Pacific Platform for South-South Cooperation

The PIDF Charter directs the Secretariat, as one of PIDF’s functions, to “serve as the Pacific regional counterpart for the South-South groupings and other regional and international arrangements that focus on sustainable development and especially poverty eradication in Pacific islands to ensure policy and coherence at all levels.”

In light of this focus PIDF signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) on 28 November 2017,

Through the MOU, PIDF and UNOSSC agreed to:

Share analysis and information on the contribution of South-South Cooperation towards sustainable development, with a focus on analysis and information relevant to PIDF member stakeholders;

Jointly identify and explore scaling-up programs that work towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the SAMOA pathway, and other relevant frameworks;

Support PIDF member stakeholders to share their experience of South-South cooperation such as best practices, development solutions, and innovative projects towards achieving sustainable development, including through joint publications, events, workshops, and other forums, as appropriate;

Contribute to the Southern Climate Partnership Incubator (SCPI) initiative, as appropriate.

South-South in Action Publication

PIDF and the UNOSCC published a South-South in Action publication featuring PIDF and its work.

In the Foreword to the publication, Mr Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation said,

“From the time that the Pacific Islands Development Forum was introduced to the Global South at the South-South Development Expo in 2016, it has been one of the most active and visible regional cooperation institutions. It has taken great strides in expressing its understanding of the aspirations of the Small Island Developing States of the Pacific. As one of the newest regional co-operation institutions, the PIDF came into being during the upsurge of South-South and triangular cooperation. Its foundation, strategy and initiatives have reflected a loud South-South voice. Furthermore, I have been impressed at its application of knowledge and how it draws on South-South and triangular partnerships to accelerate its programme of work.”

The publication was launched in the Pacific at the Consultation on South-South Cooperation in March 2019.

It can be downloaded here.

Pacific Consultation on South-South Cooperation

In March 2019, PIDF hosted a Pacific Consultation between the UNOSSC and PIDF members at a workshop themed “Role of South-South cooperation and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Challenges and Opportunities.”

The themes and issues discussed at the Pacific Consultation on South-South Cooperation aligns with the theme of the BAPA+40 Conference “Role of South-South cooperation and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: challenges and opportunities” under the following four areas:

(i.) Trends and diversity of South-South cooperation landscape in the Pacific –turning challenges into opportunities, comparative advantages and opportunities of South-South cooperation and sharing of experiences, best practices and success stories from the Pacific;

(ii.) Institutional framework of South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation –experiences, good practices and the way forward;

(iii.) Modalities to strengthen regional and sub-regional cooperation through South-South and triangular cooperation for sustainable development;

(iv.) Scaling up the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in support of South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation through multi-stakeholder partnership: the Role of the United Nations Development System, regional organisations, private sector and civil society organisations.

The full report of the consultation can be accessed here.