How economic development can be accomplished through South-South and Triangular Cooperation

The statement advocates for South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) as a transformative alternative to traditional top-down aid, emphasizing its role in fostering self-reliance, technology exchange, and regional integration. It highlights the increasing economic influence of the Global South, noting that these nations now drive over half of global growth and have seen a significant increase in trade and multilateral loan portfolios. The text underscores the role of multilateral development banks and specific mechanisms, such as the Islamic Development Bank's Reverse Linkage, in facilitating peer-to-peer learning and project financing. Additionally, it mentions a voluntary measurement framework developed by several Global South countries to better track development support and calls for a more inclusive global financial architecture.

• South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) is presented as a complementary approach to North-South cooperation that empowers developing nations to lead growth through shared innovations, capacity-building, and peer learning, rather than relying on traditional top-down aid models.
• The Global South is a primary driver of global economic growth, with South-South trade increasing by 14.1% since 1995, while trade between developed economies declined by nearly 15% in the same period.
• South-led multilateral development banks have significantly expanded their financial capacity, with loan portfolios growing from $7.2 billion in 2000 to $73.4 billion in 2021.
• Multilateral financial institutions facilitate SSTC through platforms for knowledge exchange and specific financing tools, such as the Islamic Development Bank's Reverse Linkage mechanism, which supports expertise sharing in public health, agriculture, infrastructure, and environmental sustainability.
• A group of countries, including Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Ghana, Mexico, South Africa, and Tanzania, has developed an initial voluntary framework to measure South-South cooperation and improve data reporting on development support.

APA

Al-Mashat, R. (2025). How economic development can be accomplished through South-South and Triangular Cooperation. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/how-economic-development-can-be-accomplished-through-south-south-and-triangular-cooperation/

Chicago

Al-Mashat, Rania. How economic development can be accomplished through South-South and Triangular Cooperation. World Economic Forum, 2025. https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/how-economic-development-can-be-accomplished-through-south-south-and-triangular-cooperation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Al-Mashat |first1=Rania |title=How economic development can be accomplished through South-South and Triangular Cooperation |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=7 July 2025 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/how-economic-development-can-be-accomplished-through-south-south-and-triangular-cooperation/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{almashat2025how, author = {Al-Mashat, Rania}, title = {{How economic development can be accomplished through South-South and Triangular Cooperation}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/how-economic-development-can-be-accomplished-through-south-south-and-triangular-cooperation/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }