Media Center

Press Advisory

OAS to Host South-South Development Expo 2014 of the United Nations

The Organization of American States (OAS) will host, from November 17 to 21, the Global South-South Development Expo 2014, an event co-organized with the United Nations Office for Global South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), and more than 20 UN agencies and partners, to promote evidence-based solutions to fight poverty, and which forms part of a new inclusive global partnership for sustainable development.

The event brings together development agencies with the private sector and civil society to promote development projects. The “south-south” approach is focused on solutions that were invented and scaled up in developing countries, and seeks to facilitate their replication and expansion in similarly developed countries.

The opening ceremony, on Monday, November 17 at 9:00 EST (14:00 GMT) will feature the participation of the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza; the President of the General Assembly High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, Abdulkalam Abdul Momen; the Envoy of the UN Secretary General and Director, UNOSSC, Yiping Zhou; the Chair-elect of the Group of 77 for the year 2015 and Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN, Kingsley Mamabolo; the Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDP, Gina Casar; the Secretary General of the Ibero-American Secretariat, Rebeca Grynspan; the Director General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Li Yong; the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Christian Friis Bach; the Director of the OECD Development Cooperation Directorate, Jon Lomøy; the Director of the FAO Liaison Office for North America, Nicholas Nelson; and the Director of the Regional Support Office of UNEP, Munyaradzi Chenjeon. Following the inauguration, there will be a press conference at 12:00 EST (17:00 GMT) in the Delegates Lounge at OAS headquarters.

Between the 17th and the 21st, participants in the Expo will debate issues such as “South-South Cooperation in Poverty Eradication-Responding to Ebola as a Development Crisis;” “Accelerating the Impact of South-South and Triangular Cooperation on Food Security Post-2015;” Global Partnerships for Infrastructure Development;” Accelerating Green Technology Transfer for Sustainable Development;” “South-South and Triangular Cooperation and Decent Work Post-2015;” South-South and Triangular Partnerships for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development;” “Green Economies are Sustainable Economies;” and “Global Health.” Moreover, the event will include conferences led by various agencies and a final Forum that will feature the participation of Ministers, municipal and city leaders, CEOs, and investors. The complete agenda of the event is available here.

During the last edition of the Forum, in Kenya in 2013, more than $450 million was pledged between investors, green businesses, governments and other parties.

The Global South-South Development Expo 2014 is open to the press. Those journalists who wish to attend must confirm their attendance to [email protected], and present at the entrance a document including a photo which certifies their employment by a media organization. The opening and closing sessions, as well as certain sessions during the Expo, will be broadcast live via webcast at the OAS website. Consult the schedule of transmissions here.

WHAT: Global South-South Development Expo of the United Nations at the OAS

WHEN: November 17 – 21, 2014

WHERE: Organization of American States
17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC, 20006

Reference: AVI-229/14