Who We Are

Mandate

Following the mandate emanating from BAPA Recommendation 34, UN General Assembly resolution 33/144 of 19 December 1978 (subsequently elaborated by the HLC and the UNDP Executive Board), charged the Special Unit with:

  • Coordinating the activities of UNDP in the field of South-South cooperation with those of the participating and executing agencies, as well as with regional commissions;
  • Preparing modifications in the policies, rules and procedures of UNDP, in accordance with relevant decisions of the General Assembly and the UNDP Executive Board, in order to improve capacity to implement South-South cooperation initiatives and assist, at their request, other UN organs and organizations in this regard;
  • Assisting governments to undertake South-South cooperation programmes and activities, in order to achieve the objectives of South-South cooperation;
  • Developing new ideas, concepts and approaches for promoting technical cooperation among developing countries, and for this purpose, arranging for the necessary studies and analyses to be undertaken and submitted to the governments for consideration and approval in the HLC; Expanding, strengthening and promoting the efficient use of the Web of Information for Development (WIDE, previously known as INRES or information referral system) and establishing appropriate linkages with national and regional information systems and focal points;
  • Generating financial and other support for South-South cooperation activities; and
  • Servicing the HLC by preparing progress reports on the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for HLC consideration. This mandate of the Special Unit involves two sets of functions:
    1. As the secretariat of the HLC; and
    2. As the UNDP and UN system-wide organizer, mobilizer and coordinator of South-South cooperation.

The governing body of the Special Unit is the HLC, comprised of representatives of all countries participating in UNDP. The Special Unit has reported to HLC biennially since 1980. The Unit also reports to the Executive Board of UNDP and the General Assembly annually, preparing all substantive reports and providing support to the office of the chairman of the Group of 77 and China. In addition, the Special Unit coordinates the system of national South- South focal points and organizes the annual United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation (19 December).

South-South Cooperation: The Making of a History

1964

 The Special Unit for South-South Cooperation stems from the 1955 Bandung Conference of Non-Aligned Nations held in India that was subsequently re-named the Group of 77. In 1964, the idea of economic cooperation among developing countries resulted in the establishment of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

1972

 During the early 70s, United Nations agencies started to realize that countries of the global South share similar ecosystems and social conditions. This brought forward the idea that these countries might better be able to find common solutions to a variety of problems rather than strictly adhere to Northern models. With this in mind, the Special Unit for Technical Cooperation Among Developing Countries (TCDC) was created in 1972 to serve as the General Assembly's Working Group as it reports to both the United Nations General Assembly, the Executive Board of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Population Fund.

1978

 A conference on technical cooperation among the global South was held in Buenos Aires in 1978, resulting in the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA). It identified 15 focal areas for TCDC and stipulated that it pay special attention to the least developed, the landlocked, and small island developing states.

1980

 In 1980, the members of this Group became established as a High-Level Committee of the Assembly that meets biennially to monitor the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action.

2004

 TCDC has a new name: The Special Unit for South-South Cooperation (SU/SSC). The new name reflects a new shift of focus: from technical cooperation to include economical cooperation. The decision to change the name was adopted by the High-level Committee at its thirteenth session in May 2003 (decision 13/2) and endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 58/220 on 19 February 2004.

2005

 Over the last decade, a silent revolution has taken place among such fast-track performers as Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Thailand. The 2005 G-8 meeting at Gleneagles, Scotland underscored this new geography of trade, investment and intellectual relations. Flanking the G-8 heads of government stood the leaders of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa: a tacit acknowledgement that even with increased Northern commitments of official development assistance (ODA) and enhanced debt cancellation, the MDGs cannot be met without burgeoning South-South interactions and assistance.