BRUSSELS (INPS | ACP) – Representatives of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries in Brussels joined a stimulating discussion on South-South cooperation, during a special presentation by one of India’s leading experts on the issue, at ACP House on January 13.
Director General of the New Delhi-based think-tank, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), Professor Sachin Chaturvedi presented his new book titled The Logic of Sharing: Indian Approach to South-South Cooperation.
In attendance were the ACP Secretary General Dr. Patrick Gomes, India’s Ambassador to the EU Manjeev Singh Puri, ACP diplomats, representatives of the European Commission and several academics, including Prof. Doris Schroeder (University of Central Lancashire) and Dr. James Mackie (the European Centre for Development Policy Management – ECDPM).
The publication has been welcomed as an important contribution in bridging the gap in concrete data about South-South cooperation (SSC). It has been defined by the United Nations as “a broad framework for collaboration among countries of the South in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical domains… [whereby] developing countries share knowledge, skills, expertise and resources to meet their development goals through concerted efforts.”
SSC may involve two or more developing countries, and can take place on a bilateral, regional, sub-regional or interregional basis.
Prof. Chaturvedi’s research underscores the rationale behind India’s development cooperation with other countries of the South, which is distinct from traditional North-South cooperation. Emphasis is placed on mutual gain and commitment by the countries involved, freedom from conditionalities, and policy coherence.
The book follows the genesis of Indian development cooperation, now worth USD 4 billion annually, and analyses a number of case studies in Indian cooperation with other developing countries in Asia and Africa.
The ACP Secretary General Gomes welcomed the discussions, stating that: “We believe that the ACP Group can play an increasingly important role on the global stage in this area of South-South and Triangular Cooperation, not only because of the long-standing relationship we have had in this unique model of North-South cooperation with the European Union and our Cotonou agreement but also because we have served as a catalyst and facilitator of how the south can collaborate.”
The ACP Group has held its annual symposium on South-South and Triangular Cooperation since 2011. The next symposium is planned for February 11-12, 2016, organised in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Organisation International de la Francophonie (OIF), and with participation of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). [International Press Syndicate – 18 January 2016]
Photo from left: Representative of the European Commission Philippe Latriche, Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri, , ACP Secretary General Dr. Patrick Gomes, and RIS DG Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi.