While South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation have been present in the world as concepts and practices for decades, global interest in them has been growing rapidly over the past decades. That period saw the vigorous and sustained economic growth of countries of the global South such as Brazil, China, India and the Gulf States and their increasing contribution to global economic growth. In 2010, for instance, emerging economies represented nearly 50 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) as opposed to 36 per cent 10 years earlier. This trend is expected to continue in coming years.
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.