South-South and triangular cooperation are making an important contribution to the global partnership for sustainable development. The number of developing countries providing development cooperation increased from 66 to 74 percent between 2015 and 2017, demonstrating the changing landscape of international development cooperation. They continue to evolve, with an increasing emergence of sub-national entities – such as municipal and provincial governments – and non-State actors.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes the distinctive value of South-South and triangular cooperation as an important way to implement its programmes and ensure impact, particularly for its global priorities. Through such cooperation, UNESCO is developing new multi-stakeholder partnerships, supporting policy dialogues, capacity building, regional integration and knowledge sharing to support countries from the global South to reach their development objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This publication demonstrates how UNESCO is promoting such cooperation to advance inclusive, quality education and lifelong learning; to bolster science, technology and innovation; to promote culture and communication for sustainable development; to build resilience in the face of climate change, conflicts and disasters; and to support youth development and engagement.
