Madam/Mr. President,

1. On the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, the Group of 77 and China reaffirms its unwavering commitment to South-South cooperation as a fundamental expression of solidarity among developing countries and an essential instrument for advancing sustainable development and strengthening the collective capacity, voice and agency of the Global South.

2. This observance provides an opportunity not only to commemorate the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action in 1978, but also to reaffirm the principles and aspirations that continue to guide our collective efforts. The Buenos Aires Outcome Document, adopted in 2019, further strengthened this vision and provided an important framework for advancing South-South and triangular cooperation in accordance with the national priorities, needs and ownership of developing countries.

3. In this context, the Group welcomes the adoption, on 24 July 2026 of the modalities resolution establishing the framework for the comprehensive, inclusive and Member State-led review of the implementation of the Buenos Aires Outcome Document. The forthcoming review provides an important opportunity to assess progress, identify remaining gaps and emerging challenges, and renew political momentum for South-South cooperation.

4. South-South cooperation is guided by the principles of respect for national sovereignty, national ownership and independence, equality, non-conditionality, non-interference in domestic affairs, and mutual benefit. It is voluntary in nature and remains a complement to, and not a substitute for, North-South cooperation. Nor can South-South cooperation substitute for official development assistance or for the commitments undertaken by developed countries in the field of development, as well as on climate finance.

Madam/Mr. President,

5. We meet at a time when developing countries continue to face multiple and interconnected challenges: financing gaps, debt vulnerabilities, constrained fiscal space, climate change, food and energy insecurity, and persistent technological and digital divides, among others.

6. Against this backdrop, the importance of South-South cooperation has never been greater. Cooperation among developing countries enables the exchange of knowledge, technology, expertise and innovative solutions, while strengthening resilience and supporting nationally determined and country-led development priorities, in line with the Agenda 2030.

7. South-South and triangular cooperation can also support productive transformation, strengthen national capacities and institutions, and enable developing countries not merely to be recipients or users of knowledge and technology, but increasingly to act as innovators, producers and co-creators of solutions.

8. Particular attention must be given to closing technological and digital divides and ensuring that advances in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies do not generate new forms of exclusion or dependency.

9. South-South cooperation is therefore more than a mechanism for exchanging good practices. It is an important vehicle for strengthening collective self-reliance, advancing the development priorities of the Global South.

10. The Group also reaffirms the central role of the United Nations in promoting and supporting South-South cooperation. In this regard, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation plays a particularly important role in facilitating partnerships, knowledge-sharing and the exchange of development solutions.

11. We stress the need for adequate, predictable and sustained financial and institutional support for UNOSSC so that it can effectively support Member States and fulfil its mandates.

12. The Group commends South-South and Triangular Cooperation initiatives and funding mechanisms, such as the United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation, the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund), the Pérez-Guerrero Trust Fund for South-South Cooperation (PGTF), the Triangular Cooperation Window under the United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation, and the China-UN Global South-South Development Facility, and other Trust Funds, for their contribution to the Global South. These Funds seek to innovatively put into practice South-South cooperation by contributing resources and expanding partnerships for development cooperation anchored at the multilateral level.

13. As we move towards the forthcoming review of the Buenos Aires Outcome Document, the review should help us close implementation gaps, strengthen institutional support without duplications, expand access to the means of implementation or improve its quality and scale up successful Southern-led solutions to achieve greater impact on the ground, while fully preserving the distinct nature and principles of South-South cooperation.

14. On this United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, the Group reiterates its readiness to engage constructively to strengthen international development cooperation based on the principle of solidarity being South-South cooperation an instrument of collective action and transformation in support of a more just, peaceful, resilient and sustainable future for all.

I thank you.