Reverse Linkage

92 REVERSE LINKAGE T rilateral technical cooperation is, for Brazil, a form of international development, complementary to South-South Cooperation (SSC), which can take various forms and methods of implementation involving several actors from public, private and civil society, coop- erating with any combination of developing countries, developed countries and international organizations. Rather than the more traditional Triangular Cooperation, trilateral technical cooperation is characterised by partner- ships on a horizontal basis. It is guided by the principles of SSC and seeks to join efforts to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience for the benefit of develop- ing countries. To achieve this goal, trilateral technical cooperation initiatives are anchored in added value and the comparative advantages identified by each partner, as well as in the effective participation of partners, both in a political, strategic dimension and the technical, operational composition that is guaranteed by governance spaces and shared management, and which allow an appropriate policy approach and joint reflection on the partnership efforts. Trilateral technical cooperation is justified when it allows a larger scale and resource mobilisation for techni- cal exchanges between the Global South, when configured as a natural extension of traditional cooperation received by Brazil from developed countries and when combining regional and global issues of collective interest, such as the fight against hunger. Hence trilateral technical cooperation is not designed as a variation of North-South Cooperation, but as a horizontal cooperation instrument that provides complementarity between technical, financial and human resources, combining cooperating stakeholders. The Brazilian engagement in trilateral technical coopera- tion initiatives is guided by the principles of SSC – a demand driven approach towards developing countries; noninterfer- ence in the internal affairs of the recipient countries; and no imposition of conditionality or link between technical coop- eration and commercial operations. Still, the experience of Brazilian technical cooperation points to the importance of investing in the horizontality of relations and participa- tion of partners as a strategy that strengthens the autonomy and promotes greater ownership, thus contributing to the sustainability of the initiatives and the potential results in catalysing development processes, following the conclusion of cooperation initiatives. To fully accomplish the potential of trilateral partnerships in which the product of joint efforts can be greater than the sum of individual contributions, it is important to avoid asymmetrical relations and ensure appropriate conditions for the establishment of horizontal partnerships. The hori- zontality is related to shared management of projects and actions, implemented through direct and active involvement of the cooperating institutions in Brazil and the partner country(ies) from the planning stage to the monitoring and evaluation of results. Seeking to establish more equal rela- tions, trilateral cooperation should recognize the different dimensions of power (such as financial and institutional capacities) so that they do not replicate or reinforce dynam- ics of traditional cooperation. For this reason, the Brazilian engagement in trilateral initiatives values ​the building of dialogue, joint participation at all stages. The Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), working under the Ministry of External Relations, is a coordinating body of technical cooperation, responsible for identifying and mobilising those national institutions with the necessary experience and readiness to actively participate in technical cooperation initiatives, and whose contribution is usually made through the allocation of technical labour hours of their specialists during the period necessary for the develop- ment of the project. The Agency acts, therefore, as a national focal point that coordinates dialogue between the various institutions that undertake trilateral initiatives of techni- cal cooperation. According to its mandate and mission, the Agency facilitates the coordination of Brazilian state action with partners in trilateral technical cooperation, focusing on the maintenance and consolidation of relations with those partners, in line with the principles and broader agendas of Brazilian foreign policy. The Brazilian experience of trilateral cooperation Ambassador João Almino, Director; Counsellor Murilo Vieira Komniski, Advisor of the Director; Cecilia Malaguti do Prado, General Coordinator of Technical Trilateral Cooperation with International Organizations; Wofsi Yuri de Souza, General Coordinator of Technical Cooperation and Partnerships with Developed Countries, Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC)