The UN Resident Coordinator Nicholas Rosellini gives a speech. Photo: Courtesy of UN China

The South-South Day event took place at the UN Office in Beijing on Thursday, calling for developing countries to share knowledge, skills, expertise and resources in order to meet their development goals through concerted efforts. 

The event consisted of a presentation on South-South Cooperation (SSC) and a panel discussion on SSC for Climate Change. Around 100 participants including diplomats, representatives of international organizations and media groups joined in the event.

SSC promotes technological and economic collaboration and exchanges in the fields of infrastructure, energy, environment, business, human development, as well as health education. 

In the past few decades, South-South and Trilateral Cooperation has expanded its scope and taken on new forms: facilitating regional, sub-regional and interregional integration, providing innovative approaches to collective actions and strengthening its contribution to sustainable development, according to UN China.

In the event's opening speech by the UN Resident Coordinator Nicholas Rosellini, he reiterated the urgency for all countries to tackle climate change. "The clock is ticking. We have no time to lose. But, through concerted efforts, it is a race that we can win. Tackling climate change will require an unprecedented effort from all sectors of society, including enhanced South-South cooperation and partnerships," Rosellini said.

To boost ambition, ensure strong political will and accelerate actions to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will host the 2019 Climate Action Summit on September 23 to meet the climate challenge. In the lead-up to the summit, the South-South Day on September 12 provided an opportunity for participants from various sectors to exchange ideas on how to enable SSC to drive innovation, cooperation and resource mobilization to scale up solutions to climate change.