Exploring Funding Opportunities for South-South and Triangular Cooperation

Exploring Funding Opportunities for South-South and Triangular Cooperation  

As South-South cooperation broadens, the potential to deepen collaborative efforts in impactful ways—encompassing both financial and non-financial aspects—grows. Member States, United Nations agencies, and other stakeholders administer and manage a range of funds and grants designed to assist governments, UN partners and other actors in piloting of South-South initiatives across the globe. This resource aims to inform you about some of the available financing mechanisms. These serve as vital links, bridging development financing with investments that are not only innovative but also capable of generating substantial multiplier effects. 

The India-UN Development Partnership Fund is a dedicated facility established in 2017 within UNFSSC. It is supported and led by the Government of the Republic of India, managed by UNOSSC, and implemented in collaboration with the United Nations system. The India-UN Development Partnership Fund supports Southern-owned and led, demand-driven, and transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world, with a focus on least developed countries and small island developing states. United Nations agencies implement the Funds projects in close collaboration with partnering governments. The proposed project size ranges from USD 200,000 to USD 1 million. Check here for more information.  

IBSA Fund is a collaborative effort between India, Brazil, and South Africa – three powerhouse nations committed to promoting sustainable development globally through the South. Established in 2004, and operational in 2006, the Fund supports projects on a demand-driven basis through partnerships with local governments, national institutions, and implementing partners. It implements replicable and scalable projects that can be disseminated to interested developing countries as examples of good practices in the fight against poverty and hunger. The Fund is managed by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). Check here for more information. 

The United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund, established in 2016 with a $200 million pledge from the Government of China, aims to advance the goals of the UN Charter through innovative projects. China's commitment was reaffirmed in September 2020 by President Xi Jinping, extending the Fund's lifespan by five years beyond its initial expiration in 2025. UNPDF has two sub-funds. The Secretary-General's Peace and Security Sub-Fund, is aimed at financing projects and activities related to the maintenance of international peace and security. And the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund, is intended to finance activities in support of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by Member States in September 2015. Check here for more information. 

On June 24, 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping claimed in the High-level Dialogue on Global Development held on the margins of the 14th BRICS Summit that China will take a series of concrete actions under the framework of the Global Development Initiative as deliverables of this Dialogue, including upgrading China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund into the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, with an additional input of 1 billion U.S. dollars on top of the existing 3 billion U.S. dollars. Check here for more information.