KIGALI, RWANDA — As the global development landscape undergoes a profound structural shift, hundreds of diplomats, policymakers, and international stakeholders have convened today at the Kigali Convention Centre for the Inaugural Convention on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (ACSSTrC).
Co-organized by the Rwanda Cooperation Initiative (RCI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Rwanda, the two-day summit—running from June 22 to June 23—operates under the theme: “Strengthening Collaboration and Institutional Frameworks for Effective Implementation.” The event also proudly marks the 7th anniversary of Rwanda Cooperation, highlighting the institution’s ongoing commitment to sharing Rwanda’s homegrown solutions with the rest of the world.
Speaking at the opening ceremony this morning, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, emphasized that the future of international development lies in horizontal, peer-to-peer collaboration rather than outdated, one-way knowledge transfer models from the Global North to the Global South.
“The global development system is still recovering from the shocks of recent years, and from a multilateral financing architecture that was not designed for the world we live in today,” Minister Nduhungirehe stated. “While traditional development cooperation remains important, countries now hold hard-earned experience in building institutions, reforming public services, and delivering digital governance systems that can be shared across borders. This is not a substitute for traditional development partnerships. It is a complement.”
The convention seeks to address the tightening of traditional aid budgets by leveraging the collective experiences of developing nations. South-South cooperation allows countries facing similar socio-economic hurdles to share technology, skills, and policy frameworks. Triangular cooperation brings in multilateral organizations or traditional partners to help scale and fund these innovative solutions.
Dr. Fatmata Lovetta Sesay, the UN Rwanda Resident Coordinator a.i. and UNDP Resident Representative, underscored that effective cooperation must be measured by tangible improvements in citizens’ daily lives. She praised Rwanda’s community-based governance systems, such as Umuganda (community work) and Imihigo (performance contracts), along with its cutting-edge digital public service platforms and medical drone deliveries, as prime examples of scalable solutions.
“South-South cooperation thrives when people learn from people; development must remain centered on citizens, services, and trust in institutions,” Dr. Sesay noted during her address.
Over the course of the summit, the over 500 delegates will engage in high-level plenary sessions and targeted workshops. Key agenda items include a Ministerial Roundtable on e-Government and citizen-centered digitalization, advancing gender equity through inclusive partnerships, and a dedicated session on leveraging South-South cooperation to finance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The convention will also shine a spotlight on youth involvement, anchoring discussions on platforms like YouthConnekt to foster cross-border opportunities and mentorship.
As the Global South increasingly steps up to design its own resilient development strategies, the Kigali convention is poised to establish a robust new blueprint for institutional collaboration, proving that the answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges are already being engineered within the developing world.
