International Day for South-South Cooperation

September 12, 2014

The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation observed today, September 12, serves to remind us of the importance and added value of South-South cooperation as an increasingly significant vector for sharing knowledge, experiences, know-how, solutions and technologies, running in parallel and as a complement to North-South cooperation.

No longer viewed simply as recipients of technology innovations and know-how but also as sources thereof, an important number of countries in the South have learned to harness the power of science, technology and innovation as an engine for development, which has in turn led to the rise of innovative, tailor-made, potentially transferable and adaptable solutions to address common development challenges in the field of IP.

From investment in infrastructure to the sharing of technological advances and best practices in development, South-South cooperation is now widely recognized as a key mechanism for the development agenda of countries of the South.

As a promoter and catalyst of such cooperation, WIPO has built South-South cooperation approaches into its development-related programs and technical assistance and capacity-building activities, spurring the exchange of experiences among developing countries and least-developed countries through policy fora and dialogues, the exchange of experts, study visits, and regional and sub-regional cooperation on various IP and development related issues.