South-South Cooperation

Speech Excerpt of Mwalimu Nyerere at SC 2nd Council of Representatives Meeting, 21 September 1998

Excerpt from the Speech by Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere at the Opening Ceremony of the Second Meeting of the Council of Representatives of the South Centre in New York

21st September 1998

“If we in the developing countries are to shape our own destiny, and participate fully in shaping the future and the nature of the world in which we live, we have to have an effective voice.  But we will not have that effective voice if we do not work together, at least in some areas of vital concern to all of us.  Together we can reduce our separate weaknesses.  Acting together we can become stronger; we can gain at least some more influence in the world.”

(more…)

Research Paper 218, 12 June 2025

Winds of Change: The BRICS Club of Nations Chipping Away at Western Dominance

 The Dawn of the New South

By Len Ishmael, PhD

This era of polycrises, a global health pandemic coupled with wars in Europe and the Middle East, against the backdrop of Great Power rivalry and climate related emergencies, has profoundly affected all countries, rich and poor alike. Disproportionately affected have been those of the Global South for whom the World Bank has cautioned a ‘decade of lost development.’ As rising geopolitical tensions fuel security concerns, the nature of economic ties between countries is changing. Several countries – spearheaded by BRICS members – have started to consider alternatives to the Western financial institutional architecture in a bid to safeguard their own interests. These measures risk fragmenting the existing global financial infrastructure and derailing benefits derived from decades of economic integration in the face of new barriers to cross border investment, commerce, and trade. Recent research shows that trade restrictions have more than tripled since 2019, financial sanctions have expanded and the geopolitical risk index has also spiked, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After decades of accepting the West’s rules, there is a sense that the era of the Global South is dawning, and that Western interests are no longer de facto those of the rest of the world. It is in this milieu that the BRICS and their initiatives take on heightened economic and political significance.

(more…)

SC and Cuba Side Event for WHA78, 20 May 2025

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.

(more…)

Chair’s Statement to 25th Council Meeting, 8 May 2025

Statement of President Mbeki under the Council Agenda Item 5

8 May 2025

Pres. Thabo Mbeki, Chair of the South Centre Board, thanked the Centre for continuing to work for the adoption of frameworks, rules & policies that promote the common interest of the Global South. He also called on Member States to address structural asymmetries & support efforts to achieve SDGs, as well as to ensure the Centre’s sustainability. In commemoration of the South Centre’s 30th anniversary this year, he also expressed that the Centre is proud to have preserved the values and have worked hard to make a reality the visions and aspirations of the founders of the Centre, led by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, one of the great leaders of the Global South.

(more…)

Pres. Mandela’s Address to 2nd SC Council, 21 September 1998

Address by President Nelson Mandela at the opening session of the South Centre’s Council of Representatives

New York, 21 September 1998

As the premier source of research on issues affecting the South, and growing out of the work and experience of the South Commission, the Centre plays a role whose value for the developing world cannot be underestimated…

…it is indeed a great privilege for me to express our gratitude to Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and all the other pioneers of the South Centre. I hope that we in the NAM and G77 plus China will redouble our efforts to support the South Centre so that it in turn helps us achieve our objective of over coming poverty and promoting peace.

(more…)

SC Statement at the Council of the Global South Research Center, 28 March 2025

Statement of Carlos Correa, Executive Director of the South Centre, on occasion of the Council of the Global South Research Center

Beijing, March 28th, 2025

We welcome the creation of the Global South Research Center with the Secretariat of the Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD), and look forward to the opportunities to cooperate on themes of particular relevance for the Global South.

(more…)

South Centre 30th Anniversary

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.

(more…)

SouthViews No. 285, 28 March 2025

Advancing International Cooperation under the Global Digital Compact

By Danish

Bridging the global digital divide in new and emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, will require developing countries to strongly leverage international cooperation to build digital skills, knowledge and gain access to these technologies which can accelerate their digital transformation and sustainable development. This emphasis on international cooperation is also deeply embedded in the Global Digital Compact, which was adopted as part of the Pact for the Future. This paper therefore looks at how international cooperation modalities have been included in the GDC across the different issue areas, how developing countries are already engaging with the GDC through their national initiatives, and provides some useful considerations going forward.

(more…)

SouthViews No. 277, 21 November 2024

60 years of Contribution of the Group of 77 and China to Global South Coalition in International Development and Politics

By Yuefen Li and Danish

The New York Chapter of the Group of 77 and China (G77 and China) commemorated its 60th Anniversary on 25 October 2024 in New York. This document is based on the presentation made by Prof. Yuefen Li, Senior Advisor on South-South Cooperation and Development Finance at the South Centre, as part of the panel discussion held at the commemoration on the theme of “60 years of Contribution of the Group of 77 and China to Global South Coalition in International Development and Politics”.

(more…)