GSSD Expo 2018: Summary of the Second Day (Thursday, 29 Nov 2018)

DAILY SUMMARY – Thursday, 29 November 2018

Day 2 of the Global South-South Development Expo 2018 featured five more Thematic Solution Forums and side-events on the issues relevant to the South-South and triangular (SST) cooperation and the 2030 Agenda.

Thematic Solution Forum 6 focused on the role of SST cooperation in sustaining peace and promoting inclusive development. Moderated by UNOSCC, the panel included representatives from Colombia, Indonesia, JICA (Japan), IOM, PBSO, BRICS Policy Center and g7+. Some of the highlights from this forum include the following:

• The Government of Colombia is strongly committed to implementing SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions and to working together with other partners to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Notably, the Government created the platform called Saber Hacer Colombia which aims to share successful experiences through SST. It also established the Justice Houses program (Casa de Justicia) which allows citizens to resolve conflicts on a daily basis through conciliation and mediation. This experience can be replicated in other similar contexts.
• The Government of Indonesia shared the experience of its pilot project related to SST cooperation. The project implemented in partnership between Indonesia, Norway and UNDP is focused on peacebuilding in Indonesia and Timor-Leste through local economic development. The initiative seeks to solve conflicts in these two areas by creating cross-border economic exchanges among local communities and thus establish and maintain peace. It is expected that the project will be sustained by local government with support from the private sector.
• JICA has been active in supporting fragile and post-conflict countries through skills and institution building. In particular, JICA has provided capacity development in Cambodia’s Mine Action Centre which has now gained solid experience. Based on this successful case, JICA has expanded its support to Angola, Lao and Iraq within the framework of SST cooperation. Another project is related to water supply in Cambodia, and its experience has been shared with South Sudan through trainings. Furthermore, JICA also made effort in addressing violence against women through the program on capacity building in Afghanistan. Notably, it provided trainings and workshops on gender-based violence to local police officers. About 1,000 female police officers, which accounts for 30 percent of Afghan female police officers, have participated in the workshop. Turkey provided sound institutional support in this project.
• The Peace and Development Global South Thinkers Group is an initiative facilitated by UNOSSC that brings together researchers from Latin America, Africa and the Middle East aimed at learning (by investing in knowledge on peace and development and learning from methodologies, regional experiences and lessons in the South), doing (by enhancing multistakeholder partnerships in SSC initiatives and moving from “effectiveness” to “coherence”), and learning while doing (by mobilizing qualitative and quantitative analyses and encouraging Southern countries to work on cohesive discourse on their commitment to peace and development).

Thematic Solution Forum 7 discussed challenges, opportunities and lessons learnt from rural settings in the South. The session was organized by FAO, IFAD and WFP and featured a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests of the Republic of Sudan, and was moderated by General Secretary of g7+. Some of the key messages include the following:

• According to the FAO flagship report launched this year, the root cause of food insecurity is conflict, and building resilience is key to ending hunger and improving nutrition. In recent years, FAO has been working in Yemen, Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Colombia, supporting these countries to increase resilience. Notably, in Syria FAO has provided improved seeds in 16 provinces. Moreover, as part of the South-South cooperation FAO created a knowledge-sharing platform which provides information on tools, methodologies and analysis on resilience. It has also facilitated initiatives on fair share in regional organizations and supported documentation of good practices.
• The Republic of Sudan shared its experience working with FAO, IFAD and WFP in addressing fragility and improving resilience in rural areas. For example, FAO with EU technical and financial assistance supported Sudan in building capacity of rural communities thus aiming to strengthen the agricultural sector as an important foundation of food-secure Sudan. Support provided by IFAD in terms of technology, credit and finance has been instrumental to improving income and overall livelihoods of local communities. Bridging gaps between farmers and the market through construction of roads has also contributed to improving food security. A number of recent government initiatives, including the provision of direct resources to the production sector, have had great impact on stabilizing conflict areas. Civil society has been mentioned as a critical actor that should be valued in fragile areas.
• IFAD offered its perspective on fragility which is seen as a major challenge for achieving SDG 2 and the entire 2030 Agenda. It was reiterated that conflict is part of fragility, and women and children are disproportionately affected by conflict. At the institutional level, IFAD adopted a corporate policy on working in fragile contexts. It provides concessional loans and grants through the performance-based allocation system which has recently been refined to include vulnerability and fragility as its key components. In 2016, IFAD established a dedicated facility called FARMS (Facility for Refugees, Migrants, Forced Displacement and Rural Stability) aimed at helping people in fragile situations, notably in North and East Africa, to build sustainable and resilient livelihoods. With regard to South-South cooperation, it is important to increase exchanges of rural development solutions while addressing humanitarian and development challenges. Tackling hardships of rural populations requires, among others, building climate change adaption, introducing agricultural innovations, and transformation of good practices into effective national policies.
• The representative of WFP emphasized that providing humanitarian assistance is not sufficient to deal with devastating impacts of conflict on food security and nutrition. It is necessary to work before, during and after the crisis. Building resilience of local communities, including through enhancing their capacity, is essential. WFP has widened its portfolio through food-for-work programs so that local people can be better prepared for shocks. Social protection plays a critical role here and more investment in social protection schemes is needed. With regard to SST initiatives, Indonesia adopted a rapid response methodology; Philippines shared its emergency preparedness with other countries; Colombia and WFP worked together on a MoU to improve responses to disasters; Cuba developed a system for early earning and disaster preparedness which has been shared with Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Overall, the relationship between development, humanitarian and peace components should be strengthened through expanded partnerships and a more integrated agenda. The fragile-to-fragile cooperation is particularly noteworthy in this regard.

