High-level Committee on Review of TCDC

12^th Session

2^nd Meeting (PM)

TECHNICAL COOPERATION AMONG DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

STILL SHACKLED BY RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS

South-South cooperation in human resources development and health, triangular cooperation arrangements, sharing of information and communications technology, and fostering development in the least developed countries (LDCs) were the focus of attention as the High-level Committee on the Review of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries continued its general discussion this afternoon.

South-South cooperation was pivotal to the success of collective efforts in addressing the challenges faced by the developing world, the representative of South Africa said.  As expressed at the South Summit in Havana, South-South cooperation was a crucial tool for developing and strengthening the economic independence of developing countries and achieving development.  It was encouraging to note that, during the period under review, there was a marked increase in the number of developing countries involved in technical cooperation, as either provider or recipient of services or both.

With regard to the plight of the world’s 49 poorest nations, the representative of Bangladesh said that the programme of action adopted by the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries in Brussels last week envisaged strengthened technological cooperation between LDCs and other developing countries.  There was an urgent need for the Special Unit on Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC) to identify the areas of activities in that regard.  In addition, TCDC should be integrated into the overall mandate of operational activities of the United Nations.

Perhaps the most productive strategy, he noted, would be to improve the links with centres of excellence and academic institutes and to make the necessary financial arrangements to train personnel on a regional basis.  That would allow people to be trained in the skills that they needed based on the local situation.

Speaking in his capacity as Chairman of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, Committee Chairman Alounkeo Kittikhoun (Lao People's Democratic Republic) said that awareness of the specific problems and needs of landlocked countries, as well as the ability to share experiences and expertise among developing countries, were crucial within the framework of South-South cooperation.  The problems they encountered in transporting their goods required the elaboration of a long-term plan to resolve the problems of poor transport infrastructure, high transit tariffs and border-crossing difficulties. 

There was the need for committed cooperation among landlocked developing countries and their transit neighbours, he emphasized.  Also necessary were the political will and the committed support of the entire international community.  That was where triangular cooperation came into play.  The Web of Information for Development (WIDE) Initiative could provide a global platform, which would allow the international development community to address the problems of landlocked developing countries. 

As a country whose only resource was its people, Singapore believed that human resources development was vital for economic and social progress, stated its representative.  Since the establishment of the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP), more than 15,000 participants from 139 countries had been trained.  The SCP was divided into two broad categories of programmes -- bilateral programmes and Third Country Training Programmes (TCTPs).

Also this afternoon, Percy Metsing Mangoaela (Lesotho) was designated as Chairman of the Committee’s working group.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Tunisia, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina and Burundi.  In addition, representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries, and of the Pan American Health Organization made statements.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 30 May, to continue its general discussion.

Background

This afternoon, the High-Level Committee on the Review of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries continued its twelfth session, which opened this morning.  Ten speakers were expected to take the floor in the general debate, before the Committee proceeded to hold an interactive dialogue on several items on its agenda.  (For background information about the session, see Press Release DEV/2334.)

Statements

A. SADIQUL HOQUE (Bangladesh) said that technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC) had emerged as a new dimension of international cooperation for development.  Biennial reviews by the High-level Committee helped the international community to identify and update appropriate measures needed to strengthen TCDC.  The Group of 77 South Summit, held in Havana in April 2000, had formulated the programme of action, which encouraged the coordinating role of the Special Unit for TCDC and the establishment of a network of focal points of developing countries, in the context of the creation of a multi-dimensional web of information and development.  Those were positive developments, which had a tremendous potential for the years to come.

The plight of the 49 least developed countries (LDCs) was well known, he continued, and the programme of action for those countries, adopted this month in Brussels, envisaged strengthened technological cooperation between LDCs and other developing countries.  There was an urgent need for the Special Unit on TCDC to identify the areas of activities in that regard.  A country like Bangladesh could share its experience in the areas where it had achieved success.  For example, it had made significant advances in micro-credit and made notable progress in primary education, empowerment of women and family welfare.

