On 20-22 March, the Second United Nations High Level Conference on South-South Cooperation will take place in Buenos Aires. Around 1,500 officials from the 193 member states of the UN, including presidents, foreign ministers, ministers, as well as senior authorities of international and regional organizations, will take part.
The multilateral conference is the most important global event on South-South Cooperation, and takes place 40 years after the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA), the first ever roadmap for technical cooperation established by developing countries.
Argentina is a global reference for technical cooperation, which is now a mainstay of South-South Cooperation and is based on the exchange of experiences and the transfer of knowledge with the aim of complementing national efforts on development and on strengthening nations’ capabilities.
Argentina is a leader in highly-skilled human capital and currently has over 165 cooperation projects with 40 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, in areas such as agribusiness, biotechnology, health, human rights, the environment and productive technology, amongst others.
Through technical cooperation with other developing countries to support them in generating capacities in different areas, Argentina maintains an active and permanent presence in large-scale dynamic global cooperation efforts.
- ARGENTINA’S LEADERSHIP & PRESENCE
Together with the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Buenos Aires in 2017 and the successful G20 Summit led by President Macri at the end of 2018, this the most important international conference on South-South Cooperation helps strengthen Argentina’s global integration and cement its relationship with countries worldwide, developing agendas and initiatives that generate real opportunities for beneficial exchanges.
- BACKGROUND
The notion of articulating new forms of cooperation among developing countries, including what we now call the South-South, began in the mid-1950s. The international meeting in Buenos Aires which led to the PABA 40 years ago was a key milestone for South-South cooperation and marked the beginning of a new strategy for developing countries to face the challenges of development, based on unconditional ties of solidarity and respectful of national priorities and interests.
- THEMES & OPPORTUNITIES
The conference is an opportunity to agree on a work plan based on the consensus reached within the framework of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and during the G20 on:
- Food sustainability
- Human resources training
- Technological change
- Climate change
- Gender equality
- Finance for development
- Inclusive business
This will be the only United Nations conference in the Latin American region taking place in 2019.
On the margins of the conference, Argentina will hold several bilateral and regional meetings with countries in Asia, the Caribbean and Africa, and will look to create opportunities for the productive sector, scientific institutions and civil society organizations through cooperation initiatives.
150 events side events will also be held on related topics.
