New York – 25 August 2015

Delivered by H.E Mr. Denis G. Antoine, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the UN on behalf of President Kutesa

Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to join you today and to deliver a statement on behalf of the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Sam Kutesa.

Let me begin by extending my appreciation to the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, H.E. Abdulkalam Momen for his leadership of the General Assembly High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, the UN Office for South-South Cooperation and its Global South-South Development Expo Secretariat, UN system institutions and other partners for organizing this timely event.

I would also like to thank the Government of China, Macau Special Administrative Region, and the SKIG Foundation for hosting this Strategy Forum.

As I look around, I am pleased to see the broad array of stakeholders gathered here – North and South, public and private. Your presence is a concrete expression of a growing impetus for a renewed Global Partnership for sustainable development.

Over the last fifteen years, we have seen significant progress in developing countries towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Over one billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty, and access to education, health services, water and sanitation, among other areas, continues to improve. Solutions and strategies, including those originating from the South, have helped deliver lasting results around the world. But, as we know, progress has been uneven and much more remains to be done.

I am glad that three weeks ago, the negotiations on the outcome document for the Post-2015 Development Agenda were concluded, and an outcome document entitled, “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was agreed by consensus. It is a truly an ambitious and transformative agenda with the core objectives of eradicating poverty, improving people’s livelihoods everywhere, and achieving sustainable development.

Together with the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which took place on July 16, we all look forward to implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, to be adopted by world leaders next month in New York.

We need a renewed global partnership for development in which the needs of developing countries are given due priority. Some of the major challenges of developing countries include improving their infrastructure especially energy and transport, enhancing their productive capacities, and access to technology.
This strategy forum should consider ways in which support for South-South and triangular cooperation could be scaled up. In the context of the post-2015 development agenda, we have to effectively implement the measures and deliverables in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda such as the proposed new infrastructure forum, the technology facilitation mechanism, and initiatives towards scaling-up access to long-term and concessional financing for critical projects.

Over the last decade, South-South cooperation, trade and investment has grown exponentially. According to estimates, South-South concessional loans, grants and technical cooperation reached between $16.1 billion and $19 billion in 2011.

In this regard, continued and improved flow of ideas, knowledge and resources between Southern countries will provide an important complementary contribution towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Innovative forms of cooperation and assistance among developing countries are emerging and relationships within the South have taken on entirely new dimensions.

South-South cooperation has become an increasingly important category of voluntary intergovernmental assistance. By fostering exchanges of knowledge, skills, and expertise among countries of the global South, these cooperation models can make effective contributions towards sustainable development.

From infrastructure development, to health, education and the protection of the environment, developing countries often face similar challenges. They can share time-tested solutions and experiences, which are grounded in local realities and can easily be adapted to national circumstances.

South-South cooperation is a concrete expression of solidarity among peoples and countries of the South, guided by the principles of respect for national sovereignty, ownership, equality, non-conditionality and mutual benefit.

These distinctive characteristics underpin South-South Cooperation. As we witness a growing interest from countries in the North to engage in triangular cooperation, it is essential to preserve these principles. Indeed, these are important steps to take to foster strengthened global partnership, including in the spirit of the new global development agenda.

Excellencies,

Recent initiatives, such as the BRICS Development Bank and the Asia Infrastructure Development Bank, demonstrate that South-South cooperation can provide tangible results in many different areas.

This High-level Multi-stakeholders Strategy Forum is a timely opportunity to review, consolidate, and enhance existing instruments and institutional arrangements. We need to build a more self-sustaining global South-South support architecture that addresses global and regional challenges. As we seek to strengthen support for existing initiatives, it is important to ensure that they are inclusive and their benefits and impacts are equitable.

I call on the United Nations system and development partners to stand firmly behind the South-South agenda – as a complement to traditional development cooperation. United Nations facilitation can enable South-South cooperation to be more effective and impactful.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am confident that your deliberations today will contribute to a long-term vision for South-South cooperation. The task ahead of us is massive and will require commitment by all actors.

I thank you for your kind attention.