighted in the Strategic Management Plan 2017–2020 of the ACP Secretariat, and seeks to capture the various factors that contribute to the ACP Group as being a “natural” hub and facilitator of South-South and triangular cooperation. In addition, the report showcases South- South and triangular cooperation programmes implemented in ACP countries. This includes case studies in which collaboration between or among ACP countries is facilitated through European Union assistance via the intra-ACP programming envelope, worth €3.5 billion under the eleventh cycle of the European Development Fund (2014– 2020). Finally, the report is expected to help disseminate the experiences and knowledge of the ACP countries and strengthen the already-existing partnership between the ACP Secretariat and UNOSSC. Owing to the experience of a number of ACP States that have accumulated a wealth of knowledge, expertise and lessons learned from their South-South and triangular cooperation initiatives, including the implementation of intra- ACP programmes, the ACP Group is committed to playing a bridging role. To achieve this, it must become a conduit through which such lessons and expertise are shared among its Members States and other stakeholders, thereby contributing to further charting the way forward and strengthening South-South and triangular cooperation. Chapter I - Introduction THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC GROUP OF STATES Introduction While South-South cooperation and triangular High-level United Nations Conference on South- cooperation have been present in the world South Cooperation held in Nairobi, Kenya, in as concepts and practices for decades, global 2009 and the globally endorsed 2030 Agenda interest in them has been growing rapidly over for Sustainable Development have underlined the past decades. That period saw the vigorous the importance of these modalities as critical and sustained economic growth of countries of complements to North-South cooperation in the global South such as Brazil, China, India and pursuit of sustainable development. Various the Gulf States and their increasing contribution mechanisms have been put in place by to global economic growth. In 2010, for instance, international actors to enhance understanding emerging economies represented nearly 50 per of the concepts, quantify the outcomes and cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) impact, identify models, map modalities and as opposed to 36 per cent 10 years earlier. This share findings. trend is expected to continue in coming years. Acknowledging that potential, the leaders of The wealth of development knowledge and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries experience found in the countries of the global recommended, in the Sipopo Declaration of South, bolstered by technological innovation and December 2012, that special attention be given growing opportunities for mutual learning and to South-South and triangular cooperation in knowledge-sharing, has increased significantly