One of the most successful and efficient ways for Asian and Pacific nations to trade technological knowledge and expertise is, increasingly, South-South Cooperation (SSC). Unlike the conventional donor country or beneficiary country relationships, SSC is more like a collaboration between countries and has greatly evolved as a proven method for any country in Asia and the Pacific to learn from another that has overcome similar developmental challenges in its own recent history.

The UN and other international development partners have indeed shifted their attention to SSC as a crucial complementing option to close the technological gap and assist sustainable development and erase poverty, inequalities, and most importantly, hunger.

Since SSC is based on multiple values, it is a very sought-after type of technological cooperation. These comprise mutual respect of each other’s sovereignty and integrity, peaceful co-existence, mutual benefit and equality, mutual non-interference and mutual non-aggression. SSC is acknowledged by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as based on solidarity with fellow nations for mutual benefits. FAO acts as a catalyst for cooperation among nations and institutions having proven development solutions to share with others in need of such answers.

Since SSC is based on multiple values, it is a very sought-after type of technological cooperation.

Reflecting its international expertise in SSC projects, especially to assist drive an agrifood systems transformation for the benefit of all people in the Asia-Pacific region, and worldwide, FAO has given a framework for such cooperation based on its competitive advantage.

Emphasizing the notion that SSC is rather complementary in its methods rather than a replacement for North-South cooperation — which is quite important in and of itself — is crucial. The primary distinction is SSC offers information sharing, training, and know-how instead of development aid in the form of financial grants. Either way, both are vital. Some of the most innovative technologies in the world found in the Asia-Pacific area have greatly helped to lower poverty and hunger by means of their application.

At the same time, though, the area boasts the highest number of quite underprivileged and malnourished individuals worldwide. The technologies used throughout several nations in the region also show this oddity. While some are dealing with very basic and primitive technologies in the same area, others have evolved extremely sophisticated technologies throughout value chains. Less developed nations have traditionally been more eager to learn from those that had recently experienced similar difficulties.

The primary distinction is SSC offers information sharing, training, and know-how instead of development aid in the form of financial grants.

The SSC strategy is a sensible neighbor-to-neighbor project in Asia and the Pacific given the developed/underdeveloped mix of nations. However, the area can and does share its know-how with nations around the world provided it has amassed a rich and varied set of experiences in policies and tactics pertaining to rural poverty, agricultural development, prices, trade and institutional development.

Other counties both inside and beyond the region are quite eager to learn such success-oriented methods, embrace and modify them, and expand on past achievements. In the end, SSC helps nations not only to grasp the outcomes of successful experiences and efficient technical know-how but also the procedures and systems engaged in their development, execution, and institutionalization.

While the middle-income nations in Asia and the Pacific have amassed notable experiences and technical know-how in their own agrifood systems, some may not have the necessary financial means to enable the trade with other countries. The FAO has been, therefore, contacting other development partners to engage in planned technical cooperation. Known as South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), this is when a third party supplies financial means to enable the trade.