Contact us

Partnerships and Field Support

4 route des Morillons
Geneva 22
Switzerland
CH-1211

Tel : +41.22.799.7239
Fax : +41.22.799.6668
Email : PARDEV@ilo.org

South-South and triangular cooperation

Tel : +41.22.799.6346

Website : www.southsouthpoint.net

Public-Private Partnerships

Email : PPP@ilo.org

Multilateral Cooperation

Tel : +41.22.799.7370
Email : multilaterals@ilo.org

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. 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. Through country-specific coordinated actions and capacity building to implement the ILO Recommendation No. 204, transition to the formal economy is a major policy goal identified by BRICS countries in successive BRICS summits. It, therefore, makes a series of recommendations for BRICS governments for the Delhi Summit (2021) and beyond.

  2. Knowledge Development Series

    BRICS formalization : knowledge development series

    The BRICS formalization knowledge series , with a South-South approach, held virtually from July-August 2021, aims to promote South-South cooperation between the BRICS countries on the transition to formality from informality. Don’t miss key sessions on 3-5 August 2021; 10-12 August 2021; 17-19 August 2021 at 1 pm CET. Through country-specific coordinated actions, as well as cross country policy sharing and capacity building to implement the ILO Recommendation No. 204, transition to the formal economy is a major policy goal identified by BRICS countries in successive BRICS summits, fora and research papers. The knowledge series organized by ILO Delhi, ITC Turin Center and the Partnerships and field support department of the ILO aims at making a series of recommendations for BRICS governments for the Delhi Summit (2021) and beyond.

  3. E-learning course

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

  4. South-South Knowledge Sharing Forum

    What works in e-formalization for Asia and the Pacific

  5. 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.

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

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

  8. Russian Federation - ILO Cooperation

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

  10. Event

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

  11. SSTC Publication

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

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

  13. BRICS - ILO Cooperation 

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

  15. © Alvaro Casas

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

  16. © Alvaro Casas

    South-South Day

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

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

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

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

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