Reverse Linkage

28 REVERSE LINKAGE “Green” Triangular Cooperation By using data from the OECD’s 2015 survey on Triangular Cooperation, an exploration was made as to how Triangular Cooperation contributes to achieving ‘green’ goals. Achieving the SDGs requires addressing the global envi- ronment directly – for example SDGs 13 on climate action, 14 on life below water and 15 on life on land – as well as dealing with environmental issues linked to other develop- ment activities and goals – for example SDGs 7 on affordable and clean energy, 11 on sustainable cities and communities or 12 on responsible consumption and production. All countries aim to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as other environment-related agree- ments on biodiversity, desertification or disaster risk and resilience. The year 2015 was a turning point in the coop- eration arena on global climate change because, under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, not only did Annex A countries of the Kyoto Protocol commit to dedicating funds and expertise, but all countries, irre- spective of their income status and historical responsibility, agreed to work on tackling climate change. Given this change, South-South and Triangular Cooperation are likely to gain more importance as modalities to achieve interna- tionally agreed climate goals in the years to come. ‘Green’ Triangular Cooperation can be understood as activities that target local environmental issues, such as tackling water pollution or enhancing air purity, as well as global environmental goods, such as adapting andmitigating climate change, stopping biodiversity loss or desertification. Using this understanding, it is found that one quarter of the Triangular Cooperation projects gathered through the 2015 OECD survey target ‘green’ objectives as their main aim. Of these, three quarters have a ‘significantly green’ objec- tive, indicating that ‘green’ issues are being integrated into Triangular Cooperation activities with other primary objec- tives (75 per cent of the projects).This is especially the case for local environment-related Triangular Cooperation projects. The remaining one quarter have a ‘principally green’ objec- tive, which implies that they would not have been funded if they had not had this ‘green’ objective. In this category, the majority of projects are climate-related. Surprisingly, not a single project was reported with a desertification-related aim and only one ‘brown’ project was reported – that is, a Triangular Cooperation activity that targets objectives that go against the environment (in this case, promoting the use of fossil fuels). Half of the green projects are in Latin America and the Caribbean. This finding shows that Triangular Cooperation is a useful tool for promoting ‘green’ objectives. The Global Partnership Initiative on effective Triangular Cooperation As these various examples show, Triangular Cooperation has great potential to forge inclusive development partnerships that are fit for the future. In this spirit, the Global Partnership Initiative was launched at the 2016 High-level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation in Nairobi as a multi-stakeholder initiative. It is being led by a core group that includes Canada, IsDB, Japan, Mexico, the OECD and the UN Office for South-South Cooperation. Governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and private sector representatives partici- pate in the initiative through three workstreams (advocacy, analytical, and operational) which aim to analyse, and systematize, experiences and best practices; elaborate a set of voluntary principles; and consolidate frameworks of Triangular Cooperation that ensure country-led ownership as well as inclusive partnerships for sustainable develop- ment. Results of its work will feed into preparations for the second High-level United Nations Conference on South- South Cooperation in Buenos Aires (BAPA+40 Conference) in March 2019. The OECD will continue supporting providers of devel- opment cooperation in their deployment of Triangular Cooperation activities through further analytical work, compiling activities and reports, tracking this modality through its statistical system and contributing to the Global Partnership Initiative. The OECD’s collaboration with IsDB has, in this sense, been highly relevant to dispel some of the myths surrounding Triangular Cooperation and to ensure that Triangular Cooperation is well-represented at the BAPA+40 Conference. Regional distribution of green Triangular Cooperation projects Latin America and the Caribbean 51% Africa 18% Asia-Pacific 12% Africa and Asia-Pacific 12% Asia-Pacific and LAC 2% Africa and LAC 2% Other and multi- regional 3% Source: OECD