Shift to south-south cooperation in developmental aid

On Tuesday 31 May, a high-level conference entitled “Organising Inclusive Ownership — The EU's Structured Dialogue to strengthen cooperation with Non State Actors in the South” took place in the European Parliament. The conference, hosted by MEP Thijs Berman, brought together Costa Rican Foreign Minister René Castro, the Director of Direction F ‘Thematic operations’ of the EuropeAid Development and Cooperation, Aristotelis Bouratsis, members of the European Parliament and senior representatives from Non Governmental Organizations.

During the conference, the partnership for South-South Cooperation on Sustainable Development between Benin, Bhutan and Costa Rica was presented. The added values of South South cooperation in development cooperation were highlighted within the context of the European Union’s Structured Dialogue that aims to increase the effectiveness of all stakeholders involved in EU development cooperation.

Mirjam van Reisen, Professor at Tilburg University and Director of Europe External Policy Advisors EEPA, stated “Given the global character of today’s challenges it is time that the EU, as a leader in promoting aid effectiveness, supports South-South cooperation instead of just focusing on bilateral aid. South-South cooperation ensures that developing countries are equal partners in their own development and creates joint global responsibility for global problems”.

Partners in South-South Cooperation has focused its efforts on four components of sustainable development: economic development, social development, environmental protection and gender equity, four pillars that uphold one another.

In its wide range of projects, including conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, sustainable tourism, sustainable agriculture, and development of low-cost renewable technologies, global thinking has been translated into local performance by the people of three countries on three different continents.

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