In the last three decades, the Global South has emerged as a pillar in the international economic landscape. Developing countries now account for about 40% of the world’s output and play increasingly dynamic role in global economic governance including the areas of macro-economic policy, finance, trade, investment, digital transformation, green transition and financing for development. But the growth performance and SDG progress of the Global South is mixed.
Some developing countries have improved productive capacity, reduced poverty, and made progress in structural transformation, but some others are yet to achieve these goals. Since 2020, against the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic and cascading crises, the progress of developing countries to achieving the SDGs has been set back.
Development strategies and policies play an essential role for all developing countries to reach their development goals in the globalized world. Sharing policy experience through peer-learning of the Global South can assist developing countries to explore the most appropriate development strategies, tailored to their national and local specificity.
The Peer-learning platform for South-South development strategies, building on the outputs achieved from UNCTAD’s policy research and technical cooperation projects, aims to promote sharing of policy experiences and practices among developing countries particularly focusing on the issue areas of macro-economic policies, finance, trade, investment, industrial cooperation including digital economy, green and low-carbon transition, financing for development and knowledge partnership.
Halfway to the deadline for the 2030 Agenda, we are leaving more than half the world behind. We have stalled or gone into reverse on more than 30 percent of the SDGs.
Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been.
United Nations
In this era of rapid technological advancement, South-South Cooperation is uniquely positioned to foster digital innovation.
By sharing knowledge and resources in the field of digital technology, countries of the Global South can leapfrog traditional stages of development, creating a more inclusive digital economy.
UNCTAD