Technical cooperation among developing countries should not be treated separately as a special programme, he continued.  Rather, it should be integrated into the overall mandate of operational activities of the United Nations.  It was necessary to train people in the skills that they needed, based on local situations.  Perhaps the most productive strategy would be to improve the links with centres of excellence and academic institutes, along with financial arrangements necessary to train personnel on a regional basis.  Developed countries should play a more significant role in TCDC, and the United Nations family should increase its contributions within the framework of multi-year funding and United Nations Development Assistance. 

It was also important to attain full implementation of the revised guidelines for the review of policies and procedures concerning TCDC.  Triangular cooperation had an enormous potential.  In conclusion, he underscored the need for systematic documentation and sharing of information on successful triangular arrangements for TCDC, and said that the Special Unit should provide catalytic support to strengthen the efforts of developing countries, particularly the LDCs.

ABDELHAMID BOUHAOUALA, Director-General of the Agency for Technical Cooperation of Tunisia, was convinced that South-South cooperation was an important aspect of international cooperation.  Tunisia had made available to several countries, particularly African and Arab ones, its best practices in areas in which it had expertise.  It had, in recent years, implemented several programmes in the promotion of TCDC.  For example, it had more than 2,000 experts in technical cooperation working in programmes in African and Arab countries, in areas such as combating poverty and school planning. 

Tunisia, he said, had also contributed to cooperation in science and technology by organizing workshops in areas such as combating desertification.  His country was also working with the Islamic Bank for Development and with the Japanese Technical Cooperation Agency on programmes to manage foreign debt and further economic development.  In addition, Tunisia had organized missions to identify projects in six African countries.  The results achieved as part of trilateral cooperation showed the importance of promoting cooperation for technical development.  Tunisia had also contributed to financing many of the programmes it had organized and was willing to continue contributing to the financing of TCDC activities. 

JEANETTE NDHLOVU (South Africa) said that South-South cooperation was pivotal to the success of collective efforts in addressing the challenges faced by the developing world.  As expressed at the South Summit in Havana, South-South cooperation was a crucial tool for developing and strengthening the economic independence of developing countries and achieving development.  It was also one of the means of ensuring the equitable and effective participation of developing countries in the emerging global economic order.  While technical cooperation could play an important role in integrating developing countries into the global economy, that role was only complementary to other international efforts. 

It was encouraging, she said, to note that during the period under review there was a marked increase in the number of developing countries involved in technical cooperation as either provider or recipient of services or both.  South Africa was proud to be both provider and recipient of technical cooperation.  It was giving priority attention to the promotion and support of international cooperation in many fields, including science and technology.  Many agreements in that regard had already been signed with both developed and developing countries.  In spite of the significant progress and new developments highlighted by the reports, it was also noted that, for many countries, limited human resource capacity and financial resources constituted the main constraints to the expansion of TCDC.

ALICE PESSOA DE ABREU (Brazil) said that her Government had increased its technical cooperation with other countries.  Brazil had a great reserve of knowledge, which it could share with others, including in the areas of training, the fight against illiteracy, agriculture, health and public administration.  The coordination of technical cooperation was being carried out by the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation, which included relevant structures of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The strategy of technical cooperation developed by Brazil was focused on the institutional strengthening of its partners, which was a fundamental condition for making the transfer and absorption of knowledge effective.  The goal was to promote structural changes, which would allow the country’s partners to develop their resources. 

Continuing, she stressed the historical and political ties that linked Brazil with other members of the community of Portuguese-speaking countries, including East Timor -– and the Latin American countries.  Such ties facilitated the transfer of knowledge and techniques in the scope of cooperation for development.  Specific cooperation actions were developed in the context of regional blocs, including the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).  The search for sustainable development focused on the training of human resources and institutional strengthening.  It was also important to concentrate on the new realities and challenges for developing countries, including such priority themes as commerce and investments, the debt, the environment, the fight against poverty and the coordination of macroeconomic policies.

