Reverse Linkage

21 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION access to this knowledge, electronic publications on mapping South-South cooperation solutions in Arab States and in the Europe and the CIS region have been developed and placed online, following a similar publication for Arab States of 2014, highlighting new, successful replicable experiences. Regional Networking Forums for Arab States, Europe and the CIS Initiated by UNOSSC and supported by many development partners, the Regional Networking Forums are held regu- larly to create a conductive knowledge-sharing space for the Directors General to aid development cooperation in Arab States, Europe and the CIS countries in advancing South- South cooperation in various development areas. IsDB has been providing partnership support to these forums and has substantially contributed to the organization of the 2nd (Astana, Kazakhstan, June 2017) and the 3rd (Antalya, Turkey, November 2017) Regional Networking Forums. Capacity building for the coordination of SSC Recognising the importance of capacity building in the coor- dination of SSC and technical cooperation for attaining the objectives set in the 2030Agenda for SustainableDevelopment, IsDB has contributed to the development of certified train- ing programmes, elaborated by UNOSSC and the UN System Staff College Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development. IsDB also financially supported the participation of repre- sentatives of development cooperation/SSC agencies from the OIC countries in training conducted for governmental SSC focal points and for representatives of Technical Cooperation Agencies from Arab States, Europe and the CIS. The three- day session, conducted in Astana, Kazakhstan in June 2017 as a pre-event to the 2nd Regional Networking Forum, focused on the trends, models and benefits of SSC in implementing national strategies toward implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It resulted in raising awareness of practical tools for coordinating SSC to better harness the opportunities of this cooperation flow. Joint training for the ministries of agriculture in Arab States, CIS and Eastern European countries Eight capacity building training sessions on coordination and maximising benefits of SSC for agricultural develop- ment in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have been organized and delivered to the key staff of the Ministries of Agriculture within the implemen- tation of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Agricultural Development and Enhanced Food Security partnership initiative, which is jointly supported by IFAD, IsDB and UNOSSC. 167 staff were trained in Algeria, Hungary, Kyrgyz Republic, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Ahmed Faruk Diken of the Islamic Development Bank, speaking at The Third Regional Networking Forum for Arab States, Europe and the CIS on South-South and Triangular Cooperation Image: UNOSSC