Thematic Solution Forum 8 brought attention to the role of private sector partnerships in strengthening inclusive and sustainable South-South cooperation. The session was organized by the Asia Foundation, UNOSSC (Asia-Pacific) and UNDESA, and sponsored by the Royal Thai Government and the Government of Singapore. It included representatives from the CJ Group (Republic of Korea), Mas Holdings (Sri Lanka), Siam Cement Group (Thailand), Yingke Law Firm (China) and UNDESA. Some of the highlights of this forum include:

• In their opening remarks, the Ambassadors of Thailand and Singapore to the United Nations highlighted the importance of multistakeholder collaborations including the private sector and provided some examples of national and regional initiatives. For example, in Thailand SMEs play a critical role in driving economic growth by bringing practical solutions to local communities. Singapore has provided trainings on project finances, and this year hosted the ASEAN Forum where respective leaders agreed to establish the ASEAN Smart Cities Network – a platform for cities within ASEAN countries aimed at enhancing cooperation and partnerships with private sector companies to address urban challenges.
• CJ Group decided to expand its corporate social responsibility work to the food area. Notably, in partnership with KOICA, Vietnam implemented rural community development and business development projects with a focus on food products such as red chili by transferring agricultural technology to Vietnam from Korea. It was underlined that rural development was a prerequisite for business development in the area.
• SCG has been engaged in sustainability work in Thailand and other countries in ASEAN. For example, it built cement plants in Thailand and Myanmar, with early investment lying at the core of its strategy. Notably, in Myanmar SCG dedicated 6 years prior to the conception of the project to learning the needs and values of local communities to ensure that they are met in the implementation phase. Moreover, increasingly more companies in Thailand are aligning with SDGs, thus showing the gradual shift of mindset in the private sector in which sustainability is becoming more relevant.
• Mas Holdings shared some results of its Women Go Beyond program which focuses on women’s economic empowerment in Sri Lanka and other countries in the region. Formally launched in 2003, the program is oriented towards career advancement beyond the traditionally female garment industry. In particular, it encourages women to become general managers and take technical assignments, while also providing skills trainings in mechanical and other jobs. The scheme proved to be instrumental to improving women’s income, breaking gender stereotypes, and increasing women’s knowledge and power to make informed choices. Based on their experience working in India, Bangladesh and Indonesia, Mas Holdings emphasized that understanding specific needs of each country is critical. As an example, one the first steps undertaken in Bangladesh was to provide women with nutritious meals to create a healthy and thus more productive workforce. In Indonesia, trainings on financial management were crucial for women to have financial security and economic stability.

Thematic Solution Forum 9 focused on discussing how green growth and sustainable cities can be promoted through SST cooperation. Moderated by UNIDO, the panel featured representatives from Bangladesh, Gambia, Central European Initiative, Port of Trieste and Port of Monfalcone, UNECE and Vienna Business Agency. Some of the key messages include:

