The Technology Executive Committee (TEC) is the policy arm of the Technology Mechanism of the Convention and the Paris Agreement, mandated to, inter alia, promote and facilitate collaboration on the development and transfer of technologies for mitigation and adaptation between governments, the private sector, non-profit organizations and academic and research communities. In accordance with its mandate and acknowledging the pivotal role that collaboration between governments and relevant institutions in developing countries can play in advancing the proliferation of climate technologies, the TEC has included South–South and triangular technology cooperation in its rolling workplan, considered the matter at each of its meetings and developed related knowledge products (e.g. TEC, 2016; TEC, 2017a; TEC, 2017b).

There is growing recognition worldwide of the potential of SSC and TrC to accelerate climate action in developing countries. Fifteen developing countries referred directly to SSC in their NDCs, with eight mentioning that they consider SSC to be a suitable complement to North–South cooperation for both mitigation and adaptation action, in particular regarding technology transfer and innovation and capacity-building (United Nations Climate Partnerships for the Global South (UNCPGS), 2017). SSC and TrC were also mentioned by 32 developing and 5 developed countries in their latest national communications, biennial update reports and biennial reports.

In this context, the TEC agreed in 2017, to undertake an analysis of the potential that SSC and TrC offer for assisting developing countries with implementing their NDCs and NAPs. To enrich the work and align it with the broader development agenda, in 2018 the TEC entered into a collaboration with the United Nations Office for South–South Cooperation (UNOSSC). This publication is the first fruit of the collaboration between the two entities and draws on the deliberations that took place at the workshops on SSC and TrC for climate action and sustainable development jointly organized by the TEC and UNOSSC in conjunction with the 2018 Asia-Pacific Climate Week and Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week.

This publication aims to provide insights into trends and good practices in, as well as barriers to and enablers of, SSC and TrC on climate technologies. The eight case studies presented provide concrete examples of SSC and TrC on climate change adaptation and mitigation through technology development and transfer in the areas of agriculture, coastal zones, early warning, transport, energy and waste. The publication concludes with recommendations for making better use of the potential of SSC and TrC in these areas for advancing the implementation of NDCs and NAPs. Target audience This publication is targeted at policymakers and practitioners in developing and developed countries that are involved or interested in making use of SSC and TrC for advancing climate action in line with priorities contained in NDCs and NAPs.