Ambassador Dr John W Ashe (right) seen with a colleague from South South News. (Photo courtesy Maurice F Merchant)

St. John’s Antigua- Antigua & Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United Nations Dr John W Ashe, began his two-year tenure as President of the United Nations High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation with Tuesday’s opening of he body’s 17th session.

The high-level committee, the premier decision-making body on South-South Cooperation, is a biennial forum for UN member States, intergovernmental bodies, UN System members and accredited non-governmental bodies in South-South (cooperation between developing countries) and triangular cooperation (cooperation between developing and developed countries).

Tuesday’s opening marked the start of four days of deliberations among UN member states on several matters including the reports of the UNDP Administrator on progress in South-South cooperation among member States, UN agencies and other development actors. Member states are also to discuss a report by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, which sets forth a framework of operational guidelines on South-South cooperation called for by the 16th session of the Committee, which, if accepted, will become the practical guide for UN agencies on south-south and triangular cooperation for years to come.

“The meeting comes at a critical juncture for many countries of the global south,” said Ambassador Ashe. “Due to a confluence of unique economic factors, the countries that are experiencing the fastest economic growth are located in the south and not in the north – contrary to the usual expectations,” he said.

“And while there are many reasons for developing countries to rejoice, there are also many reasons for concern. These include many socio-economic challenges, including persistent poverty and growing inequality. We can therefore look to increased South-South cooperation to help our countries address these challenges,” he added.

Ambassador Ashe also indicated that, as president, he would seek to identify ways by which the United Nations High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation can strengthen the role of vital stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations, civil society and private sector in assisting governments in the field of capacity-building, knowledge exchange and technology transfer.

The current session will conclude on Friday.