INSouth

South African President Kgalema Motlanthe

"Indeed, the irony of the current global financial crisis is that the pillars of stability and the hope for future economic recovery potentially lie in the South - if we continue to prioritise both growth and the redistribution of wealth to the majority, including the poor."

Indian External Affairs Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee

Developing countries have talked of the philosophy of South-South Cooperation for development for a very long time. A number of initiatives were launched during the 1960s and 1970s. However, progress was modest because of lack of resources and institutional weaknesses in developing countries. With the emergence of countries like Brazil, India and South Africa in this millennium with considerable capabilities and collective development experiences that South-South cooperation has begun to be seen as a viable strategy.

Ambassador Mothae Anthony Maruping, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the United Nations at Geneva

The challenges facing the developing world, especially small and vulnerable developing countries are deep-rooted in the history of North-South relations. During the colonial period, colonies’ borders were artificially drawn and largely ignorant of ethnic or tribal belongings. When the independence movement gained momentum in the late 1950s, trade flows from the South to the former masters consisted primarily of raw material but the terms of trade were comparatively fair. Gradually, exploitation rather than trade started to characterize the North-South relationship and developing economies became more vocal in their calls for a new global economic order.