SS Policy

This focus area offers a platform to support policy development and dialogue, and follow-up to
major intergovernmental conferences, with a particular emphasis on mainstreaming South-South
cooperation as a driver of development effectiveness.

The Evolution of Policy Making - Key Milestones

The concept of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC) has evolved since
its definition in the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, in 1975. The outcomes of the High Level
Committee (HLC) meetings since 1980 have guided the focus of our work. In the timeline
below, you can browse through the major resolutions and references of the history of policy
making for South-South Cooperation.

Year: Outcome Highlights: Related Resources:

XIV HLC Report of the High-level Committee

Endorsement of the 3rd Cooperation
2005 on South-South Cooperation A/60/39
Framework.
and List of Participants.

XIII HLC From TCDC to South-South Cooperation: HLC/TCDC 13/2

2003 the need to include ECDC on the
SU/TCDC agenda.

2001 • Defined five main objectives for Bridging knowledge and information
work focus. Consolidating South- gap is one of the five main objectives
South platform. of TCDC established by the Tehran
Consensus by the G-77.
• Building stronger South institutions
at the global level.
• Bridging the knowledge and
information gap.
• Building broad-based partnerships.
• Mobilizing global support for
South-South cooperation.

2001 • Greater collaboration and Report of the High-level Committee

coordination between United on South-South Cooperation Meeting
Nations Agencies Focal points is Minutes UN Inter-Agency Meeting
decided in an effort to promote final report, June 2001.
South-South cooperation.
• Decision to systematize the
documentation and dissemination
of successful practices of South-
South cooperation, strengthening
information systems and databases
 of the United Nations system.

XII HLC • Defined the need for: Catalyzing Report of the High-level Committee
2001 the development of the Least on South-South Cooperation
Developed Countries and their HLC/TCDC 12/5 final report
economic independence by
focusing TCDC projects on
reducing the technological gap.
• Increasing the awareness on the
Voluntary Trust Fund to attract
greater volume of resources.

XI HLC • Defined the need for: HLC

1999 enhances the concept that South-
South Cooperation should be
viewed as a complement, not a
substitute for North-South
Cooperation.
• The session also reiterated the
Buenos Aires Plan of Action
recommendation for giving priority
to the use of local capabilities and
expertise in developing countries or
the use of technical resources from
other developing countries.

X HLC • 1997 HLC proposes the revised Report of the High-level Committee
1997 Guidelines for the Review of on South-South Cooperation Report
Policies and Procedures concerning Meeting on TCDC Pivotal Countries
TCDC to be presented to the
United Nations General Assembly
in 1998, aiming at:
• Better incorporation of TCDC in
the United Nations agencies'
programs and projects in all aspects
of funding, focal points,
disseminating information, building
strategies etc.
• Promotion of triangular cooperation
and dissemination of best practices
in South-South technical and
economic cooperation.
1995 • Creation of a Voluntary Trust Fund
for South-South cooperation called
upon by the United Nations
General Assembly
• Endorsement of the TCDC new
directions Resolution 50/119
The Trust Fund for the promotion of
TCDC was established within the
UNDP. The first countries to
contribute to it were Japan, the
Republic of Korea and Ireland.

IX HLC • The "new directions" policy based TCDC new directions given by the
1995 on the new challenges facing the High Level Committee and endorsed
developing countries posed by the by the United Nations General
emerging economic order set: Assembly Concept of pivotal
Adoption of a more strategic countries. Preliminary study report
orientation for TCDC, focused on prepared by UNDP's TCDC.
high priority areas.
• Definition of a number of
developing countries as "pivotal
countries" or catalysts for the
promotion of regional and
interregional TCDC.
• Operational integration between
technical and economic cooperation
among developing countries.

ECOSOC Support from the ECOSOC to the Resolutions and Decisions adopted by
1992 development of TCDC. The ECOSOC the Economic and Social Council.
invites all of its parties to give "first
consideration to the use of the modality of
technical cooperation among developing
countries" to ensure that it gets more
widespread.

II HLC Definition of criteria for the design of HLC Decision on criteria for TCDC
1981 TCDC projects within the UNDP and other Projects Decision 2/9 dated June 7,
UN organizations - policies, rules and 1981.
procedures and sources of funding.