The Brazilian Agency for Cooperation analysed relevant policies, she said, and tried to select those themes to which the national institutions’ experiences could contribute.  The Agency also tried to implement the recommended initiatives to intensify and expand the actions of TCDC, including the use of “triangulation”, the transfer of experiences and results of successful projects.

MARIO ALEMAN (Ecuador) said that cooperation for development was an essential theme in terms of what Ecuador was doing outside its borders.  Recently, a decline in official development assistance (ODA) and a rise in policies which limit technical and economic cooperation could be seen.  Thus, it was necessary to implement programmes which were beneficial to the most needy segments of the population.  South-South cooperation was a valid alternative, considering its contributions to TCDC.  Ecuador’s experience with cooperation with its neighbours was a positive one.  It had greatly increased trade with several neighbours, including fruitful cooperation with Cuba in the fields of health, research and sport.

With other countries of MERCOSUR, Ecuador was implementing programmes in areas such as education, tourism and the modernization of the State, he continued.  It also had programmes on combating drug trafficking in the Andean countries.  South-South cooperation must have trade as an essential component and, in particular, trade among the Andean countries must maintain its rising trend.  Only then could the challenge of melding the Free Trade Zone of the Americas be met.

KISHORE MAHBUBANI (Singapore) said that, as a country whose only resource was its people, Singapore believed that human resources development was vital for economic and social progress.  Singapore’s technical assistance under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) focused primarily on human resources development.  Since the establishment of the SCP, more than 15,000 participants from 139 countries had been trained. 

The SCP, he continued, was divided into two broad categories of programmes  –- the bilateral programmes and the Third Country Training Programmes (TCTPs).  Singapore had signed 24 memorandums of understanding with 11 international organizations and 11 countries.  Those included Germany, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia, Norway, Luxembourg, Thailand, Denmark, Canada and the Holy See.  Some 150 courses in various fields were conducted each year, covering such areas as information technology, airport management, finance and banking, public administration and investment promotion. 

He noted the tremendous potential in information technology and hoped that greater emphasis would be placed on it within TCDC.  He invited delegations to visit www.mfa.gov.sg/scp to obtain more information on the SCP and application forms for SCP courses. 

HORACIO H. FERNANDEZ PALACIO (Argentina) said that he wanted to refer to the experiences of his country within the framework of horizontal cooperation, which was a fundamental element of its development strategies.  New modalities for TCDC and participation of new players, as well as triangular cooperation, were among the recent developments. 

A simple mechanism which had been elaborated in his country provided for reliable and continuous links, sharing of national experiences, and technical cooperation among developing countries, he continued.  The funds came from the budgets of several ministries, including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce.  Also, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organization of American States (OAS) were providing assistance to national institutions.  Public and private institutions, ministries, universities and foundations were part of the registry of Argentine participants.  Over 3,000 experts had been sent to various parts of the world, ensuring cooperation in various fields, including agriculture and tourism.  Technical cooperation among developing countries was a powerful tool, which could contribute to the improvement of the quality of life there.  Argentina was willing to offer help to those countries which needed it.

MARIE-GORETTI NIZIGAMA (Burundi) said that TCDC was a way of increasing the potential of developing countries within the process of globalization.  Her country’s Government had taken into account the new TCDC guidelines in implementing its projects.  The focal point for TCDC had been created in the country in 1998 with the help of the UNDP.  However, some projects had not been carried out because of the lack of funds.  The country was also experiencing difficulties because of the lack of access to the Internet. 

Burundi attached great importance to TCDC, but it was facing both financial and technical difficulties, she said.  The country’s focal point did not have sufficient know-how or training for successful application of TCDC, and she requested international assistance to address those problems.  She asked all donors to increase cooperation with her country in order to alleviate the poverty of its population and advance its development.  She also hoped that additional help from UNDP’s Special Unit on TCDC would help her country to overcome its problems.

