South-South cooperation was key to the world’s sustainable development and the fight against global warming said the United Nations Secretary-General, as the opening session of the Second UN Conference on South-South Cooperation got underway in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
António Guterres reminded top politicians, business and civil society leaders that the BAPA+40 conference, as it’s known for short, will enhance the ground breaking agenda laid out at the first conference 40 years earlier.
That conference adopted the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA).
He said the conference was an opportunity to recommit, develop and strengthen frameworks for South-South cooperation, between the developing countries of the Global South, as well as improve systems and tools, increase transparency, and strengthen accountability.
“BAPA transformed the dynamics of international cooperation”, the UN chief said.
“It highlighted the value of a different form of cooperation, based on the exchange of knowledge and appropriate technologies among nations facing similar development challenges”, he continued, adding that cooperation can enable developing countries to learn from each other and grow more quickly, close income gaps and build inclusive, resilient societies.
The UN chief underscored the main challenges that assembled leaders could help overcome, crucial in order to reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and the objectives of the 2015 UN sponsored Paris Agreement which commits countries to keep global warming to well below two degrees Celsius.
Firstly, there was rising inequality both between and within countries, eroding trust worldwide and deepening a sense of injustice.
Secondly, the climate change battle was only getting more intense, he said.
“2018 was the fourth hottest year on record and natural disasters are impacting nearly every region”, he said.
Mr Guterres went on to explain to member states that they must enhance nationally determined contributions by 2020, in line with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent over the next decade.
“South-South cooperation will be vital to ensure mutual support and exchange of best practices, to enhance adaptation and increase the resilience of developing countries and communities facing the devastating impacts of climate change. ”
“South-South Cooperation can also support the transformation of economies dependent on fossil fuels, with strategies that reinforce both sustainable development and environmental protection”, Mr Guterres added.
Third on the list, the need to improve infrastructure, especially in cities, as energy demands rise across the Global South:
“Some 60 per cent of the area that is expected to become urban by 2030, has yet to be built.
“If we get this wrong, we will lock ourselves into a high-emissions future with potentially catastrophic consequences”, the UN chief underscored.
Fourthly, the UN chief said that although there has been significant progress in achieving gender equality over the years, the gap was widening.
“This affects us all, because where women are better represented in politics, we see improved social protection and increased spending on development,” he noted.
Finally, he said international institutions needed to do work harder to support the countries represented in Buenos Aires: “South-South cooperation has evolved significantly over the last decades, but multilateral institutions, including the UN, have not kept up”, he said, adding that he was grateful to member states for acknowledging the role of the UN in the outcome document of the Conference.
Mr Guterres said that now is the time to take bold and transformative action.
“Together, we can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, beat climate change, and transform the lives of people around the world”, the UN chief concluded.
