The new edition of the Trade Capacity-Building (TCB) Resource Guide, published by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has a special section dedicated to South-South and triangular cooperation.

According to the Trade Capacity-Building Branch at UNIDO, South-South and triangular cooperation have become increasingly important elements of development cooperation between countries. Traditional development cooperation and technical assistance are being complemented by expertise available in developing countries and emerging economies. A number of new donor countries, which are members of the G20 or the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), are offering technical assistance to developing countries. Also, UNIDO itself has established a specific service to coordinate and promote South-South and triangular industrial cooperation.

The updated and expanded 2015 edition of the Trade Capacity-Building Resource Guide includes profiles of 31 multilateral agencies and 37 bilateral donors. The trade-related services of 31 countries from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and 16 G20 countries, some of which are also OECD members, are also reflected in the Guide.

The Guide reveals that many of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members support triangular cooperation, and other DAC members are considering introducing such support. All developing countries included in the Guide mention active participation in South-South cooperation, with Argentina, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mexico and the Russian Federation being particularly engaged.

The Guide highlights how both multilateral agencies and bilateral donors encourage and support South-South and triangular cooperation, and provides examples of projects and services for almost all multilateral and regional agencies. 

The publication was launched during the Aid for Trade Global Review at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Headquarters in Geneva from 30 June to 2 July. It is, to-date, the most comprehensive compilation of major bilateral and multilateral technical assistance services, and makes a significant contribution to increasing the transparency and efficiency of trade-related technical assistance and its benefits for countries and peoples in their efforts to stimulate trade-led economic growth, increased employment and the creation of wealth.

The Guide was prepared by UNIDO under a mandate issued by the High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB) to coordinate an inter-agency mapping of trade capacity-building services and activities available to developing countries. The success of the first (2008) and second (2010) editions led to calls for an updated version from both bilateral and multilateral development partners.

» Trade Capacity Building Resource Guide (2015) Volume 1: Multilateral services (PDF, 6.53 MB)

» Trade Capacity Building Resource Guide (2015) Volume 2: Bilateral services (PDF, 6.47 MB)

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Trade Capacity Building Resource Guide 2015: Background

It is widely recognized by both multilateral and bilateral development partners that enhancement of the capacity to participate in global trade is critical for economic growth in developing countries. This has put the need for trade-related technical assistance on the forefront of economic development.

Bilateral and multilateral development partners provide a wide range of services which often need to complement each other if they are to support national trade development needs and strategies in a coherent and efficient manner.In response to such needs, UNIDO has published the first edition of the Trade Capacity Building Inter-agency Resource Guide in 2008, followed by enhanced editions in 2010 and 2015.

The Guide has been welcomed by multilateral and bilateral development partners as well as policy-makers in developing countries as a useful and informative tool in the area of trade-capacity building. It has been acknowledged that the Resource Guide is a unique source of information for developing countries and donors for the development of technical assistance programmes, and serves to facilitate the coordination of trade capacity-building activities within the United Nations system, in particular through UN Resident Coordinator and UN Country Teams.

In response to growing demand, a new and further enhanced third edition has now been made available. The 2015 edition of the Trade Capacity Building Resource Guide further increases its relevance in the area of trade-related technical assistance by sharpening its focus on the emerging dynamic trends, in particular, on the costs of trading, adding a value chain perspective and South-South and triangular cooperation.

This so far most comprehensive compilation of the Resource Guide will significantly contribute to increasing the transparency and efficiency of trade-related technical assistance and its benefits for countries and peoples in their efforts to stimulate trade-led economic growth, increased employment and the creation of wealth.

In the spirit of the global development goals, the Guide represents a significant step forward in the journey towards a strong and meaningful global partnership, involving multilateral and bilateral development partners, for the reduction of poverty through trade-driven economic growth and wealth creation.