5-9 December 2011, FAO headquarters, Rome

The Global South-South Development Expo of the United Nations (GSSD Expo) is a multilateral event called by the United Nations General Assembly. This year’s Expo was hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome.

ILO Solution Exchange Forum on social protection, decent work and food security

As part of the 2011 Global South-South Development Expo, the International Labour Organization (ILO) organized a Solution Exchange Forum on social protection, decent work and food security on 6 December at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. ILO Press release

GSSD 2011: ILO Solution Exchange Forum on social protection, decent work and food security

The ILO and South-South and Triangular Cooperation

GSSD ILO presentation 2011 [pdf - 570kB]

Background

For over 30 years, South-South cooperation (SSC) has been part of the United Nations’ strategy for advancing regional development agendas in the South. SSC allows developing countries to take greater control of their regional and national progress, and it is now more critical than ever as southern countries tackle challenges such as food insecurity, climate change, HIV/AIDS and other global health pandemics.

In order to fully capitalize on southern development solutions, the UN Secretary-General, in his report to the General Assembly in 2008 (A/62/295), called on the international development community, including the United Nations, to scale up the impact of SSC. In response, in 2008 the UNDP Special Unit for SSC launched the first Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo) to showcase and exchange successful South-South development solutions (SSDS).

Showcasing, learning about and supporting development solutions lies at the heart of the GSSD Expo. Developing countries and their development partners, including donor agencies, organizations in the UN system, the private sector and civil society organizations, presented and learned about evidence-based SSDS. Donors also learned more about SSDS, helping them to take informed decisions in their support for scaled-up efforts for triangular and public-private partnership arrangements.

Read more about the origin, missions and objectives of the Global South-South Development Expo.