South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC)

South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) has become a key tool for promoting development, solidarity, and innovative solutions amid declining traditional aid and global inequalities.
With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development nearing its deadline, India is leveraging South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) to strengthen development partnerships among Global South countries.

About South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC)

South-South Cooperation is a framework for collaboration and exchange among developing countries in political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and technical domains.
Triangular Cooperation is a Southern-driven partnership between two or more developing countries, supported by a developed country or multilateral organisation.
It is based on Principles of Mutual respect for sovereignty, equality, non-interference, mutual benefit, solidarity, and peaceful coexistence.

The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) was created on 1974 to promote economic cooperation among developing countries.
Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA) 1978, adopted by 138 UN member states, establishing the first framework for SSC and emphasising solidarity, mutual respect, and shared learning.
Nairobi Outcome Document (2009) expanded SSC beyond technical cooperation to political, institutional, and infrastructural collaboration.
India-UN Development Partnership Fund (2017) was established to finance demand-driven SSTC projects across developing countries.
The United Nations declared “New Opportunities and Innovation through SSTC” as the theme for the 2025 UN Day for South-South and Triangular Cooperation

Empowerment and Solidarity: Strengthens self-reliance, mutual respect, and shared learning while avoiding the conditionalities often linked to North-South aid
Tackling Global Challenges: Provides collective solutions to poverty, rising inequalities, climate change, and shrinking traditional aid.
Driver of SDGs: Acts as a major force for achieving the 2030 Agenda, particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), through affordable, locally driven innovations.
Multi-Sectoral Role: Supports progress in agriculture, health, education, digital economy, climate resilience, social protection, and urban development.

Philosophy: Aligned with India’s philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“The world is one family”).
Institutional Mechanisms:
- Development Partnership Administration: Key agency within the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Central body for planning and implementing SSTC projects.
- Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC): Capacity-building program in 160+ countries.
- India-UN Development Partnership Fund: Supports 75+ demand-driven projects in 56 countries, focusing on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Technological Leadership: Shares digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar and UPI for cost-effective, replicable solutions globally.
Regional Advocacy: Hosted Voice of the Global South Summits to amplify Southern priorities and advocated for permanent African Union membership in G20.
World Food Programme (WFP): Piloted Annapurti (Grain ATMs), women-led Take-Home Ration, and rice fortification for improving food security in other developing countries.

Fragmentation: Diverse political systems, economic priorities, and historical contexts often lead to scattered efforts, diluting impact and hindering cohesive collaboration.
Funding Gaps: SSTC largely depends on trust funds and voluntary contributions (e.g. IBSA Fund), which are often unpredictable and insufficient.
Political Will: Inconsistent commitment and delayed initiatives weaken trust among partners.
Triangular Cooperation Complexities: Involvement of developed countries or multilateral organisations introduces bureaucracy and power asymmetries, which may compromise Southern leadership.
Monitoring Gaps: Absence of a common framework results in weak evaluation, limited transparency, and difficulty in scaling successful projects.

Foster Innovation: Building on the 2025 UN Day theme, countries should promote creative, locally relevant solutions and support pilot projects with strong institutional frameworks.
Enhance Financing: Increase funding for demand-driven initiatives and embed monitoring to strengthen transparency, effectiveness, and replication.
Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to include civil society, private sector, academia, and grassroots communities, ensuring cooperation remains people-centred and contextually relevant.
High-Impact Sectors: Prioritise food security, nutrition, climate resilience, health systems, and education, where Southern innovations can be scaled and replicated across similar contexts.
Knowledge Sharing: Strengthen regional and global knowledge platforms, facilitate training programs, and share best practices to enhance learning across countries.
Align with SDGs: Design projects with measurable development outcomes, linking SSTC initiatives to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for maximum impact.