IFAD will be participating in the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo, a platform for development solutions at the global and regional levels that was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly following the High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation held in Nairobi in 2009. The GSSD Expo is designed to showcase successful evidence-based initiatives created by developing countries in the Global South to address development challenges and is also an opportunity for actors to illustrate their development solutions and successes, share knowledge and lessons learned, and explore new avenues for collaboration.

Against this backdrop, IFAD is organizing two side-events: (i) a solution forum showcasing the successful example of the Agricultural Innovation Marketplace (MKTPlace) on 2 November; and (ii) a session on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) for Food and Agriculture, on 1 November, in cooperation with the Rome-based Agencies.

Agricultural Innovation Marketplace (MKTPlace)

The MKTPlace, established in 2009 is an international multi-stakeholder initiative aiming to link Brazilian, African and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) experts and institutions to develop cooperative research projects for development.. Its three core pillars are: policy dialogue between the main authorities from Africa, LAC and Brazil; a forum for knowledge sharing and capacity strengthening for development ideas consolidated into research for development projects supported by the MKTPlace; and joint agricultural research or development projects.

The initiative is currently supported by a range of partners including the Gates Foundation, IFAD, the UK Department for International Development (DfID), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and others.

The objective of the Solution Forum session is to highlight and share three aspects of the MKTPlace's experience as a successful mechanism for promoting South-South Cooperation: its collaborative orientation and inclusive institutional architecture; the results of selected and promising MKTPlace-funded projects; and the details of its emerging "Scale-up Fund” (M-BOSS),  which provides a pathway for particularly promising collaboration projects to receive increased levels of funding to be rolled-out on a wider basis.

The session is expected to: (i)increase awareness of the MKTPlace mechanism, with possible implications for new partnerships within the existing platform for development institutions, researchers and the private sector; and (ii) showcase opportunities of replication by governments interested in creating similar mechanisms for promoting development cooperation in the field of research, agriculture and rural development and scaling up the platform to the global level.

Interactive discussion on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) for Food and Agriculture - Coordinator: FAO/WFP/IFAD

The session will be held as an interactive interview/discussion with FAO, WFP and IFAD coordinators of South-South Cooperation (SSC), finding out how each organization facilitates networking between southern countries and promotes knowledge sharing for food security and agricultural development.

Facilitating Southern Networking - IFAD will provide an overview of the South-South Cooperation web platform that is currently being developed and that aims at strengthening partnerships towards implementing and replicating rural development solutions as well as showcasing SSTC exchanges. FAO will share its recently launched SSC Gateway, explaining why it is a useful tool for networking countries and their institutions and expertise in food and agriculture. WFP will showcase its emerging network of Centres of Excellence, demonstrating that it is a useful mechanism for facilitating South-South exchanges that strengthen national efforts in advancing zero hunger.

Practical knowledge exchange - FAO, WFP and IFAD will share on individual and joint initiatives that demonstrate how SSC is a key means to addressing issues of food security and agriculture, in particular, in support of SDGs 1 and 2 and SDG 17. Case studies and experiences will be drawn from around the globe, including with major providers such as Brazil, China and Morocco, alongside others, collaborating in technical areas as wide ranging as food security policy and programming, sustainable crop production to local-farm procurement, social protection and safety nets, including school feeding, and access to food.