Triangular Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean

ContextTriangular cooperation projects are planned, financed and implemented jointly by an established DAC donor – an industrialised country that is a member of the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD – an emerging economy that can be a second donor or beneficiary, and a third country as a beneficiary. In practice, there are various additional constellations that German development cooperation recognises as triangular cooperation projects. Due to the complementary strengths of the partners, triangular cooperation projects yield added value compared to bilateral projects.The global cooperation architecture has changed radically. Emerging economies have significantly expanded their South-South cooperation arrangements in recent years. Particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, many countries are already implementing development measures in third countries.Triangular cooperation projects serve as a bridge between North-South and South-South cooperation arrangements; they are an instrument for supporting strategic partnerships in meeting global challenges together. International interest in triangular cooperation projects has risen dramatically. With the Regional Fund for the Promotion of Triangular Cooperation, the German Government is helping to harness the potential of this powerful instrument more effectively.ObjectiveLatin American and Caribbean partners engaged in German international cooperation work together with Germany to implement effective, demand-driven development measures in third countries. In this process, the knowledge, experience and resources of new and traditional donor countries are applied in a complementary way to help achieve sustainable development in the respective third country. Both donor and recipient countries benefit from the resulting added value.ApproachOn behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ established the Regional Fund for the Promotion of Triangular Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Fund aims to enable the participating countries to systematically learn together about the opportunities and limitations of triangular cooperation.Any of Latin American and Caribbean countries can be cooperation partners. Partner countries in other regions may also be beneficiary countries. Proposals for triangular cooperation projects can be submitted at calls for tender, which are issued twice per year. There are no limits regarding themes and there are no prescribed priority areas. The added value for all participants and particularly the demand in the recipient country must be clearly identifiable, and the objectives must coincide with the development policy priorities of all of the partners involved. The egalitarian nature of the partnerships is also reflected by the balanced financial contributions of the Latin American providers to the triangular projects. The contribution of the Latin American provider is at least as large as the German contribution.By advising lead agencies in emerging economies and third countries, Germany supports the joint development and implementation of triangular cooperation projects. This is accomplished by drawing on German and regional specialists, knowledge management and networking, training and further education measures as well by providing supplies.Results achieved so farThe regional fund makes Germany unique among the traditional actors: the Fund's regional approach – so far unique - underscores the importance that the region has for Germany, for example regarding global themes in the area of climate and the environment as well as good governance.The regional fund has a very good reputation in Latin America and the Caribbean as an instrument that promotes cooperation between equals and that takes into account the growing involvement of emerging economies in global processes. The considerable demand from the partners demonstrates this impressively.To date, a total of 17 participating countries have launched 26 individual measures on various themes, 22 of which are currently being implemented. In Guatemala, for example, Chile and Germany are promoting food security. And together with Mexico and Chile, Germany is strengthening the sustainability of production and consumption in Colombia and Peru within the framework of the Pacific alliance. In Bolivia, Colombia is working together with Germany to bolster indigenous justice.In the meantime, interregional triangular cooperation projects are also being supported by the Regional Fund. Following cooperation with Brazil and Mozambique, there is now a cooperation project with Costa Rica and Morocco for managing forests, conservation areas and watersheds in the light of climate change.Cooperation agencies involved in development cooperation and relevant ministries in Latin American and Caribbean are being strengthened with systematic step-by-step training measures. The partners are obtaining qualifications to enable them to carry out effective development measures (Human Capacity Development).The Fund promotes regional dialogue on triangular cooperation. By systematising lessons learned, it contributes to continuing the development of triangular cooperation with and within the region.Regional conferences provide venues to exchange views and experiences, and for political dialogue between countries, as in Bogotá in 2012 and in Mexico City in 2013.The expansion of skills and systematic knowledge on the efficient implementation of triangular development measures, as well as networking actors, are supported by the Fund through a training network. The Red de Capacitación en Cooperación Triangular para proyectos entre América Latina y el Caribe y Alemania was founded in 2013 in conjunction with the respective partners.The innovative range of services like training modules on triangular cooperation have been well received by the partners. They are being offered in e-learning format via the Global Campus 21 platform. This is complemented by regional face-to-face workshops on project management topics related to triangular cooperation; so far, workshops were held in El Salvador and Santo Domingo.Project descriptionTitle: Chilean-German Projects within the Scope of the Regional Fund for the Promotion of Triangular Cooperation in Latin America and the CaribbeanCommissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)Countries: Chile and third countries in Latin America and the CaribbeanLead executing agency: Agencia de Cooperación Internacional (AGCI); cooperation agencies in various third countriesOverall term: 2010 to 2016ContextAs an emerging economy, Chile is currently transitioning from a recipient to a donor country. Now that Chile has become of a member of the OECD, it is seeking to engage in new forms of international cooperation. Financed by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the Regional Fund for the Promotion of Triangular Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile and Germany are jointly implementing development projects in Latin America. GIZ’s direct cooperation partner on the Chilean side is the Agencia de Cooperación Internacional (AGCI), Chile’s government agency for international cooperation. A total of four projects have reached successful completion since the Fund was launched. Five other projects are still running. Using resources from the Fund, Germany and Chile have worked together in the following partner countries: Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and ParaguayObjectiveSelected countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have worked with Germany to implement successful development measures in third countries.ResultsIn the Dominican Republic, Chile and Germany are promoting employment opportunities for young people in marginalised rural and urban areas. To date, this has involved training a total of 80 lecturers and instructors at various basic and further training centres across the country. Applying the new methods and the knowledge they have gained, these lecturers have gone on to teach some 900 young people. More than 800 course participants have drawn up self-employment project proposals, and nearly half of those completing a course have been able to find a job – either with a company or working for themselves – thanks to the supported measures. Some 40 basic and further training centres have incorporated the youth-promotion methods and topics disseminated by the project into their respective syllabuses.In Paraguay a joint project is helping public authority staff to improve service delivery at local level. To this end, the project partners have devised a management model that ensures more efficient application of social policy while raising the quality of social services by improving coordination between the institutions involved. The focus is on child and youth protection services as well as social housing. The model is one of the central instruments deployed by Paraguay in the fight against poverty. For the first time, the responsible authorities have put together a nationwide plan for designing and implementing the country’s housing policy. Among other things, this plan is used as a basis for assessing housing needs and determining the volume of public investment required.In Honduras the project partners helped to improve solid waste management. As part of the project, they compiled a manual for managing dumps and landfills which also provided a basis for designing and rolling out training courses for various institutions and municipalities. Both the manual and the training courses take conditions in Honduras into account. The country’s Secretariat of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA) uses the manual nationwide.In Colombia, where the focus was on hazardous waste management, the partners assisted Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADS) in setting up and rolling out a monitoring system. This system makes for more effective waste management by enabling authorities to keep a better eye on the producers of hazardous waste as well as on the transport and final disposal of these waste products. Furthermore, studies have been conducted on extended producer responsibility (EPR), eco-toxicity testing and handling hazardous waste in hospitals, all of which have helped both Chilean and Colombian ministries to draft policies.

Medium