THE GLOBAL SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION FORUM: LIVELIHOODS, EMPLOYMENT AND INCLUSION FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS

Recent decades have demonstrated the power of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) to advance sustainable development and decent work. South-South and Triangular Co-operation can be an effective instrument for tackling structural and intersectional inequalities that contribute to excluding people. However, to leverage that potential, it is necessary to share knowledge and coordinate efforts for scaling up impact. The Global South-South Cooperation Forum is organised in collaboration with Development Investment (DEVINVEST) and South-South and Triangular Cooperation (PARDEV) and it enabled participants to share, get inspired and learn more about concrete experiences for the promotion of decent employment for vulnerable groups. OBJECTIVES The Forum aimed to foster the exchange of good practices, knowledge, experiences, and methodologies applied in the Global South to improve the livelihoods and create employment opportunities for vulnerable and marginalized populations, with a special focus on innovative and digital solutions. CONTENT The first day of the Forum ‘set the scene’ and allowed participants to get to know each other, boosting reflections and discussions on how SSTC and ILO’s DEVINVEST Branch can contribute to enhancing employment vulnerable groups. During the second and third day, participants were able to access three different ‘tracks’, running in parallel, based on their interests. Each track focused on a different approach that could contribute to the inclusion and employment of vulnerable groups, namely: Track 1: Promoting employment and inclusion of vulnerable groups through public infrastructure investments Track 2: Promoting employment and inclusion of vulnerable groups through formalization Track 3: Promoting employment and inclusion of vulnerable groups by strengthening their resilience – Fragile to Fragile Cooperation The Forum also included a day on disruptive technologies that could provide solutions to digital inclusion issues and a Virtual Fair. Participants were able to interact with different service providers to explore tools and technologies that could solve the identified challenges. ACHIEVEMENT By attending the Forum, participants were able to: • Know more about the theoretical framework that promotes South-South collaboration as an instrument for tackling inequalities and exclusion. • Be exposed to innovative South-South collaborative initiatives to promote decent work and livelihoods in the context of COVID-19 • Share their own South-South and Triangular Cooperation initiatives focusing on the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized populations • Build a stronger network of practitioners working in the field of South-South and Triangular Cooperation