South-South Cooperation in a Post-2030 Agenda World
India has the potential to act as a bridge between North and South, and to come up with innovative and acceptable models of development for a post-2030 world.
India holds the potential to act as a bridge between the North and South and to come up with innovative and acceptable models of development in a post-2030 agenda world
As the world approaches its 2030 timeline to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, it is clear that several nations, including developed economies, are falling behind in most sustainability targets. The momentum with which the UN Agenda 2030 was launched in 2015, replacing the Millennium Development Goals, may have faded due to various factors. To begin with, the ongoing global crisis paints a grim picture for the next decade or so. Conflicts triggered by political factors are affecting the economic, social, and environmental sectors, leading to a setback in previously achieved targets. It becomes essential to consider a strategy beyond 2030 that is suitable for the current geopolitical situation, acceptable to all nations, and most importantly, sustainable in the long run.
South-South cooperation: The genesis
Post the Second World War, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, decolonisation took shape, where almost three dozen new states in Asia and Africa achieved autonomy (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Geographic view of decolonisation
Source: Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
Lacking the wherewithal to deal with their newly-found independence, these nations faced multiple challenges in governance, economic security, ensuring political rights, providing access to basic resources and amenities, etc. As expected, traditional donors (or former colonial powers) sought avenues to exert influence through various economic, political, and social channels. Aid was one of these. Colonial baggage created pressure, political tensions, and economic interdependence between the two sides.
In the 2000s, the emergence of development providers, exemplified by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), challenged the dominant Western-led model of aid. Initially, the West was sceptical about this Southern boom in aid, but eventually they made peace with it and acknowledged its importance as a pivotal actor in development. Since then, the Global South has demanded equal stakes, equal footing, and equal voice at the table for development. In this regard, the traditional donor-recipient model did not provide actual benefits, but reinforced the hegemony of the Global North. The emergence of BRICS countries has challenged this approach, while South-South cooperation encourages developing countries to work together to achieve solidarity, collective action, and national sovereignty.. Though the Southern countries emphasized the importance of non-conditionality, the idea behind South-South Cooperation was not to replace existing North-South synergy, but rather to complement it. This laid the groundwork for a potentially more collaborative and cooperative framework between developed and developing countries in order to address pressing global challenges. Although South-South cooperation reflects positive intentions, there are undercurrents that hinder its progress in the long run.
Future of South-South cooperation and India Several criticisms have been laid on South-South Cooperation such as reinforcing colonial legacies and taking things too far ahead without actually focusing on real-world problems. Critics also state that this development modality is actually being utilised by the advanced nations to keep their influence intact in the Southern world. Moreover, the heterogenous nature of the Global South presents a diverse set of interests, priorities, political stances and economic stakes. It becomes challenging to combine and converge them into a single to-do list.
However, these critiques can actually leverage South-South Cooperation in the years to come. With the international community contemplating on a roadmap post-2030, South-South Cooperation may actually provide the answer. As developing countries, particularly India, come up with innovative models to counter transnational challenges in areas like digital public infrastructure (DPI), climate smart agriculture, disaster-resilient infrastructure via the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), renewable energy via International Solar Alliance (ISA), amongst others, these initiatives have certainly grabbed international eyeballs.
The China factor is a pertinent challenge. Its expansive infrastructure financing project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been unprecedented.
Further, during India’s G20 Presidency, its initiative of convening the Voice of the Global South Summit has been hailed by the global community, including the European union (EU), and the United States (US) as a welcome step. Offering this type of platform to the developing countries is one-of-a-kind as it not only brings all of them together in a single space but also results in a multiplicity of ideas and innovations. However, geopolitical and geoeconomics challenges cannot be ignored. The China factor is a pertinent challenge. Its expansive infrastructure financing project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been unprecedented. These projects, in fact, have threatened the Western institutions, which have been largely missing from the global infrastructure scene. However, their environmental and social repercussions are jeopardising global stability and (dis)order.
In this sense, India is certainly poised and in a favourable position to drive the conversation on sustainable development through the framework of South-South Cooperation. Essentially, it needs to supplement and complement the existing synergies between the North and the South. Challenges persist and charting a trajectory to development is an uphill task. However, India holds the potential to act as a bridge between the North and South and possibly come up with innovative and acceptable models of development in a post-2030 agenda world.