• Central European Initiative – an intergovernmental forum in Trieste with 18 Member States aimed at strengthening regional cooperation for European integration and sustainable development – focuses on infrastructural development, technical innovation and scientific excellence. Trieste, along with Vienna, Shanghai and Chengdu, have been selected by UNIDO for the 3^rd Bridge for Cities event focused on urban-industrial development within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
• Vienna Business Agency shared its experience in maintaining Vienna as the world’s most livable cities. Among key success factors are high quality of living standards; safety; social, political and economic stability; strategic location; infrastructure and transport connectivity; cultural diversity and talent hub. Challenges include fast population growth; protection of natural resources; ageing population with implications for the healthcare system. The Smart City Strategy which lies at the core of Vienna’s urban planning and development sees citizens’ living quality as its priority. One of the major features of the Viennese model is social housing, with over 60 percent of apartments in Vienna being owned and subsidized by the city, which is key to social stability.
• As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Shanghai is promoted as a ‘smart city’ which hosts over 1,500 financial institutions and is considered to be a center of national innovation and entrepreneurship. Chengdu called a ‘park city’ is a center of logistics, commerce and technology in western China.
• Lord Mayor of Banjul in Gambia emphasized that the country and the City of Banjul in particular face major challenges in education and health especially among women and girls, infrastructural and informational development, and food insecurity. Banjul seeks private and public partnerships in terms resources and expertise. Productive employment especially in the manufacturing sector is key for expanding the country’s exports. It was further highlighted that enhancing competitiveness, improving infrastructure, and deploying new technology are necessary steps towards progress. Moreover, to empower women it is important to develop micro-finance programs that can enable women and their families to achieve better livelihoods. In conclusion, she encouraged the Government to integrate SDGs in its national plans and policies.
• UNECE informed about its framework of key performance indicators for smart and sustainable cities, which was applied in Armenia, Dubai and Morocco in cooperation with experts in the local community. Moreover, the Zhastar smart sustainable district pilot project in Astana (Kazakhstan), implemented in partnership between the Government, UN agencies and local authorities, also adopted integrated indicators to redevelop the district through a PPP approach. Ultimately, smart sustainable cities is about quality of life across economic, social, environmental and cultural dimensions, and SST multistakeholder cooperation is critical for building and maintaining such cities.
• Bangladesh shared its experience in establishing a wide range of projects which include the promotion of industrial infrastructure through construction works; apprenticeship programs and skills development for underserved communities; and experimentation with new technology for effective waste management. Bangladesh also made efforts in promoting green growth by, for example, partnering with P4G – a global initiative for green growth and global goals, and also introducing several initiatives such as biogas, energy efficient engagement programs and wind power plants. Moreover, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar economic corridor is a regional initiative implemented as part of the Belt and Road Initiative that represents an example of South-South cooperation.

Thematic Solution Forum 10 was dedicated to the question of how SST cooperation contributes to delivering better health outcomes. The panel discussion was moderated by UNFPA and included representatives from Cuba, Mauritania, Moldova, Peru and the Pan American Health Organization/WHO. Some of the highlights of this forum are as follows:

• Cuba has a long tradition of medical cooperation, at the core of which lies training of human resources and teaching. In line with this, Cuba created medical schools, sent medical brigades to other countries, including into disaster-affected contexts, and trained health professionals.
• Moldova showcased its experience in youth-friendly health service clinics which are funded by the state and supported by UNFPA, UNICEF and SDC. So far, 41 clinics have been built, which help to reduce HIV, abortion and STI rates. The Government recently launched the national program for reproductive health – one of the first countries in the EU to introduce such a program. Since 2015, Moldova stopped receiving reproductive commodities from UNFPA and started to distribute free contraceptives. It also hosts a regional training hub for sexual and reproductive health, while having a good partnership with a number of countries in the region, including Romania. In countries of Central Asia, Moldova has promoted safe motherhood. It has also developed guidance for Russian-speaking countries based on international standards, and recently launched a youth index which serves as an evidence-based tool that has been shared with Georgia and other countries. Among challenges that the country faces are a low fertility, ageing population, and ill-prepared social and economic infrastructure amid demographic challenges.
• The representative of Peru focused on the importance of investing in statistics and relevant indicators for specific groups of the population, which will allow for addressing inequality and achieving more sustainable outcomes. New demographic dynamics in Peru and other countries across Latin America as expressed in growing ageing and urbanization presents a timely opportunity for improving health and education. Moreover, institutional and technical capacity requires resources and stronger SST cooperation.
• Mauritania shared its experience in implementing a new project that addresses infant mortality, which is particularly high in the country. Appropriate assessment, building capacity, and medical equipment and training of personnel are essential.
• The Pan-American Health Organization has a long trajectory in SST cooperation. Based on its experience, it emphasized that it is important to rethink approaches while strengthening existing mechanisms. SST cooperation provides an opportunity for matchmaking between different stakeholders through establishing dialogues and identifying pressing needs under a collective approach. It is necessary to measure impact in SST cooperation, better communicate and systematically disseminate good practices and lessons learnt.

Day 2 of the Expo has also featured special segments and side-events that will be highlighted in a more detailed report that will be shared with all participants after the Expo.

We hope that you are enjoying the discussions and look forward to seeing you tomorrow for the last day of the Global South-South Development Expo 2018!

[Not an official record]