I HLC 1980 • Developing countries are invited to HLC decision on TCDC Focal Points,
create national focal points or other decision 1/1, 2 June 1980. Creation of
appropriate mechanisms to enhance the Focal Points concept - can be an
TCDC. individual, an inter-ministerial
committee, an agency.
• A national focal point - whether it
is an individual, an inter-ministerial
committee, a development agency -
has to be supported by the
 government to handle all TCDC
matters.

1980 • Creation of the "High Level Resolution 35/202 dated December

Committee on the review of 16, 1980
Technical Cooperation Among
Developing Countries" by the
United Nations general Assembly.
• The HLC should meet every two
years according to the Buenos
Aires Plan of Action.

1978 The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 33/134, December 19,
endorses Buenos Aires Plan of Action. 1978

1978 • Release of the Buenos Aires Plan Buenos Aires Plan of Action 38
of Action for promoting and recommendations
implementing TCDC.
• Defining TCDC’s focus on the
purpose of increasing the capacity
of the developing countries and
their awareness and confidence in
their capabilities.
• Reinforcement of the role of
UNDP's Special Unit for TCDC.

1974 • Creation of UNDP's Special Unit Resolution 3251(XXIX) (Part 1), (Part
for TCDC endorsed by the United 2), (Part 3)
Nations General Assembly.
• Beginning of the studies and
analyses focused on TCDC issues
and carried on within the United
Nations Development System and
on the interregional and national
levels.
High Level Committee

History

The governing body of the Special Unit is the High-Level Committee (HLC) on South-South
Cooperation (SSC), a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly (GA), comprised of
representatives of all countries participating in the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP). It originates from recommendation 37 of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for
promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC),
which was endorsed by General Assembly Resolution 33/134 of 19 December 1978.
After 1980 and 1981, the Committee, previously known as the High-level meeting on TCDC has
met biennially to undertake an overall intergovernmental review of technical cooperation among
developing countries (TCDC) within the United Nations development system. In its resolution
35/202 of 16 December 1980, the General Assembly decided to change the name of the high-
level meeting to “High-level Committee on the Review of Technical Cooperation among
Developing Countries” and requested the Administrator of UNDP to convene future sessions of
the Committee under the same organizational and procedural arrangements as had been made for
the high-level meeting.
In its resolution 58/220, the General Assembly decided to change the name of the Committee to
the “High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation”. The Committee retained its original
mandate and scope of its activities.

HLC/GA Secretariat

The Special Unit for South-South cooperation serves as the substantive Secretariat of the High-
level Committee. Functions:
General Assembly Resolution 35/202 of 16 December 1980 established that the functions of the
High-Level Committee will be the same as those outlined in recommendation 37 of the Buenos
Aires Plan of Action for promoting and Implementing Technical Co-operation among
Developing Countries:
a. Reviewing the progress made in implementing the tasks entrusted to the
United Nations development system by the Buenos Aires Plan of Action;
b. Ensuring that efforts to strengthen TCDC are sustained within the United
Nations development system;
c. Supporting new policies and innovative approaches to further the
development of TCDC;
d. Considering the availability of financial resources and their effective use by
the United Nations development system, without prejudice to existing
programmes;
e. Ensuring co-ordination of the promotional and operational TCDC activities of
the United Nations development system.

Organization of Sessions
The sessions of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation have followed the format
and working methods introduced at the eleventh session of the Committee, held in May 1999,
which include the following:
a. A half-day organizational meeting to be held not later than three weeks
before the biennial session of the Committee. The organizational meeting will
elect the Bureau of the Committee and adopt the provisional agenda and
programme of work;
b. A general debate on:
1. the review of progress made in implementing the Buenos Aires Plan of
Action, the new directions strategy for technical cooperation among
developing countries and the decisions of the High-level Committee;
2. the consideration of reports of the Administrator of the United Nations
Development Programme
The duration of the general debate will be limited to three plenary meetings and will conclude at
the end of the morning meeting of the second day of the session. More specifically:
i. A list of speakers will be opened at the headquarters of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), Special Unit for South-South Cooperation
usually a month before the meeting and closed the day before the opening
session;
ii. In accordance with the working methods of the Committee, statements in the
general debate will be limited to 8 minutes for representatives of member
States and 6 minutes for other participants. To ensure that this limit is
respected, the President will switch on the red light when the time limit is
reached;
iii. To save time, several States or groups of States sharing common positions
may wish to consider presenting joint statements. Delegations wishing to
have statements circulated to all participants are requested to provide 300
copies to the secretariat, which will arrange for their circulation in the
language or languages received;
iv. To make the debate interactive, the President may request the Director of
the Unit to respond, from time to time, as appropriate, to observations and
suggestions made by delegations during the debate and will subsequently
invite comments from the floor, either on the Director’s response or on the
issues raised in the statements of respective delegations;
v. A recent additional feature of the Committee’s deliberations is a thematic
discussion, including presentations by various experts on the selected theme.
This format is designed to stimulate interactive exchanges among
delegations and between delegations and the secretariat. The
recommendations emanating from the thematic discussion will also be
incorporated in the report of the Committee and, as appropriate, reflected in
its decisions;
vi. The session will be scheduled for a duration of four days prior to the annual
session of the Executive Board of the UNDP/United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA).
 vii. On the basis of the views and suggestions expressed during the debate, the
Working Group will meet as of the third working day of the session to
elaborate draft decisions and recommendations.

