International Day for South-South Cooperation

The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation is annually observed on December 19. It commemorates the date when the United Nations (UN) General Assembly endorsed a plan of action in 1978 to promote and implement technical cooperation among developing countries.

The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation celebrates economic, social and political developments in many developing countries. ©iStockphoto.com/adrian beesley

What do people do?

The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation aims to raise people's awareness of the UN's efforts to work on technical cooperation among developing countries. It also celebrates the economic, social and political developments made in recent years by regions and countries in the south. It is a time for individuals and organizations to agree on the importance of South-South cooperation, in complementing North-South cooperation, to support low-income countries in achieving development goals.

On this day political leaders from different countries reaffirm their goals in working with UN leaders to reinforce or strengthen ties on their commitment to South-South cooperation in developing countries. This can be done through speeches, action plans, special seminars or conferences, or press announcements. Educators in the area of social or political sciences may highlight the day through classroom activities that bring forth an awareness of issues centered on the event.

Public life

The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation is not a public holiday so public life is not affected.

Background

In 1978 the UN General Assembly established the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation to promote, coordinate and support South-South and triangular cooperation on a global level. Two regional service centers, one in Asia and one in Africa, support South-South cooperation by pooling resources and by offering different types of services.

On December 23, 2003, the assembly declared December 19 the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation. This marks the date when the assembly endorsed the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries. The assembly urged all UN organizations and other institutions to enhance their efforts to mainstream the use of South-South cooperation in designing, formulating, and implementing their regular programs.

These organizations were also asked to consider increasing various resource allocations to support South-South cooperation initiatives. Recent initiatives have been tied with the Tsunami relief projects. In recent times a silent revolution has taken place among fast-track performers such as Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Thailand.

Symbols

The UN emblem consists of a projection of the globe centered on the North Pole. It depicts all continents except Antarctica and four concentric circles representing degrees of latitude. The projection is surrounded by images of olive branches, representing peace. The emblem is often blue, although it is printed in white on a blue background on the UN flag.

International Day for South-South Cooperation Observances