Towards BAPA+40: Challenges in Defining South-South Cooperation and Development Cooperation from Southern Powers

The document emphasizes the need to distinguish between South-South Cooperation, as a broad concept encompassing various exchanges like trade and investment, and development cooperation, which is a specific subset of those exchanges. It warns that the interchangeable use of these terms undermines their utility for policy-making and scientific study, particularly as the geopolitical landscape shifts and Southern powers assume more leadership roles.

• There is a frequent and problematic tendency in international discussions to use 'South-South Cooperation', 'development cooperation', and 'foreign aid' interchangeably, which risks stripping these terms of their meaning and utility for policy-making and scientific study.
• South-South Cooperation is a broad concept that includes various exchanges among global South countries, such as trade and investment; development cooperation is only one specific tool or subset within that broader framework and should not be used as a synonym for all South-South flows.
• As Southern powers assume greater responsibilities in the international development landscape, they must lead the effort to define these terms to prevent Northern scholars and journalists from controlling the narrative and parameters of the discussion.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2019). Towards BAPA+40: Challenges in Defining South-South Cooperation and Development Cooperation from Southern Powers. https://saiia.org.za/research/towards-bapa40-challenges-in-defining-south-south-cooperation-and-development-cooperation-from-southern-powers/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Towards BAPA+40: Challenges in Defining South-South Cooperation and Development Cooperation from Southern Powers. 2019. https://saiia.org.za/research/towards-bapa40-challenges-in-defining-south-south-cooperation-and-development-cooperation-from-southern-powers/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Towards BAPA+40: Challenges in Defining South-South Cooperation and Development Cooperation from Southern Powers |date=24 April 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/towards-bapa40-challenges-in-defining-south-south-cooperation-and-development-cooperation-from-southern-powers/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2019towards, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Towards BAPA+40: Challenges in Defining South-South Cooperation and Development Cooperation from Southern Powers}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/towards-bapa40-challenges-in-defining-south-south-cooperation-and-development-cooperation-from-southern-powers/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }