Every year, the United Nations marks 12 September as the UN Day for South-South Cooperation. The International Labour Organization (ILO) plays a pivotal role in championing workers' rights on a global scale, and in an increasingly interconnected world it recognizes the significance of South-South and triangular cooperation as a key avenue for achieving its mission. The ILO has also helped to establish the role of South-South collaboration in supporting countries to meet their development goals, and in the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"Global solidarity is essential if we are to achieve the SDGs by 2030," said Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General. "South-South cooperation is an example of how knowledge exchange and mutual support helps countries meet development challenges, increase resilience, and set a path to greater Social Justice."
This year the ILO has partnered with the governments of Brazil, China and India to launch new programmes and reaffirm commitments. Funded by the government of Brazil, a programme on South-South Cooperation for Social Justice in the Global South, and a programme on Public Employment Services and Skills development in ASEAN, funded by the government of China, have been launched. A project in the Caribbean on skills development and climate change, which is closing phase one, is receiving new impetus for a second phase through the United Nations India Fund.
During the biennia 2022-2023, the ILO has engaged in 30 projects in all regions, covering topics related to unemployment insurance, gender and climate sensitivity, labour migration, formalisation of the informal economy, social protection, occupational safety and health, and apprenticeships systems in different countries of the global south, with focus on cross-regional cooperation.
In the context of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), the ILO has played a key role in promoting decent work, improving labour standards, and facilitating discussions on informality, skills development, the future of work, and productivity ecosystems in these emerging economies, including through support to the BRICS Ministerial Meetings on Labour and Employment.
The ILO's involvement with the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) has been instrumental in advancing labour rights, social dialogue, and the fight against child labour. It has also strengthened labour inspection through the exchange of experiences and good practices.
Within the framework of the Trilateral Dialogue Forum formed by India, Brazil, and South Africa (IBSA) the ILO has promoted in the past decade the socioeconomic integration of vulnerable children and youth in Haiti, through vocational training, job placement, entrepreneurship, and citizenship development practices for young women and men who have been victims of labour exploitation.
Through its South-South and triangular cooperation initiatives, the ILO facilitates the exchange of good practices, innovative solutions, and technical assistance among countries to ensure decent work and social protection for all while adhering to the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
