South-South and triangular cooperation

South-South cooperation refers to development cooperation between developing countries in the Global South. When South-South Cooperation is implemented with the support of a Northern partner, it is referred to as Triangular Cooperation. South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) is a tool used by governments, international organizations, academics, social partners, civil society and the private sector to collaborate and share knowledge, skills, know-how, and good practices in decent work and lifelong learning approaches as well as successful initiatives in specific areas such as agricultural development, human rights, urbanization, health, climate change, social protection and employment generation.

In implementing its SSTC Programme, the ILO cooperates closely with the UN system, including the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). ILO was also actively engaged in both the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) Nairobi 2016 Forum and the 2nd High Level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation held in Buenos Aires (BAPA + 40) and adheres to the recommendations of the conference as well as GPEDC principles. Additional SSTC guidance is provided by the declarations and summits of the Group of 77 and China; India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA); and Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa (BRICS).

Several ILO-SSTC projects and development cooperation projects are implemented in cooperation with other UN agencies. For example, the Mano River Union (MRU) project in collaboration with UNFPA and OXFAM, in West Africa is working to develop simplified guidance for women entrepreneurs to support their empowerment and resilience.

What's new in SSTC

  1. Partnership fact sheet 

    Brazil ILO Cooperation, March 2023

  2. ILO - China partnership

    China and ILO sign partnership agreement to promote South-South Cooperation

  3. Global South-South Expo 2022 - Bangkok, Thailand 

    ILO Solution Forum: Building Multi-Stakeholder Alliances in the Global South to Build Back Better: Towards a Smart and Resilient Future in the World of Work

  4. BRICS Ministerial Meeting

    ILO Director-General welcomes BRICS commitment to green jobs, skills development, workers’ protection

  5. Eventh 5TH Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour

    ILO facilitates discussion on Financing the Elimination of Child Labour

  6. Event - 5TH Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour

    South-South Cooperation: Good Practices of Labour Inspection on the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labour

  7. Report

    Global and Regional Good Practices in SSTC: Promoting South-South and Triangular Cooperation, 2020-2021

    Peer learning, resilience and solidarity in the world of work in times of COVID-19

  8. BRICS-CIS series on formalization of the informal economy (Nov/ Dec 2021) ends with the adoption of recommendations for action by participants

    Attendees of the closing ceremony included the Director of UNOSSC, the Secretary General of International Social Security Association (ISSA) and the Director General of International Department, China Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security alongside representatives from the VV Giri National Labour institute and ITC Turin as well as the ILO Partnerships and Employment departments. This work will be continued in the next biennia, beginning with the Chinese presidency of the BRICS

  9. The ILO and China reaffirm the strategic South-South Cooperation partnership in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

  10. China-ILO cooperation fact sheet, Nov 2021

  11. Publication

    Informality and the potential for south-south cooperation between BRICS

    This publication aims to promote South-South cooperation between the BRICS countries on the transition to formality from informality. It makes a series of recommendations for BRICS governments for the Delhi Summit (2021) and beyond.

  12. Knowledge Development Series

    BRICS formalization : knowledge development series

    The BRICS formalization knowledge series, with a South-South approach, was held virtually from July-August 2021.

  13. E-learning course

    ILO Colombia and Türkiye launch e-learning course for the sharing of good practices to promote decent work for refugees and migrants in the context of COVID-19

  14. South-South Knowledge Sharing Forum

    What works in e-formalization for Asia and the Pacific

  15. Virtual Event

    World Forum on Local Economic Development (WFLED), May 26 - June 1, 2021

    The ILO is a co-organizer of the fifth biannual WFLED along with UNDP and other partners. It leads thematic line 3 on decent work and LED that includes fragile-to-fragile and city to city cooperation in the framework of COVID-19.

  16. The role of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation in achieving the SDGs - Human stories from the Arab States

  17. Skills Virtual Fair: South-south and triangular cooperation

  18. Russian Federation - ILO Cooperation

  19. SENAC 360: A virtual study visit for peer-learning on skills development with a Brazilian vocational institution

  20. Event

    South-South and Triangular Skills Forum: Partnerships for Knowledge, Skills and Technology Transfer – A webinar series

  21. SSTC Publication

    Towards integrated strategy for the transition to formality: Road maps for Azerbaijan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

  22. Cooperation initiative between Türkiye and Colombia will foster capacities for access to decent work for all during and beyond COVID-19

  23. BRICS - ILO Cooperation 

  24. SSTC Skills Forum: Webinar, e-discussion, and virtual skills fair

  25. © Alvaro Casas

    South-South Galaxy: ILO and ITCILO are partners of the month

  26. © Alvaro Casas

    South-South Day

    The ILO and ITC-ILO partnership highlighted for the UN day for South-South Cooperation

  27. SSTC at the ILO and in international frameworks for development cooperation

  28. ILO launches projects on South-South and Triangular Cooperation 2020-2021

  29. ILO promotes South-South Cooperation in Asia on the International Day of South-South Cooperation

  30. ILO-South Centre Side Event at BAPA+40: "The Future of Work, Youth Employment and South-South Cooperation"