Advancing South-South Cooperation for Effective Implementation of Paris Agreement & Sustainable Development Ambassador Shahid Kamal Special Advisor Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), Islamabad, Pakistan

Growth of South-South Cooperation (SSC) SSC is growing and trends are encouraging SSC has become an important component of international cooperation Recognition of role of SSC in addressing climate change challenges and attainment of SDGs

Strengthening SSC Establishment of research centres in developing countries and to strengthen these institutions Scientific Panels on Climate Change (SPCC) to initiate scientific research in key areas of climate change to provide scientific advise to policy makers for mitigation and adaptation strategies Investment in science based knowledge and expertise by public/private sectors Mobilize different disciplines of scientific research for improving policy-making process Foster regional cooperative projects Collaborative projects build expertise and provide useful network for training and developing new solutions

Knowledge Sharing & Capacity Building Linkage between climate institutions for sharing of data and expertise Promote inter-disciplinary approach and findings of research communities into policy making Encourage investment in science to foster indigenous knowledge and expertise Develop institutional frameworks for knowledge sharing and capacity building Mechanisms for knowledge management and evaluation should be developed Compilation of best practices in global development cooperation Need for enhanced sharing of knowledge, experiences, best practices and innovation for climate action

Involvement of Local Communities Need for increase in grass-root climate action by adopting bottom-up approach for empowerment of local communities Decentralized programmes for adaptation projects and community-based organizations (CBOs) to be developed Awareness raising on climate resilience, prioritizing projects on need basis and ownership of local communities

Significance of STI Science & technology has a critical role in linkage of climate action plans and SDGs Promoting increased investment in STI Rapid dissemination of technologies and ideas Mechanism for financing research to advance development and adoption of new technologies Capacity to access environmental development funds should be improved Need to stimulate partnerships, networks and research collaborations Role of science and innovation for sustainability should be seen in broader framework. Need to look beyond technology transfer to incorporate three dimensions of sustainable development i.e., economic, social and environmental

SSC for Climate Action and SDGs SSC should be promoted in priority areas of agriculture, water, health and energy to boost climate action and sustainability SSC has potential to promote partnerships to strengthen their own research and to build capacity in climate change adaptation and mitigation Mechanisms of regional cooperation under SSC can support coherent implementation of SDGs and Paris Agreement

Climate Finance Climate financing landscape is complex and difficult to access Strengthen national capacities on preparedness and accessing climate finance  Facilitate developing countries to prepare manual on how to access climate finance Technical assistance to address knowledge gaps Considering significance of climate change adaptation, a balanced approach should be adopted for mitigation and adaptation funds Development banks may mainstream SSC as integral part of their financing mechanism for climate and sustainable development projects

Support for SSC/TC by International Organizations Good practices in SSC need to be further studied and disseminated Development of frameworks to ensure better impact and sustainability of south-south development cooperation Role of academia and think tanks to be enhanced for undertaking analysis and recommendations Evidence-based analysis strengthened to facilitate policy making and evaluation methods. Promote collaboration and coordination in key global development discussions For effective South-South cooperation, there is need to: Map complementary advantages Build networks to promote partnerships Provide training opportunities in areas where developing countries face common development challenges