Speaking on behalf of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, ALOUNKEO KITTIKHOUN (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) said that the Group attached great importance to the framework of South-South cooperation, as it played a complementary role in promoting the integration of developing countries in the global economy.  Technical cooperation among developing countries continued to be valid and relevant in overcoming common problems and uncertainties.  Bearing in mind the constrained budget of the UNDP Special Unit for TCDC, he appreciated the commendable work it performed in promoting South-South cooperation. 

In the era of globalization, the landlocked developing countries were marginalized in the international trading system by the nature of their geographical location, he continued.  Among their problems were high transit transport costs, which required the elaboration of a long-term plan to resolve the problems of poor transport infrastructure, high transit tariffs and border-crossing difficulties.  There was the need for committed cooperation among landlocked developing countries and their transit neighbours.  Also needed were the political will and the committed support of the entire international community.  That was where triangular cooperation came into play.

Over the past years, application of the TCDC modality to find a solution to the problems of landlocked developing countries had been relatively limited, he said.  The Group believed that awareness of the specific problems and needs of landlocked countries, as well as the ability to share experiences and expertise among developing countries, were crucial within the framework of South-South cooperation.  He welcomed the progress that had been made in facilitating South-South policy and information exchange through the Web of Information for Development (WIDE), compiling and disseminating successful practices in the South.  The WIDE could provide a global platform, which would allow the international development community to address the problems of landlocked developing countries.

LIGUR TUNCER, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that South-South cooperation had been a recurrent item on the population agenda as a strategic modality for sharing experiences both within and among countries, and the concept had been fully endorsed by the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the key actions of the ICPD+5.  Both documents urged countries, donors, funding agencies and the private sector to support the inclusion of South-South components in development cooperation programmes and projects, and to promote South-South cooperation. 

To advance the Programme of Action, the UNFPA worked on three main programme areas:  to ensure universal access to reproductive health; to support population and development strategies; and to promote awareness of and advocate for mobilization of the resources and political will necessary to accomplish its areas of work.  Among the examples he cited was that the UNFPA encouraged its field offices to support specific South-South components within the country programmes for countries to benefit from South-South activities as provider and/or recipient.  Also, at the regional and subregional levels, the Fund’s Technical Advisory Programme had proved to be a useful strategy in disseminating success stories and experiences and facilitating the exchange of experiences.

In the future, the UNFPA planned to continue its support for South-South cooperation based on strategic options that would benefit a large number of countries in a cost- and time-effective manner, while building upon past achievements, consolidating existing capacities and exploiting potentials to ensure long-term sustainability.

MIGUEL GENOVESE, representative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said that, from its inception, PAHO had promoted disease prevention measures in and among countries, establishing a wide range of agreements with international institutions and cooperation agencies.  In fact, the very creation of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau was an expression of TCDC.  The mission of the Bureau was “to cooperate technically with Member States and to stimulate cooperation among them in order that, while maintaining a healthy environment and charting a course to sustainable development, the peoples of the Americas might achieve Health for All and by All”. 

He said that the purpose of the TCDC projects and activities between neighbouring and/or bordering countries was usually to meet health needs in border areas.  Very often, those projects and activities were geared towards the prevention, surveillance and control of emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases, as well as the development of local health systems.  More recently, the “healthy borders” approach had been introduced, and the growing importance of those activities had fostered a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative called “Healthy Borders”.  He also touched on the issues of technical cooperation among countries with medium- and long-term contributions of human and technology resources, as well as reform of the United Nations and TCDC.

ERDINC ERDUN of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries, said that the Centre was a focal point for TCDC for developing countries.  All the activities in the field of technical cooperation and training were in direct response to the needs of participating countries.  The programmes of the Centre had been initiated in 1981.  It was working in cooperation with various regional and international organizations to pool knowledge and provide assistance to the developing countries.  The Centre provided training and collected relevant information to assist in cooperation activities of the countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.  Most of the research information was published in the form of directories and disseminated among interested parties.  Information was also being placed on the Internet. 