As the world approaches its 2030 timeline to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, it is clear that several nations, including developed economies, are falling behind in most sustainability targets. The momentum with which the UN Agenda 2030 was launched in 2015, replacing the Millennium Development Goals, may have faded due to various factors. To begin with, the ongoing global crisis paints a grim picture for the next decade or so. Conflicts triggered by political factors are affecting the economic, social, and environmental sectors, leading to a setback in previously achieved targets. It becomes essential to consider a strategy beyond 2030 that is suitable for the current geopolitical situation, acceptable to all nations, and most importantly, sustainable in the long run.
South-South cooperation: The genesis
Post the Second World War, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, decolonisation took shape, where almost three dozen new states in Asia and Africa achieved autonomy (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Geographic view of decolonisation
Source: Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
Lacking the wherewithal to deal with their newly-found independence, these nations faced multiple challenges in governance, economic security, ensuring political rights, providing access to basic resources and amenities, etc. As expected, traditional donors (or former colonial powers) sought avenues to exert influence through various economic, political, and social channels. Aid was one of these. Colonial baggage created pressure, political tensions, and economic interdependence between the two sides.
In the 2000s, the emergence of development providers, exemplified by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), challenged the dominant Western-led model of aid. Initially, the West was sceptical about this Southern boom in aid, but eventually they made peace with it and acknowledged its importance as a pivotal actor in development. Since then, the Global South has demanded equal stakes, equal footing, and equal voice at the table for development. In this regard, the traditional donor-recipient model did not provide actual benefits, but reinforced the hegemony of the Global North. The emergence of BRICS countries has challenged this approach, while South-South cooperation encourages developing countries to work together to achieve solidarity, collective action, and national sovereignty.. Though the Southern countries emphasized the importance of non-conditionality, the idea behind South-South Cooperation was not to replace existing North-South synergy, but rather to complement it. This laid the groundwork for a potentially more collaborative and cooperative framework between developed and developing countries in order to address pressing global challenges. Although South-South cooperation reflects positive intentions, there are undercurrents that hinder its progress in the long run.
Future of South-South cooperation and India Several criticisms have been laid on South-South Cooperation such as reinforcing colonial legacies and taking things too far ahead without actually focusing on real-world problems. Critics also state that this development modality is actually being utilised by the advanced nations to keep their influence intact in the Southern world. Moreover, the heterogenous nature of the Global South presents a diverse set of interests, priorities, political stances and economic stakes. It becomes challenging to combine and converge them into a single to-do list.
However, these critiques can actually leverage South-South Cooperation in the years to come. With the international community contemplating on a roadmap post-2030, South-South Cooperation may actually provide the answer. As developing countries, particularly India, come up with innovative models to counter transnational challenges in areas like digital public infrastructure (DPI), climate smart agriculture, disaster-resilient infrastructure via the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), renewable energy via International Solar Alliance (ISA), amongst others, these initiatives have certainly grabbed international eyeballs.
The China factor is a pertinent challenge. Its expansive infrastructure financing project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been unprecedented.
Further, during India’s G20 Presidency, its initiative of convening the Voice of the Global South Summit has been hailed by the global community, including the European union (EU), and the United States (US) as a welcome step. Offering this type of platform to the developing countries is one-of-a-kind as it not only brings all of them together in a single space but also results in a multiplicity of ideas and innovations. However, geopolitical and geoeconomics challenges cannot be ignored. The China factor is a pertinent challenge. Its expansive infrastructure financing project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been unprecedented. These projects, in fact, have threatened the Western institutions, which have been largely missing from the global infrastructure scene. However, their environmental and social repercussions are jeopardising global stability and (dis)order.
In this sense, India is certainly poised and in a favourable position to drive the conversation on sustainable development through the framework of South-South Cooperation. Essentially, it needs to supplement and complement the existing synergies between the North and the South. Challenges persist and charting a trajectory to development is an uphill task. However, India holds the potential to act as a bridge between the North and South and possibly come up with innovative and acceptable models of development in a post-2030 agenda world.
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