Reverse Linkage

19 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION diesel engines in the country and for training of train- ers in those fields. That led to a successful South-South partnership between a private company in Pakistan and a public corporation in Algeria, with supplementary support from IsDB. • Cameroon had stated that it had no set-up for manufac- turing insecticide sprayers, which were being imported at exorbitant costs. In view of the growing need for spray- ers, especially for agricultural crops, the authorities were planning to set up a manufacturing plant in the country and needed experts to assist in conducting a feasibility study and in setting up the plant. The study was carried out, and the establishment of the manufacturing plant was accomplished through cooperation between a private company in Pakistan and a government institution in Cameroon, with supplementary support from IsDB. • Pakistan needed training of its scientists and technolo- gists in the use of certain types of laboratory equipment which had become available in Saudi Arabia. Friendly discussions between the relevant authorities of the two countries resulted in the provision of training in Saudi Arabia, with supplementary support from IsDB. These examples are illustrative, and development projects of this nature emanating, as they did, from CNM events organized by several other IsDB member countries, notably Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey, had quite a positive impact on the development of the countries concerned, leading to increased productivity, employment generation, import substitution and even a boost to the respective countries’ export potential. Besides, many of the contacts established among the cooperating countries’ institutions through those technical exchanges have flourished over the years, fostering the spirit of solidarity and cooperation among them. In recent years, collaborative relations between UNOSSC and IsDB have been shaped by the changing needs of the time. During biennial meetings on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), both organizations have joined with their respective agencies and institutions in identifying priority projects of assistance to member countries in their effort to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda SDGs, especially in the areas of poverty eradication; food security and agriculture; transport infrastructure; entrepreneurial development; sustainable tourism; women and youth empowerment; climate change; and healthcare. Of particular significance in these areas of cooperation, UNOSSC, in partnership with IsDB and a number of other key regional and global stakeholders, is supporting Member States in the Arab States region, Europe and the CIS in advancing their respective South-South and Triangular Cooperation agendas. Civil society, academia and the private sector as well as the United Nations development system are also engaged at all levels. Leveraging these partnerships, Regional Networking Forums, organized by UNOSSC, have created an open and conducive knowledge sharing setting in order to support stakeholders in further improving their understanding of trends and opportunities. More informa- tion, including information on the mapping of successful solutions in the region is available at http://www.arab -ecis. unsouthsouth.org/library/publications/ Forums for Businesswomen have also been organ- ized by the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA), with support from UNOSSC and IsDB. At these forums, women-owned and/or women- headed enterprises from ICCIA’s 57 member countries come together to discuss and seek solutions to common issues and develop business partnerships. UNOSSC and IsDB are being represented at meetings of each of the organizations’ governing bodies where their advice and interventions on matters of respective interest and competence have been welcomed. Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director, UNOSSC, speaking at the Global South- South Development Expo 2017 Image: UNOSSC