Interactive Dialogue

A speaker said that the work should not end with the end of the session, but serve as the basis for future efforts. 

Sharing his country’s experiences, another speaker pointed out that developing countries were taking a more active role in initiating and developing TCDC.  Increasing triangular cooperation would also contribute to development of cost-effective cooperation.

The representative of the Organization for African Unity (OAU) said that, in listening to presentations, he was impressed with the progress made and the experiences shared by countries.  He hoped that those in Africa would be able to ensure that TCDC benefited their countries.  He was interested in examining how to strengthen TCDC in Africa. 

One speaker said that in 1995 there was a meeting of the African focal points, whose objective was the exchange of national experiences and whose goal was to improve TCDC in African countries.  He asked why no such meetings had taken place since then, and what had happened since that meeting.

The CHAIRMAN noted that human resources development was one of the fields in which further cooperation was necessary, whether bilaterally or under triangular arrangements.  Many delegations had emphasized the importance of information technology, as well as promoting TCDC in the area of health.  Emphasis had also been placed on fostering development in LDCs through South-South cooperation.

The Director of the UNDP’s Special Unit for TCDC, SAFIATOU BA N’DAW, said that delegates had mentioned that the Unit should further its links with the private sector.  The Unit had held the first business forum in Malaysia and would be holding the second one in July.  On deepening triangular arrangements, she said that the Unit needed the experiences of countries and would like to expand on such arrangements.

The Unit, she continued, with regard to the needs of LDCs, was working on the Web sites of 24 countries to give them necessary support.  However, the financial constraints of the Unit did not allow it to do as much as it would like.

On the need for the United Nations system to give more support to TCDC, she said that the Unit was planning a meeting for 4 June to discuss with the different United Nations agencies how to better serve countries in the context of South-South cooperation. 

Regarding the South-South Cooperation Trust Fund, she informed delegates that from 1990 to 2000 about $19 million was contributed, of which $3 million was donated by Japan.  In addition, donations were received from China, Republic of Korea, Ireland and the Ford Foundation.  The contributions had been used for

33 projects, and eight projects were in the pipelines.  One of the reports before the Committee -- TCDC/12/3 -- contained details on how the contributions were used.

On why the meeting of focal points had not been held since 1995, she said that due to decreased finances, the Unit had to prioritize its activities.  The focal points meetings were of a lesser priority and were placed on the “back burner”.

One representative asked how developing countries, particularly LDCs, could be assisted to enhance their capacities in the field of information and communication technology.  One way to enhance such capacities was for WIDE -- Web of Information for Development -- to develop a database showing the skills available in developing countries, so that the rest of the world could see what skills were available.

Another speaker asked what form of support the focal points might expect from the Special Unit.

Ms. BA N’DAW replied that the support the Unit was providing to LDCs was basically regarding the 24 Web sites, of which Burundi’s was one.

Several speakers also addressed the role of the Special Unit for TCDC in implementing particular projects in developing countries.  Sharing their national experiences in capacity-building and development of technical cooperation, several country representatives stressed the need for close contacts between the UNDP and national focal points, and emphasized the importance of financial assistance in the implementation of national cooperation plans.

The WIDE was a very important initiative for the promotion of TCDC, a speaker said, but in some developing countries its utility was undermined by the fact that it found only limited use by the private sector.  The system should be faster and more user-friendly.

The Special Unit representative said that it was important for the Unit to know particular problems of the countries involved in TCDC.  As for the financial constraints faced by some countries, the Special Unit needed additional resources to be able to better support technical cooperation there.  Turning to the WIDE, she said that the number of consultants involved in that system was 52,000. However, additional financing was needed to upgrade that system.