Reform of the International Debt Architecture: A Developing Country Perspective on Credit Rating Agencies and Financing for Sustainable Development
FfD4 Side Event Co-Organized by IDEAs and South Centre
2 July 2025, 12:30 – 14:00, Room Side Event 17,
FIBES Sevilla Exhibition & Conference Centre, Seville, Spain
Upholding health equity:
Access to medical products and reproductive rights
Side Event to the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council
23 June 2025
12:00 to 13:00
Room XXVII, Palais de Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
The pursuit of health equity, encompassing fair and just opportunities for all to achieve their full health potential, remains a paramount global challenge. The right to health is a fundamental part of our human rights and of our understanding of a life in dignity. This event will explore the indivisible links between equitable access to medical products, the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and the strengthening of international cooperation as pillars for upholding this fundamental right for everyone, everywhere. The interconnectedness of these themes is central; they are not disparate issues but integral components of a holistic approach necessary to realise comprehensive health equity.
The side event is anticipated to significantly enhance participants’ understanding of the complex, intersecting challenges and opportunities in upholding health equity, particularly through improved access to medical products and the full realization of SRHR. The discussions aim to identify potential policy pathways, innovative approaches, and actionable strategies for key stakeholders to address existing inequities. Furthermore, a crucial outcome will be a reinforced commitment to multilateralism and collaborative action as essential tools for tackling global health challenges and advancing the right to health, with the dialogue contributing valuable insights to ongoing policy debates in relevant international fora, especially concerning the implementation of recent global agreements and agendas, while also strengthening networks and partnerships dedicated to health equity and human rights.
User Rights Symposium 2025: Principles for Progress in Digital Copyright
Geneva, Switzerland
16-18 June 2025
This year’s symposium will be hosted by PIJIP’s Geneva Center on Knowledge Governance and the South Centre, with collaborating partners IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), the Knowledge Rights 21 Project, COMMUNIA Association for the Public Domain.
American University’s Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property invites you to participate in this year’s annual meeting and Symposium of the Global Expert Network on Copyright User Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. The goal of this year’s symposium is to share research and deliberate over principles that guide protection of the public interest in the digital copyright issues WIPO is considering. We seek presentations of research and views on the following:
ReAct Africa-South Centre Annual Conference 2025:
From global to local action: Operationalising AMR commitments in Africa and beyond
11-12 June 2025
Lusaka, Zambia
The ReAct Africa-South Centre Annual Conference 2025 aims to translate these global and regional commitments into actionable strategies for local and national contexts in low- and middle-income countries; with a specific focus on Africa’s needs and priorities. It will serve as a platform for key stakeholders from, but not limited to governments at the regional, national and sub-national levels
A great variety of stakeholders will join the conference in Lusaka: International & regional organizations (Quadripartite organs – FAO, WHO, WOAH & UNEP; Africa CDC, ECSA-HC, etc.), public health professionals and health practitioners, civil society and community organizations, academia and research institutions, youth in AMR, faith sector, private sector leaders and innovators, media and communication experts.
South-South Cooperation to Address Health Challenges in the Caribbean. The Role of Medical Cooperation
Side Event organized by the South Centre and the Republic of Cuba during the World Health Assembly 2025
Date and Time: 20th May 2025, 6:00 – 7:30pm
Venue: South Centre (IEV II Conference Centre, Ground Floor, room Rhin, Chemin de Balexert 7/9, 1219 Geneva)
Within the framework of the World Health Assembly 2025, this side event, organized by Cuba, will bring together distinguished Ministers of Health from the Caribbean and Latin America to exchange experiences on the current challenges facing their health systems and the solutions implemented through South-South cooperation.
The panel will focus on how to strengthen South-South collaboration in the health sector, with the aim of building more resilient, equitable, and sustainable health systems in the Caribbean region.
This session will explore how collaboration between Caribbean and Latin American countries has contributed to strengthening regional health systems. Successful initiatives in medical training, professional exchange, and technical assistance will be highlighted. Additionally, innovative medical cooperation strategies that have improved access to and quality of health services for the most vulnerable populations will be discussed, consolidating an exemplary model of solidarity and mutual support.