HLC/GA Bureau

Each session of the High-Level Committee is presided over by a president assisted by a bureau
that consists of members chosen from each of the regional groups.
Current officials of the High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation
• President:
H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Permanent Representative of the State of
Qatar to the United Nations

• Vice-Presidents:
Mr. Sergei Rachkov, Belarus
Mrs. Isabel C. Godinho, Angola
Mrs. Natalia Quintavalle, Italy

• Rapporteur:
Mr. Raymond Landveld, Suriname
View past officials of the High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation: here

Participation

Participants at the HLC include UN member states and observers, UN organizations and
agencies, as well as inter-governmental organizations (IGOs) and accredited non-governmental
organizations.

General Assembly
Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a
central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United
Nations. Comprising all 192 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for
multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter.
It also plays a significant role in the process of standard-setting and the codification of
international law. The Assembly meets in regular session intensively from September to
December each year, and thereafter as required.

ECOSOC
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was established under the United Nations Charter
as the principal organ to coordinate economic, social, and related work of the 14 UN specialized
agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions. The Council also receives
reports from 11 UN funds and programmes. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for
formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations
system.
UNDP/UNFPA EB
The Executive Board of UNDP and UNFPA, comprised of 36 members, was created by General
Assembly resolution 48/162 of 20 December 1993. The Executive Board superceded the 48-
member Governing Council on 1 January 1994.
The Executive Board is responsible for providing inter-governmental support to and supervision
of the activities of UNDP and UNFPA in accordance with the overall policy guidance of the
General Assembly and Economic and Social Council, and the responsibilities set out in the
United Nations Charter. It must also be responsive to the needs of programme countries. The
Board is under the authority of the Economic and Social Council.
General Assembly resolution 60/212 (2005) invited the HLC and the UNDP Executive Board to
consider measures to further strengthen the Special Unit within UNDP. Positioning the Unit as a
separate entity and a focal point for South-South cooperation in the UN system was intended to
enable it to carry out its full responsibilities, in particular through mobilization of resources for
the advancement of South- South cooperation.
The UNDP Executive Board decision presented in E/2004/35 (2004) stated that South-South
cooperation was to be considered a driver of development effectiveness and was to be
incorporated in the multi-year funding framework.
More recently, the Executive Board, in its decision 2007/32 (2007), reiterated that UNDP should
promote South-South cooperation by stepping up efforts to seek South-South solutions in all its
focus areas as a way to enhance exchange of best practices and support among developing
countries, regardless of their levels of development. It also required the UNDP Administrator, in
consultation with the Executive Board, to establish measurable targets for the Special Unit for
South-South Cooperation.
The Special Unit reports to the Executive Board of UNDP annually, preparing all substantive
reports which include the report of the Secretary-General on the State of South-South
Cooperation on 19 December of each year, as well as the report of the UNDP Administrator on
the implementation of the South-South Cooperation Framework every three years.
Group of 77
The Group of 77 was established on 15 June 1964 by seventy-seven developing countries
signatories of the "Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries" issued at the end of the
first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in
Geneva.
As the largest Third World coalition in the United Nations, the Group of 77 provides the means
for the developing world to articulate and promote its collective economic interests and enhance
its joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues in the United Nations
system, and promote economic and technical cooperation among developing countries.
Although the membership of the G-77 has increased to 133 countries, the original name was
retained because of its historic significance.