News: International organizations join forces to boost South–South cooperation – with a focus on Africa

SouthSouthNorth (SSN) joins as the 34th Charter Member of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF)
The GLF and SSN will support local actors in leveraging the region’s unique opportunity to lead the world in tackling the global environmental crisis
The organizations will address their alliance at GLF Africa 2024, the continent’s largest conference on ecological restoration this year, in Nairobi, Kenya, on 17 September

Nairobi, Kenya (12 September 2024) – Today, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) and SouthSouthNorth (SSN) are uniting efforts to strengthen cooperation among countries in the Global South, particularly in Africa. SSN, a network of partners and programs around equitable, climate-resilient development, joins CIFOR-ICRAF, Conservation International, FAO, the Rights and Resources Initiative, UNEP, WWF and 27 other GLF Charter Members.

“We are excited to welcome SouthSouthNorth to our Charter Member network. As we deepen our efforts on the ground, it’s crucial to expand our Charter Membership to continue including key organizations that effectively represent diverse perspectives and expertise from the Global South,” said John Colmey, GLF Managing Director, while highlighting how SSN’s deep engagement with local stakeholders, commitment to capacity development, and ability to harmonize community needs with global climate goals reflect the principles that guide the GLF.

Together, accelerating climate solutions in the most affected areas

With vast natural resources, deep scientific expertise, long-standing traditional knowledge and innovative solutions, countries in Africa and across the Global South are uniquely positioned to lead the fight against the climate and biodiversity crises. However, they must also address multiple challenges.

Collaboration across the Global South is essential to growing local innovations, addressing common challenges and meeting global development targets.

“As an organization based in the Global South, one of our biggest challenges is how to redress the huge injustices and inequalities that were not caused by us, and how we do it in an equitable and fair way that includes a whole-of-society approach. From a decolonial perspective, South-South cooperation emphasizes the value of locally-led action and challenges existing power imbalances in global development by prioritizing the needs, voices, and knowledge systems of diverse actors and communities in the Global South,” said Dr Shehnaaz Moosa, SSN Director.

Both the GLF and SSN envision a resilient and equitable planet where all species thrive. They provide platforms and tools to local stakeholders while mobilizing resources and capabilities to accelerate dialogue, promote knowledge sharing and catalyze action to solve global environmental challenges, which are often disproportionately felt by women, youth and Indigenous Peoples, as well as rural and other marginalized communities in the Global South.

As a GLF Charter Member, SSN will provide strategic guidance, facilitate skill sharing across the GLF community, advocate the landscape approach and help enrich the GLF’s knowledge platform to inform policies and practices related to sustainable landscape management worldwide.

Learn more about this new strategic alliance from leading GLF and SSN voices at the GLF Africa 2024 Hybrid Conference: Greening the African Horizon on 17 September.

SSN is present in Tanzania, where farmers help each other to terrace the land. Photo by CIAT / Georgina Smith

NOTES TO EDITORS

Apply for a press pass to attend the GLF Africa 2024 online or in person at our newsroom
For more information, please contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org)

About the GLF

The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable & resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.

About SSN

SouthSouthNorth (SSN) supports national and regional responses to climate change through policy and knowledge interventions, partnerships and deep collaboration. We do this by connecting people and information, enhancing capability and mobilising resources to respond innovatively to the challenges and opportunities that climate change presents. Learn more at www.southsouthnorth.org.