02 December 2020 – The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and UNDP, in partnership with Middle-East and North Africa Public Administration Research Think Tank Network (MENAPAR TTN) successfully concluded the three-day Virtual Arab Regional Workshop on “Investing in the SDGs through South-South and Triangular Cooperation beyond COVID-19”, held from 30 November – 2 December 2020. the workshop was organized within the framework of the Global South-South Thinkers initiative, under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The three-day workshop was represented by thirty-three (33) speakers representing diverse stakeholder groups from close to eighteen 18) countries from the Arab region and beyond. “The current effect of the pandemic are apparent however the launch of this remote workshop also proves how cooperative's efforts and innovations can help us through the challenges in a time when barriers exist,” said H.E. Abdulla bin Faisal bin Jabur Al Doseri, Assistant Foreign Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the opening session.

Mr. Adel Abdellatif, Director a.i. of UNOSSC highlighted that the workshop aims to identify challenges and good practices in policy and legal areas that can facilitate better South-South investment for sustainable development while scoping the impacts of COVID-19. Also, the discussions and outcome of the event will feed into the formulation of a research agenda that aims to inform better policymaking to promote and strengthen investment policies.

Mr. Khaled Abdel Shafi, Deputy Director a.i, Regional Bureau for the Arab States UNDP said the potential for South-South cooperation in the Arab states remains largely untapped and remains is one of the world's least globally and regionally integrated region. South-south and regional cooperation is key for the region's long-term economic development growth and for the achievements of SDGs, especially for the middle-income and least developed countries as well as fragile countries.

The speakers shared valuable perspectives on the promotion of South-South investment in the Arab region highlighting the critical need to aspire to a broader goal for the region’s long-term economic growth and achieving the SDGs.

Day 1: South-South investments for SDGs: Global, Regional and Country level Trends, Experiences and Perspectives, 30 November 2020.

Speakers shared country, regional and global perspectives and insights on the contribution of South-South investment in the implementation of the SDGs and national priorities in the Arab region, in addition to identifying regional integration efforts highlighting various models and regional cooperation mechanisms. The session discussed the main obstacles and opportunities for increased flows of investment between developing countries, also taking into account the impact of COVID-19 in the areas of trade and investment. Countries experiences from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon on policy and legal issues, management of diverse resource flows, and present future needs and priorities for South-South investment.

Click here for the recording of the Workshop (Day 1).

Day 2: South-South Investment - Public-Private Partnerships & Perspectives, 1 December 2020: Public and private sector perspectives were shared on topics including incentives and challenges of South-South Investments along with risk management in the context of conflict and political instability, climate change, and inequality. provided insights, tools and capacities required to contribute to achieving the SDGs and to identify SDG investment opportunities in Low-income and Least Developed Countries. This discussion also took into account the impact of COVID-19 on PPPs.

Click here for the recording of the Workshop (Day 2).

Day 3: Digital Economy and its Contribution to South-South Investments, 2 December 2020: This session discussed the opportunities and challenges associated with the digital economy and the importance of embedding digital development into investment policies and strategies to further strengthen and enhance South-South investments in the region and provide new avenues for accessing overseas markets and engaging in global e-value chains. The session also took into account the digital divide between countries in the region and provided perspectives on regional efforts. Good practices and challenges from the region were shared, in light of COVID-19.

Click here for the recording of the Workshop (Day 3).

The discussion is also expected to inform the research agenda for better policymaking to promote and strengthen investment policies. The end product is the development of comprehensive research on “SSC Trade, Investment and Regional Integration” which compiles inputs from previous similar South-South investment workshops held jointly by UNOSSC and UNDP in Africa, Asia, Europe and CIS and Latin America. This paper will be available on the South-South Global Thinkers platform.

You can also download the summaries of discussion for the workshop.

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