South-South cooperation plays an increasingly important role in sustainable development, yet its scale and contributions often remain under-recorded because data are limited and fragmented. To close this gap, countries of the Global South developed the United Nations Conceptual Framework for the Measurement of South-South Cooperation, which enables countries to collect and report data in a harmonized manner, including voluntary reporting under Sustainable Development Goal indicator 17.3.1. Since 2023, a United Nations Development Account project led by UNCTAD with the regional commissions has supported countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Arab region. In 2026, nine countries reported data for the first time using a common methodology.
Hosted by ESCAP and held back-to-back with the Asia-Pacific Directors-General Forum for South-South and Triangular Cooperation, the forum marks the transition from pilot implementation to sustained, country-led measurement. A high-level segment on 26 November will discuss the strategic role of South-South cooperation data and feature the inauguration of the Steering Committee on South-South Cooperation Data and discussions on a South-South Data Fund. Technical segments on 26 and 27 November will review country experiences, tools and lessons learned, and identify priorities for scaling up implementation across regions.
Participation: policymakers, heads of national statistical offices, statisticians and development cooperation practitioners from countries and institutions of the Global South.
Registration: the meeting is held as a hybrid event (in person and online).
Please note that translation will be provided through on-screen captions rather than audio interpretation.
