Statement by South Centre at the Ministerial Meeting on Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance and Innovation for Sustainable Development (G20 Task Force)
30 September 2025, Cape Town
The South Centre welcomes the G20’s effort to advance meaningful participation of developing countries in shaping a fair, safe, secure, responsible, inclusive, ethical, trustworthy, and sustainable global AI landscape. Data governance is a foundation for equitable AI. Countries are entitled to develop and adopt regulatory frameworks for AI systems, including to reflect diverse knowledge systems and fair remuneration for data contributions.
International Day of Science, Technology and Innovation for the South
September 16, 2025
Dr. Carlos Correa, South Centre Executive Director, highlighted the transformative role of S&T. He also noted that despite the enormous historical North-South asymmetry in the capacity to generate S&T, developing countries’ share of global R&D has increased steadily in the last two decades, while many countries still invest less than 1% of their GDP in R&D.
South Centre Statement during the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
General Debate under Item 3
Geneva, 19 September 2025
At the 60th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC60), the South Centre delivered a statement welcoming the crucial update to the technical guidance on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity.
We are encouraged that the guidance moves beyond technical corrections to address the deep-seated root causes of why women and girls still die during childbirth. In our statement, we highlighted several key advancements:
🔹 An Intersectional Approach: The guidance rightfully identifies structural racism and discrimination as fundamental factors, providing a strong basis for targeted interventions.
🔹 A “Human Rights Economy” Framework: It broadens accountability to international financial institutions and corporations, emphasising that the global financial architecture—including sovereign debt, austerity measures, and healthcare privatisation—must be reformed to prioritise human rights.
🔹 Accountability and Reparations: The call for independent accountability mechanisms and a reparation fund for victims correctly reframes preventable maternal deaths from unfortunate accidents to serious injustices requiring systemic solutions.
These principles are intrinsically linked to the realisation of the Right to Development. A global environment that respects this right is essential for funding public health and creating societies where women and girls can thrive.
The challenge now is implementation. We call on all states, international financial institutions, and partners to fully fund and realise this new, rights-based and justice-oriented guidance.
Financial Support for Civil Society Advocacy during World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025
The South Centre invites applications from civil society organizations and research institutions from developing countries for limited financial funding (maximum 2000 USD) to design and launch or extend impactful advocacy campaigns that engage local government, communities, stakeholders and media to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The scope of the campaigns can be human health, the human-animal interface, use of antimicrobials in food production systems, the role of the environment in the transmission and spread of AMR.
The campaigns should take place during the World AMR Awareness Week 2025. The theme for the World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025 is “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future”. This year’s WAAW will take place from 18–24 November 2025.
To apply for funding, please complete the application form below and send it to Ms. Caroline Ngome Eneme at ngomeeneme@southcentre.int by 20 September 2025. In case you need more space to provide information on your project, please attach it in a separate document. Any questions about this call can also be sent to this email address.
The selection result will be announced by 15 October 2025.
Intervention by Carlos Correa at the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum, Kunming, 6 September 2025
We were pleased to speak at the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum on the increased weight of the Global South in the world economy and the need for a more assertive role in shaping a more inclusive and fairer international order.
Country-Level Revenue Estimates – A Comparative Analysis of UN and OECD Subject to Tax Rules for 65 Member States of the G-24 and South Centre
Washington and Geneva, 23 July 2025
The South Centre & Group of Twenty-four today jointly released country-level revenue estimates of the UN & OECD Subject to Tax Rule (STTR) for their 65 combined Member States.
Results show higher revenues from UN STTR, and reinforce benefits of a UN Tax Convention.
South Centre Statement to the 66th WIPO Assemblies
July 2025
At the WIPO Assemblies, the South Centre calls for a balanced IP regime that supports development, links to the SDGs, and preserves national policy space. We back the GRATK Treaty, TK & TCE negotiations, and a Development Acceleration Fund.
Domestic Revenue Mobilisation at the Heart of Sustainable Development: the Seville Declaration
Side-event at the Fourth Financing for Development Conference (FFD4), co-hosted by the South Centre, EU Commission, Germany and Nigeria
High Level Statement by Dr. Carlos Correa, Executive Director of the South Centre
Addis Tax Initiative (ATI) member the South Centre co-organized an event with fellow members the EU Commission, Nigeria and Germany at FFD4 on ‘Domestic Revenue Mobilisation at the Heart of Sustainable Development: the Seville Declaration’. Here are the remarks of Dr. Carlos Correa, Executive Director of the South Centre at the event.
South Centre Statement on the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development
Seville, Spain, 30 June – 3 July 2025
The international financial architecture continues to reflect a global order that existed eight decades ago. An urgent, comprehensive reform is needed to make such order responsive to the financing needs of developing countries in the 21st century.
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.”
