Administrator of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Argentine President Mauricio Macri, and United Nations General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces (from L to R) attend the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)
BUENOS AIRES, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Second High-level United Nations (UN) Conference on South-South Cooperation kicked off here on Wednesday, with senior officials urging to deepen and expand the initiative to realize development goals.
South-South cooperation is the key to the world's sustainable development and the fight against global warming, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the opening session of the three-day conference.
"South-South cooperation will be vital to ensure mutual support and exchange of best practices, to enhance adaptation and increase the resilience of developing countries and communities facing the devastating impacts of climate change," said Guterres.
"South-South cooperation can also support the transformation of economies dependent on fossil fuels, with strategies that reinforce both sustainable development and environmental protection," he said.
"South-South cooperation is a global exercise of all countries of the South to benefit everyone, including the least developed countries," Guterres added, saying that now is the time to take bold and transformative action.
"Together, we can achieve the sustainable development goals, beat climate change, and transform the lives of people around the world," the UN chief concluded.
Argentine President Mauricio Macri called for deepening South-South cooperation in his speech, saying that cooperation is a great tool to promote horizontal links between countries at different development levels.
The conference marks the 40th anniversary of the UN Conference on Technical Cooperation Among Developing Countries, which was also held here, adopting the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA).
Maria Fernanda Espinosa, president of the UN General Assembly, said the BAPA is a symbol of the determination of the Global South to advance equality for all.
"It is clear that we are helping to restore confidence and the effectiveness of international cooperation and multilateral action. South-South cooperation represents the best of our people. The principles of solidarity and acting for the common good make South-South cooperation a powerful force," she said.
South-South cooperation is a term historically used by policymakers and academics to describe the exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries, also known as countries of the Global South.
The central theme of the conference this year is how the South-South cooperation represents an opportunity to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the globally-agreed blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.
