Heads of UN agencies endorsed South-South cooperation and inter-agency collaboration as critical for climate action at a High-level Forum on this topic hosted by China at the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29). The IAEA joined them in promoting South-South cooperation as a valuable mechanism to help achieve climate action goals in an equitable manner.
"South-South cooperation allows us to create a coalition for resilience, solidarity and action," said UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva. "Combined, we have the tools and partnerships to make a difference, but we must act with urgency, purpose and a deep sense of shared responsibility. We must remain focused on the importance of integrating South-South and triangular cooperation into our work."
South-South and triangular cooperation have always been embedded in how the IAEA delivers technical support. Through regional agreements, projects and centres, the IAEA facilitates the exchange of knowledge and resources among countries in the Global South to help them tackle climate change. The IAEA's South-South approach has gained a renewed focus under an agreement signed by the UN Office for South-South Cooperation and the IAEA in July 2024.
"South-South and triangular cooperation are key mechanisms for delivering capacity building to help countries mitigate, adapt to and monitor climate change," said IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Cooperation Hua Liu in his remarks. "The IAEA technical cooperation programme has successfully institutionalized this approach in regional cooperative agreements that promote the use of nuclear science and technology for development."
In delivering tailored support to help countries address their specific priorities, the IAEA takes the impact of climate change into account. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) acknowledges the unequal burden of climate change on particular groups of countries that are especially vulnerable, such as small island nations. The IAEA's Sub-Regional Approach to the Pacific Islands, for example, specifically targets the challenges facing these countries, and is designed to increase sub-regional collaboration and amplify the efforts of the IAEA at the national level.
UNFCCC Executive Director Simon Stiell opened the High-level Forum with an appeal not just for South-South cooperation, but for increased international collaboration more broadly, to help reach climate goals.
"This COP must be a moment for multilateralism, international cooperation, standing up for each other and showing solidarity, working together for the future," said Stiell.
The IAEA continues to work with international partners and national counterparts to help countries both mitigate and adapt to climate change, demonstrating that nuclear science and technology are an integral part of the solution to climate challenges.