The event will be conducted in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation into English.
Gender Intersectionality in Antimicrobial Resistance
Date & Time: 14 May 2025, 4PM CET Geneva time / 10AM EST / 2PM GMT
Key Discussion Points:
Side Event for 4th PrepCom for FFD4 on
COMBATTING ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS (IFFS) AND ENHANCING DOMESTIC RESOURCE MOBILISATION (DRM) FOR FINANCING DEVELOPMENT: A DECADE UNDER REVIEW
Hosted by the South African G20 Development Working Group and the South Centre, funded by the International Economic Partnership Programme
Date: 30 April 2025
Time: 13:15 to 14:30
Venue: Room CR-D United Nations Headquarters, New York
The side event focuses on the importance of reducing illicit financial flows (IFFs) and enhancing domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) to support the financing for development initiatives.
Advancing Women and Girls’ Health in a Time of Converging Crises
Date: 24 April 2025
Time: 14:30 to 16:30 PM
Venue: Maison de la Paix, Petal 2, Room S12, Eugène-Rigot 2, Geneva, Switzerland
The global community faces unprecedented challenges in realising the right to health for all. While progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) acknowledges the importance of gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), this progress is threatened by persistent inequalities, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating climate change impacts, ongoing conflicts, and socio-economic disparities. These converging crises disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, exacerbating marginalisation and hindering progress towards achieving universal health coverage, with particularly severe consequences for women and girls.
This briefing aims to provide a comprehensive overview of these challenges and propose concrete strategies to advance SRHR within international cooperation and the SDGs. The South Centre will host this briefing to foster policy dialogue on how States can fulfil their obligations to advance the right to health for all, with a central focus on SRHR.
Strengthening Antimicrobial Stewardship Policy: Insights from COVID-19 and Future Pandemic Preparedness
South Centre Webinar
Date: 14 April 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CEST | 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM EDT | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM IST
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
In this one-hour webinar, we will explore how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes and what lessons can strengthen future pandemic preparedness, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The First Meeting of the Council of Representatives of the Member States of the South Centre, 1995
The South Centre, an independent intergovernmental think tank of the Global South, was established by an Intergovernmental Agreement which came into force on 31 July 1995. This year, as the South Centre commemorates its 30th anniversary, we take a moment to reflect on the collective journey we have undertaken in advancing the interests of developing countries. Over the past three decades, the South Centre has had the opportunity to work alongside government officials and diplomats, academics, civil society, and development partners to champion South-South cooperation, equitable development, and a more just and inclusive global governance system. Our shared commitment to amplifying the voices of the Global South has aimed at shaping policies, strengthening capacities and fostering collaboration on critical global challenges relating to health, intellectual property, trade, finance for development, human rights, taxation, investment, and sustainable development amongst others.
South Centre Capacity Building Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks in National Action Plans on Antimicrobial Resistance
Date: 28 March 2025
Time: 4pm Geneva Time / 11am ET / 3pm GMT
This workshop will explore best practices for implementing National Action Plans on Antimicrobial Resistance and their corresponding Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks. Country-specific updates on NAP AMR progress will be shared, followed by a panel discussion with esteemed experts who will discuss strategies for guiding M&E targets and promoting accountability in NAP implementation.
Webinar: Advancing National Action Plans on AMR amidst Health Financing Challenges
20 March 2025; 12pm Geneva time/7am ET/ 11am GMT/ 8am Brazil time/1pm South Africa time/11am Ghana time
National Action Plans (NAPS) on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) are developed by countries based on their own strategic priorities. Countries are at various stages of implementation of plans. However, advancing NAPs on AMR faces many challenges, particularly due to the challenges of global health funding and domestic health financing. This webinar will feature experts that will discuss selected country experiences on NAP AMR implementation and reflect on how to address the health financing challenges that hinder NAP implementation and AMR mitigation efforts. What are the financing and resource allocation approaches that can support NAP implementation in the current context?
