Reverse Linkage

6 REVERSE LINKAGE I t has nearly been 40 years since the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, which put South-South Cooperation (SSC) in the spotlight of socio-economic development. As a complementary approach to provid- ing vital expertise and resources to countries in need, SSC opened up a new path to economic development: one that puts solutions to economic challenges first, before funding. By identifying cooperation among countries as a way to solve barriers to development, SSC has shown that non-conditional and solidarity-based approaches can also make a significant contribution to economic development. As an institution that derives its operating principles from the rich traditions and heritage of its member countries, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) considers SSC as the natural approach to helping its member countries advance on the scale of economic development. It is for this reason that IsDB – from its inception over four decades ago – has identified promoting SSC as one of its primary goals. IsDB, along with all other development institutions, is entering into a new era underpinned by the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs, devel- oped after much consultation, will require joint efforts in order to fulfil the persistent challenges of our member coun- tries on the ground – related to poverty, access to health and education, food security, climate resilience, security and a host of other challenges. In achieving the SDGs effectively, the forming of strategic partnerships will play a substantial role. In this respect, SSC, in addition to traditional North-South development approaches, will become ever more important as many of the countries of the Global South are in a better position to share their experi- ences, expertise, and resources with other countries. The formulation of the Reverse Linkage modality As a multilateral development institution that consists only of member countries from the Global South, IsDB contin- ues to dedicate resources as a key player in promoting SSC, especially as it embarks on a new journey to become a “Bank of Developers” which would allow IsDB to play the role of an enabler in the exchange of innovative sustainable devel- opment solutions among member countries. Since 1983, IsDB has been implementing The Technical Cooperation Programme, linking member countries through short- term technical cooperation activities with the overall aim to transfer capacity from one country to another. Among the many lessons learned from the long experi- ence of implementing technical cooperation operations, the most notable can be outlined as follows: • Member countries possess a wealth of knowledge and expertise that can be tapped to strengthen economic development • Long-term engagements among member countries can produce more sustainable results as well as enduring partnerships. The search within IsDB for a more enhanced SSC mech- anism coincided with the development of the Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS) of Turkey in 2010, during which the government signalled its enthusiasm to share the country’s knowledge, expertise, technology and resources with other developing countries. In addition, IsDB has been well aware of the successes many of the other member countries have registered with regard to their economic development. These successes culminated in the accumulation of significant capacity in many areas that, if tapped into properly, could be transferred to help other member countries that lag behind. These circumstances eventually lead to the formulation of the Reverse Linkage (RL) mechanism – defined as a techni- cal cooperation mechanism enabled by IsDB whereby member countries andMuslim communities in non-member countries, exchange their knowledge, expertise, technology and resources to develop their capacities and devise solutions for their auton- omous development . As an enhanced approach to technical cooperation, the RL mechanism has been piloted since 2012, during which time many standalone projects responding to the capacity development needs of member countries were Sustainable development results through enhanced partnerships – IsDB’s Reverse Linkage mechanism IsDB Reverse Linkage Team 1