United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation

This United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation comes at the end of a dramatic year marked by popular protests against inequality, indignity and oppression.

South-South cooperation can help us meet the shared challenge of creating a more equal and sustainable world.

At the recent Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Busan, the Republic of Korea, participants agreed that South-South cooperation is a critical development tool to further equality within and among countries. This year's Global South-South Development Expo in Rome also underscored the value of such collaboration in addressing the problem of hunger.

I welcome the increasing role that South-South cooperation plays in today's complex international development architecture.  South-South cooperation takes many forms and provides diverse resources for development. I encourage emerging economies that have traditionally been recipients of aid to step up their engagement and become greater providers.

South-South cooperation can achieve results on the ground in ways that traditional development assistance may not because of countries' geographical proximity, cultural and historical ties, or similar development paths.  States that have paved the way for their own development in the last decade or two have much to share, especially in terms of expertise and experience, with those currently facing similar challenges.

On this Day, let us reaffirm the value of South-South cooperation. When countries, multilateral agencies and other partners work together throughout the South to pool know-how, exchange ideas and coordinate policies, they unleash a creative force that furthers our development efforts and helps us build the future we want.

Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General
United Nations