Triangular Cooperation: Could it help stimulate and regulate development?
93 billion dollars of additional foreign assistance will be needed over the next 10 years if we are to attain the Millennium Development Goals. Yet in the wake of the economic turmoil of these past 3 years, half the donor countries have reduced their development aid in 2009. The debate has subsequently re-shifted around aid efficiency in the recent period. A lot of hope is being placed in the opportunity of setting a virtuous South-South cooperation dynamic in motion, making the most of the North’s limited financial resources.
Trilateral cooperation appears to be one of the most promising of those initiatives.
Moctar Ouane, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mali
“Most developed countries have not respected their commitments, chief among which to dedicate 0.7% of their GDP to foreign aid. [Triangular cooperation] can only be expected to play its role if perennial financial resources can be secured.”
Abdelhamid Triki, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of Tunisia
“There are among countries from the South similarities of problems and cultures. In the face of this situation, dialogue is easier among Southern countries.”
Vince Anderson, Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the United Nations
“I get the impression that the North basically looks at the countries from the South with great suspicion. I think that this is one of the reasons that affects the effectiveness of aid.“
Adolf Kloke-Lesch, Director Strategy Centre New Partnerships for Global Development, GTZ
“For good reasons, the international debate on development focuses on the fight against poverty in low income countries. But we have to realize that there is also development beyond 1 or 2 US $ a day (...).”
Aurimar Nunes, First Secretary, Coordinator of bilateral and trilateral cooperation, Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC)
“ (Triangular cooperation) projects need to serve a purpose that goes beyond the one of bilateral cooperation. If not, triangulation makes no sense“.
Alex Trepelkov, Director, Financing for Development Office, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations
“(Triangular cooperation) contributes to the fragmentation of the international aid architecture due to the growing number of actors, further complicating harmonization approaches, standards and practices.”
Julien Aubert – Advisor to the French Presidency on the Union for the Mediterranean
« The Mediterranean is both a laboratory and an example for triangular cooperation. We cooperate on common challenges: water, energy and infrastructure.”
An ever growing number of countries recognise the importance of triangular cooperation as an instrument of international cooperation that helps satisfying the needs of developing countries.
The impetus to reinforce international cooperation has been clearly put forward in the debates, with a call for developing and developed countries to set up a new partnership framework to overcome the challenges of development. In an era of globalisation and rapid transformation, no country, even the most advanced, can hope to achieve growth and sustainable development on its own.
Conditions for triangular cooperation
Experience sharing shows that trilateral cooperation initiatives grow on successful bilateral cooperation. They focus on competencies developed by the intermediate developing partners that are worth transferring to other least developed country partners.
Triangulation works best when all contribute and win. Cooperation should be embedded in country led programs, and articulated in national development projects.
Least developed partners have insisted on being treated with genuine respect and as true partners. They find find more balance in their relationships with Southern aid donors, as opposed to traditionally more patronizing relationships with Northern donors. They have also stressed that cooperation with Southern partners allowed a better understanding of the culture and development challenges.
Risks and limitations
In the absence of an organizational framework for trilateral help, we are in presence of a large number of mostly small projects, resulting in a rather fragmented landscape.
Northern donors have also pointed out that despite the criticism they face, Southern donors, to a greater extend, do just that what traditional aid donors are called to avoid: they provide most of their aid bilaterally, and focus on tied project aid.
The risks of country ownership have also been pointed out, when two economically powerful donors join hands to help a country with limited capacity. High transaction costs might also prove to be a limiting factor, as coordinating three partners is more costly than two. Finally, the lack of strategic orientation might prove to be a barrier to the scaling up of this new form of cooperation.
The development of triangular initiatives should by no means be a reason to scale down on exiting bilateral ones. On the contrary, trilateral aid should seek to complement to bilateral cooperation by bridging its shortcomings.
Perspectives
As pointed out by the German Development Cooperation, the international debate on development focuses on the fight against poverty in low income countries. But we have to realize that there is also development beyond 1 or 2 US $ a day and there are development aspirations also in middle income countries.
Can trilateral cooperation stimulate development? The answer is clearly yes. But when it comes to regulating it, the answer is probably more nuanced. Attempting to harmonize and regulate all initiatives would probably be more of a burden on their unfolding.
A Forum is needed to help regulate and channel initiatives, putting northern funders, pivotal countries, and aid seekers in touch most efficiently. In the Mediterranean, this position aims to be filled by the UPM Secretariat. At the international level, the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) created within the UN framework in 2005 could be such a place.
It is also important to make an inventory of good practices, and agree on an agenda to spread them throughout the development community.
