On May 15, 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP)-China South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Forum was held at the UN Compound in Beijing. The first anniversary of the WFP-China South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Platform and Cloud School was celebrated and relevant future plans were discussed at the event as well as high-priority topics pertaining to South-South cooperation (SSC) in general. Representatives of various organizations also expressed their determination to advance digital SSC and the need to strengthen partnerships and offered some reflections on the platform and related undertakings.
“The Global South is generating knowledge through development experiences,” noted Dima Al-Khatib, director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.
She observed that digital platforms such as the WFP-China South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Platform have been emerging in response to the growing role of digital transformation in advancing development at scale and that they will continue to play a crucial role in facilitating inter- and intra-regional learning and supporting horizontal partnerships related to the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Forum.
Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, regarded knowledge sharing and endeavors that help people improve their lives through education as critical when confronting major food insecurity crises.
“How do we utilize big data, technology, innovation, inspired by strong political will, good public policies, and strong partnerships, to advance knowledge sharing – to advance programs that actually tend to benefit societies at large?” he asked.
“Here is a great opportunity, for knowledge sharing, for experience sharing, for programs and partnerships, and I commend WFP for having established this platform because this is precisely what we need to advance South-South cooperation,” the resident coordinator concluded.
“Digital knowledge sharing can offer fast support to meet the growing demand from countries in the Global South, which are meeting urgent and complex challenges in the context of a global food crisis and recovery from the [COVID-19] pandemic,” remarked Daniel Balaban, director of the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger Brazil.
He also explained that the WFP-China South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Platform is an important instrument that makes it possible for countries to learn about successful Chinese experience and practical details associated with the implementation of corresponding undertakings.
“[The platform] serves as a catalyst for learning and knowledge facilitation,” observed Patrick Teixeira, director ad interim of the Regional Centre of Excellence Against Hunger and Malnutrition (CERFAM), which became the WFP’s first Centre of Excellence in Africa when it officially launched in Côte d’Ivoire in March 2019.
He also emphasized that SSC can facilitate greater sharing and transferring of valuable knowledge and know-how as well as skills, resources, and technologies among developing countries in the Global South and especially among countries that face similar challenges.
WFP China representative Qu Sixi delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Forum.
“We sincerely welcome all technical partners to contribute their wisdom and expertise so this platform can play a bigger role in enhancing knowledge and experience sharing in South-South cooperation,” expressed WFP China representative Qu Sixi. “I hope it can continue to tap into the rich experiences that developing countries have with food security and rural transformation and become a knowledge hub that promotes South-South knowledge and technology exchange.”
“NAFRA is willing to continue to actively support the development of the South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Platform that the WFP Centre of Excellence for Rural Transformation established,” announced Cao Yingjun, acting director general of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration (NAFRA) Department of Foreign Affairs.
The official also mentioned that her organization has engaged in various forms of experience sharing and cooperation with the WFP in areas such as grain purchase and sale, storage and transportation, processing, quality inspection, and post-harvest loss reduction.
Wu Pute, president of Northwest A&F University, which is one of the key partner organizations involved with the Joint Initiative on Knowledge Sharing Partnership for South-South Cooperation inaugurated by WFP China, suggested pooling and integrating knowledge and technology in conjunction with the creation of appropriate replicable models that help address developing countries’ agricultural needs through pilot projects and sharing their solutions and experiences in order to help promote global food security.
Li Chengwei, president of Henan University of Technology, which is another key partner organization involved with the initiative, regarded it critical to strengthen in-depth cooperation among various partners in order to leverage each other’s strengths so as to forge a SSC knowledge sharing platform that meets the needs and characteristics of an array of developing countries.
