Those working in international affairs would not be surprised to observe that a small number of countries and institutions spearhead a “global peace policy agenda”. In reality, several asymmetries in peacemaking knowledge and decision-making demonstrate that the adjective “global” is merely cosmetic. Within the United Nations, this historic inequity is clearly reflected in the way the organization functions.
Recently, however, a notable power shift has been occurring: Countries from the Global South are using the framework of South-South cooperation to become more active and vocal, particularly in relation to the peace and security challenges that directly affect them.
South-South cooperation (SSC) is both a framework and a political call for developing nations to strengthen collective self-reliance and share best practices to address common challenges. The South-South agenda is crafted by 135 countries from the Global South associated within the G77 and China in dialogue with all UN General Assembly members.
