Message at the Opening Ceremony of the Global South-South Development Expo 2009.
*Dr. Margaret Chan Director-General, World Health Organization.
The World Bank. 15 December 2009.

Excellences, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me congratulate you on this event, the solutions that are being showcased, and the multiple forms of cooperation they represent. They provide good evidence of the growing importance of cooperation among developing countries.

Thirty years ago, the Buenos Aires Plan of Action set out a rationale and platform of action for South-South cooperation. That document launched a new model of technical cooperation that is based on mutual assistance and guided by common problems, histories, cultures, experiences, and the demands and aspirations of citizens..

The Plan of Action underscored the critical importance of capacity building, self-reliance, and sustainability. The goal is not just to save some lives through initiatives targeted at individual problems, but rather to tackle some of the fundamental causes of ill health. Capacity-building is key.

The problems addressed at that time persist today: poverty, weak capacities, and great unfairness in the way the benefits of economic and technical progress are shared. But the approaches needed to tackle threats to public health are now very different.

More and more, protecting public health means finding ways to counter or correct powerful global trends that arise from policies or in sectors beyond the control of public health. Some of the best examples of South-South cooperation in health involve partnerships that link ministries of health with ministries in other sectors, such as food and agriculture, the environment, women's issues, and transportation.

Perhaps most importantly, South-South cooperation can act as a corrective strategy for patterns of international relations that place so many developing countries in a dependent role.

Good aid builds the foundation, the capacity, and the infrastructure needed to move towards self-reliance. Good aid aims to eliminate the very need for aid. If aid does not explicitly aim for self-reliance, the need for aid will never end.

South-South cooperation offers a fresh dynamic, not between the extreme poles of wealth and power, but closer to a middle-ground. What works in public health, especially for capacity-building, is often highly context-specific. The chances of success are much greater when the contexts and experiences of cooperating countries are similar.

The players, too, are different today than they were thirty years ago. As we start the second decade of the 21st century, the geography of the world can no longer be mapped in simple categories of rich and poor, the powerful and the excluded, the generous and the needy.

Several countries in the South have developed advanced technical capacities, especially in the biosciences. Many developing countries are now key players on the international stage. They deserve, and they increasingly demand, a say when policies that influence health development are devised.

The theme for this expo is "innovative solutions through inclusive partnership". The South has a vast resource of tested solutions to health development challenges. This translates into a great creative capacity to find solutions aligned with local needs, demands, and priorities.

Public health needs innovation. Health systems around the world need greater capacity. South-South cooperation has much to offer.

I wish you a most fruitful and productive event.

Thank you.

SPEECHES:

Fostering Cooperation in Health among Developing Countries
   Dr. Mirta Roses-Periago, Director, Pan American Health Organization.

Unleashing Southern Capacities for Development
   Mr. Yiping Zhou, Director, UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation

Protecting Global Health in a time of crisis
   Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, Deputy Director, World Health Organization

The Global South-South Development Expo showcases successful southern-grown development solutions. The Expo has served as a vibrant platform for the international community to celebrate achievements; share development successes; explore new avenues for collaboration; forge innovative South-South, triangular and public-private partnerships; and launch concrete collaborative schemes towards achieving internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.