Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali reiterated that Nepal’s call for meeting commitments, forging partnerships, increasing cooperation and redoubling our efforts, including through the South-South Cooperation, to support the countries that need the most. Nepal is ready to work together with all fellow member states and all stakeholders to this important end.

Addressing at the Second High-Level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation Buenos Aires, Argentina, minister Gyawali said that the development landscape has changed significantly. The South has developed an enormous potential for economic transformation. The progress some members of the South have achieved over the decades has not only widened the scope of the cooperation, but has brought us closer towards realizing the purpose of ‘collective self-reliance’. While sharing of experiences and best practices between and among the countries of the South will go a long way, the cooperation needs a more concrete and meaningful form.

“This is time to further diversify and strengthen our cooperation: in scale, in scope, in quality and in its effectiveness. South-South Cooperation, as complementary to and not as a substitute for the North-South Cooperation, plays an important role for the effective and timely implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development outcomes such as IPOA and VPOA.”

“Let me highlight what cooperation means to a landlocked LDC like Nepal that has just begun an economic transformation to sustain its successful political gains that culminated in the democratic Constitution in 2015. To realize the ambition of the Constitution, the Government has already initiated transformative process in a holistic approach with a resolve of “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali”. 41 percent women representations in the federal, provincial and local elected bodies, introduction of Comprehensive Social Security Program, Nationwide Health Insurance Program and Prime Minister Employment Program among others, are the instruments to achieve prosperity and happiness. We have internalized the SDGs in our national policies and planning. We wish to graduate from LDC stage at earliest and to become middle income country by 2030. There is need of enhanced level of investment to accelerate the economic growth which demands scaled up international cooperation. “

“We know that those who have a long journey to travel should walk fast. And we are prepared to walk fast and catch up with fast growing economy. But we are not alone in this journey. We are confident that international cooperation and partnership, including South-South cooperation, are important components in realizing our national development goals and objectives.”