During the Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development in Beijing,China, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, participated in the high-level session on “Promoting Modernization of the Global South: New Pathways, New Visions,” which was organized by the Chinese International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA)&United Nations Office for South South Cooperation&University of International Business&Economics (UIBE).
This session included the participation of the Chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) Luo Zhaohui, UIBE representative Huang Baoyin, Pakistan’s Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives H.E. Chaudhary Ahsan Iqbal, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Associate Vice President Donal Brown, Executive Director of the South Center Carlos Maria Correa, and OECD Director of the Development Cooperation Directorate Maria del Pilar Garrido Gonzalo.
At the beginning of her speech, Al-Mashat said, “It is a pleasure to be back here at the second edition of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development which builds on the successful outcomes of the first edition which we attended together in July 2023. Our forum today convenes at a timely juncture recognizing the importance of collaborative action towards creating growing global momentum around South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), as one of the key mechanisms needed to stimulate economic recovery in developing and emerging economies and accelerate the implementation of the SDGs.”
Al-Mashat explained that the concept of South-South Cooperation has developed significantly since 1955, as it is considered a broad framework for cooperation between the countries of the South in various fields, which enhances bridging technological and knowledge gaps, and plays a complementary role to cooperation between the countries of the North and the South.
H.E. added that the challenging crises that the world has faced since 2020 prove that knowledge is crucial for developing effective institutions, building capabilities, and finding sustainable solutions to achieve growth and equality, especially since South-South cooperation is based on principles of national sovereignty, self determination, equity and non conditionality. These principles inevitably enhance the implementation of national goals.
H.E. pointed out that South-South Cooperation enhances self-reliance in terms of enhancing developing countries’ creative capacity to find solutions to their development problems;
improves communications among developing countries, leading to greater awareness of common problems and wider access to available knowledge and experiences; higher participation in international economic activities helps expand international cooperation for development; strengthens the capacity of developing countries helps identify and jointly analyze their main development issues and formulate the requisite strategies to address them; and increases exchange since achieving the SDGs by enhancing productive capacity, facilitating trade and investment, and exchanging technologies and best practices that are suitable for the global south.
H.E. stressed that the countries of the South have realized the importance of finding new and innovative ways to address common challenges, to explore and build a more prosperous and resilient future. It also presents a model for global partnerships that is based on greater national and collective self-reliance, while prioritizing transparency and accountability.
Al-Mashat also noted Egypt’s commitment to South-South and Triangular Cooperation, especially with other African countries, is driven by the belief that nations with similar economic and social circumstances are better positioned to foster cooperation among themselves. This is achieved by sharing successful policies and best practices that have demonstrated effectiveness within their respective contexts.
The Minister highlighted that the Ministry launched Egypt’s strategy of the South-South and Triangular Economic cooperation in May 2023, reflecting our commitment to play a more active role in promoting knowledge exchange amongst countries of the south, capitalizing on the successful development experiences with development partners.
Al-Mashat highlighted the measures taken by the Ministry from 2021 to 2024, to strengthen South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation, including the relaunch of the South-South Cooperation Development Academy in Egypt, in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), aiming to be he first integrated entity in the Middle East and Africa as part of the Global Development Academy for South-South Cooperation; working closely on activating its role in promoting knowledge exchange, showcasing the successful development experiences.
Furthermore, leveraging our strategic partnerships, the Ministry managed to host knowledge sharing workshops with the participation of African officials in Cairo, with the aim to exchange successful practices and policies in fields like mainstreaming Climate Adaptation into Cooperation Policies and Enhancing Private Sector Engagement in Adaptation, in coordination with a number of strategic development partners.
Minister elaborated that Egypt will spare no efforts in supporting and pushing forward the cooperation among the countries of the south not only as a prominent emerging economy in the MENA region but also as the chair of NEPAD till 2025, adding that South South and Triangular Cooperation in Africa could be a key enabler for industrial development, as it has the potential to provide complementary support to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by bringing knowledge, capacity, finance, and technology together. This could foster African efforts in enhancing resilience, expanding markets, facilitating access to essential goods and services, and increasing productivity.
Moreover, the Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation explained that digital transformation is one of the main areas of South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation between China and African countries, as it enhances the exchange of knowledge and experiences, in areas such as e-commerce, e-government, and building smart cities. This will also be reflected in the creation of unique opportunities within the African continent that will enhance regional integration as well as intra-trade, and thus strengthen regional value chains.
H.E. stressed that the forum and the Egyptian-Chinese Comprehensive Partnership represents a great opportunity not only to reaffirm our commitment to South-South and Triangular Cooperation but also to create constructive dialogues to explore the potential of implementing projects and initiatives to address the needs of our peoples.
Al-Mashat highlighted the speech of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic, where he said: “Cooperation among developing countries must play a bigger role within the international economic system through utilizing regional and international frameworks to endorse this cooperation especially with regards to food security, climate change, public health, education and infrastructure”.
In the same context, His Excellency president Xi Jinping described South-South cooperation “As the overall strength of developing nations improves, the South-South cooperation is set to play a bigger role in promoting the collective rise of developing countries and generating a robust, sustained, balanced and inclusive growth of the world economy”.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Planning and Economic Development – Egypt.