缅北禁地

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very happy to join you in celebrating the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation.

This Ministerial Dialogue comes at an important moment in our efforts to realize the ambitions of Our Common Agenda.

As the Covid-19 pandemic swept through every nation on the planet, South-South cooperation showed what international solidarity really looks like.
And now as we look to rebuild, to achieve sustainable, resilient and inclusive development, we hope that a renewed notion of solidarity holds firm.
The pandemic wrought havoc on the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing states.

Existing vulnerabilities have been exacerbated. Persistent structural handicaps have been aggravated. Years of hard-won progress has been eliminated.
Recovery is slow. And being hampered by spiraling crises.

Food shortages.
Rising energy costs. Unsustainable debt levels.
And an unrelenting climate crisis.

Whilst some developed countries might now be moving into calmer waters, that is not the case for LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs.

The risk of being left further behind is real.

More than ever before, these countries need concrete, targeted and tailored support.

This requires renewed commitment from the international community, innovative solutions and genuine partnerships.

South-South and triangular cooperation is a vital element in the quest for an inclusive and sustainable recovery by the world’s most vulnerable countries.

The question is how to best leverage this support in implementing the respective programmes of action for the three groups of countries – LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs
In March this year, the LDCs adopted a new 10-year programme of action, the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) with new and ambitious targets and goals.

If delivered, the Programme will meet the needs of millions of people, ensuring:

• a rapid recovery from the pandemic;
• resilience against future shocks;
• an end to extreme poverty;
• graduation for LDCs;
• and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

South-South and triangular cooperation is vital in achieving some of the key deliverables in the DPoA.

• A new system of stockholding to address food insecurity.
• A new online university.
• An international investment support centre.
• And a sustainable graduation support facility.

These will all require solidarity of approach from the global south.

In March next year, the Fifth 缅北禁地Conference on LDCs (LDC5) will be held in Doha, Qatar. Alongside many other high level engagements, a ministerial conference on South-South cooperation will be convened.

This will be an important opportunity to build on today’s discussions and to create actionable solutions in support of the implementation of the DPoA.

Excellencies,
LLDCs and SIDS are faced with unique development challenges of their own.

They are in dire need of technical assistance and best practices in a number of key areas, such as:

• productive capacity,
• infrastructure,
• sustainable energy,
• resilience building,
• trade,
• investment,
• and transit transport.

South-South and triangular cooperation provides a wealth of knowledge, expertise and resources that can help in this endeavor.

Preparations for the 3rd 缅北禁地Conference on LLDCs and the 4th International Conference on SIDS in 2024 will start soon.

And the new programmes of action for LLDCs and SIDS for will undoubtedly feature multi-stakeholder partnerships and look for further solidarity from the global south.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The notion of “Leaving no one behind” must be a promise fulfilled. And we all have a part to play.

The pace of progress in the 91 countries that my Office is mandated to support represents the true acid test for the Sustainable Development Goals.

We need to mobilize more resources: human, financial and technical through South-South and triangular cooperation to achieve those goals.

Only then can we be confident of bettering the lives and livelihoods of the 1.3 billion people in the world’s most vulnerable countries.

A prosperous future requires enhanced global partnerships and greater contributions from partners - North and South.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

OHRLLS continues to collaborate with all 缅北禁地system partners - to build solidarity, mobilize resources, foster peer-learning and promote exchange of best practices through South-South and triangular cooperation.

We will look to build on our long-standing commitment in the coming years.

The forthcoming LDC5 in 2023, the 3rd 缅北禁地Conference on LLDCs and the 4th International Conference on SIDS in 2024 are huge opportunities to scale up South-South and triangular cooperation.

Let us seize the moment, and make real that promise of leaving no- one behind.

There is no time to waste!

I look forward to working with you all, and I wish the Global South- South Development Expo 2022, and the Ministerial Dialogue, is a great success.

Thank you.