From the perspective of UNFPA, South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SS&TC) is a vital plank in multilateralism, bringing governments of developing countries together to exchange information and best practices on issues under our mandate, with a view to strengthening countries’ capacities in achieving a range of outcomes enshrined under the Transformational Results spelt out in our current Strategic Plan 2018-2021 – zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning and zero gender-based violence and other harmful practices against women and girls – as well as on emerging issues such as population ageing.
The Bali 2018 Inter-Ministerial Conference on South-South and Triangular Cooperation brings together a range of governments - including several from Asia-Pacific -- with UNFPA regional and country offices to review progress on these fronts, identify gaps and challenges, and create new opportunities for this work – to complement the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action that continues to guide UNFPA’s core work with sexual and reproductive health at the centre.
This is all the more significant ahead of the November 2018 Asia Pacific Population Conference (APPC) where progress on the ICPD Programme on Action will be reported and governments will reiterate their commitment to this platform, leading into the 2019 global review of ICPD@25, converging as it does with UNFPA’s 50th anniversary as well.
