IATI Hosts Collaborative Deep-Dive on South-South Cooperation Transparency

On 27 May 2025, IATI convened an open session of its South-South Cooperation (SSC) Working Group, bringing together international partners to explore how global data frameworks are helping to track and strengthen South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC). The session featured presentations from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) initiative.

Opening Reflections: A Case for Collaborative Action

Charlie Martial Ngounou, Chair of the IATI SSC Working Group and Vice-Chair of the IATI Governing Board, opened the session: “This Working Group was established to provide a dedicated space for dialogue, collaboration, and practical action on how we can improve the transparency, coordination, and measurement of South-South Cooperation”.

“South-South Cooperation is not only growing in scale and importance, but also in complexity—and that data systems must keep pace with this evolution” - Charlie Martial Ngounou, IATI SSC Working Group Chair

He emphasised that “South-South Cooperation is not only growing in scale and importance, but also in complexity—and that data systems must keep pace with this evolution”.

Yemesrach Workie, Executive Director of the IATI Secretariat, echoed this call for action, highlighting the need for more collaborative and interoperable approaches across data platforms: “Our goal is not just to publish—but to use data to coordinate, track flows, and drive smarter decisions.”

UNCTAD: A Framework Developed ‘By the South, for the South’

Bojan Nastav, Statistician at UNCTAD, presented the Framework to Measure South-South Cooperation, developed with countries from the Global South including Brazil, China, Colombia, India, and Mexico. The framework offers countries a systematic way to report on their SSC contributions—including both financial and non-financial flows, such as technical assistance and capacity building. The framework has been adopted by both the UN Statistical Commission and the UN General Assembly, and enables the reporting of SSC in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 17.3.1).

Describing it as a product of inclusive collaboration, Bojan Nastav said: “It was developed by the South, for the South.” He said that over 60 countries have already expressed interest in reporting using the framework.

UNCTAD is supporting countries through regional pilot projects and recently published a detailed manual for implementation.

TOSSD: Enhancing the Visibility of SSC

Marisa Berbegal Ibanez (International Forum on TOSSD) and Camilo Gamba (TOSSD Secretariat) shared insights into how the TOSSD framework is helping to improve the visibility of South-South Cooperation. In 2023, 17 providers reported a total of $9.3 billion in SSC support using the UN’s initial methodology for measuring SSC flows. They emphasised that TOSSD provides a recipient-focused view of international support, aiming to capture a broad range of official flows in support of sustainable development—including those not reported as official development assistance (ODA).

TOSSD highlighted the complementary value of IATI in offering real-time data and more granular information on the implementation of SSC activities.

The Way Forward: Complementing Frameworks, Scaling Impact

IATI includes data on more than 1,200 activities and 40,000 financial transactions related to South-South and Triangular Cooperation (as of May 2024)—demonstrating the initiative’s value in making SSC contributions publicly available.

Looking ahead, IATI’s SSC Working Group is focused on making this data easier to publish and use. This includes exploring updates to the IATI Standard—such as clearer ways to identify SSC activities—and strengthening collaboration with other data frameworks to promote interoperability and reduce duplication.

By improving the usability of data and reducing reporting fragmentation, IATI aims to enhance the visibility and coordination of SSC activities—supporting governments in aligning resources with national priorities and achieving greater development impact.

If you are interested in joining the IATI South-South Cooperation Working Group, please email [email protected].