Part #1: South-South and triangular cooperation contribution to the post 2015 development agenda

@karin_vazquez

The post-2015 development agenda will require more effective, strengthened and improved modes of development cooperation to support its implementation. Technical, scientific and technological cooperation will be fundamental for increasing innovation, strengthening environmental protection and driving social and economic development worldwide.

As we approach the deadline for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, how can South-South and triangular cooperation (SSC/TrC) partners shape the post-2015 debate and implement the new global development framework?

First, by promoting the SSC principles of respect for national sovereignty, national ownership and independence, equality, non-conditionality, non-interference in domestic affairs and mutual benefit as the basis of a more inclusive international development agenda.

Second, by strengthening their capacity to manage growing development cooperation flows, scale-up initiatives, and realize the full potential of SSC/TrC in line with their national priorities and their partner’s priorities.


The study "EnhancingManagement Practices in South-South and triangular cooperation" contributes to the debate by showcasing practical measures taken by SSC/TrC partners to strengthen their legal frameworks, institutional management and coordination mechanisms, project and program management, human resources management and communications.

The study further addresses key questions about SSC/TrC management:
1. How did these measures help yield visible results and scale up projects?

2. How can these measures positively influence the key aspects of SSC/TrC?

CASE 1: THE CREATION OF THE CHILEAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY, presents the challenge that the Chilean International Cooperation Agency faced in dealing with a typical issue a Middle Income Country faces: managing its dual role as a provider of SSC while tackling its unfinished development agenda.

The case points AGCI’s effort to develop a  rationale for the allocation of domestic human and financial resources for cooperation initiatives with other developing countries through the decentralization of its institutional arrangement; regional strategy based on Chile’s thematic expertise, domestic capacity, and the needs of partner countries; and triangular cooperation.

CASE 2: THE ‘MEXICO FOR HAITI ALLIANCE’ MODEL OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, introduces the Mexican government challenge to harness and coordinate humanitarian assistance for the reconstruction of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, through public-private partnerships with private foundations and NGOs in Mexico and Haiti.

CASE 3: BENIN, BHUTAN AND COSTA RICA: MONITORING A TRIANGULAR COOPERATION PROJECT IN AGRICULTURE, introduces the experience of Benin, Bhutan and Costa Rica in managing the ‘Partners in South-South Cooperation’ initiative. Different management practices among the three countries and cultural/language differences created transaction costs to the planning, design, implementation and monitoring of the projects supported by the PSSC.

Common procedures were developed to harmonize the different management, financial and accountability practices and roll them out to all PSSC projects. They also included guidelines on ‘how to’ develop project technical and financial reports, and apply indicators to measure the financial stability and the sustainability of the program as a whole.

CASE 4: SELECTING AND MANAGING TALENT IN THAILAND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AGENCY VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, recounts the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency experience in managing the ‘Friends from Thailand Program’ and how volunteerism helped TICA select and manage specialized human resources and diversify its South-South cooperation modalities.

CASE 5: CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING A COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY IN KENYA, discusses how the Kenyan government improved the communication of its long-term development strategy (the Vision 2030), and formed partnerships to achieve the MDGs.

One highlight of the study is the communication channels between the Ministry of Planning, and other Ministries regarding the implementation status of the Vision 2030. Through the National South-South Standing Committee the Ministry of Planning receives feedback on the implementation of SSC/TrC initiatives in the country, and communicates the priorities of the Vision 2030 that can be delivered or leveraged through SSC/TrC. These channels may also be used in the newly established South-South Centre.

CASE 6: THE JAPAN ‘PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM’ MODEL OF TRIANGULAR COOPERATION, looks into Japan’s ‘partnership program’ model of triangular cooperation, and analyses how TrC program design can deepen partnerships, enlarge cooperation and contribute to achieving TrC results, drawing from examples from the ‘Japan-Brazil Partnership Program’ in order to understand how a TrC program can deepen partnerships, enlarge cooperation and contribute to achieving SSC/TrC results.

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Part #2: South-South and triangular cooperation contribution to the post2015 development agenda

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