The Government of Thailand, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) jointly announced today the hosting of the eleventh Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo) at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok Thailand, from 12 to 14 September 2022, in conjunction with the 2022 UN Day for South-South Cooperation.
The overarching theme of the GSSD Expo 2022 is "Advancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable COVID-19 Recovery: Towards a smart and resilient future".
Launched in 2008, GSSD Expo is the flagship event organized by UNOSSC in its capacity as the UN system-wide and global coordinator and advocator for South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTrC), with a UN General-Assembly mandate to systematically showcase Southern development solutions in advancing sustainable development. The annual GSSD Expo was endorsed in the Nairobi Outcome Document adopted at the High-level UN Conference on South-South Cooperation, held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2009.
The GSSD Expo 2022 will be the first-ever GSSD Expo to be held in the Asian and Pacific region; the first one after the second High-level UN Conference on SSC (BAPA+40), and the very first GSSD Expo convened in hybrid formats (both in-person and virtual) leveraging digital technology. Key subthemes of the GSSD Expo will be as follows:
- Digitalization and Smart Future
- SDG aligned South-South Approaches and Practices, Trade and Investment
- Role of Youth and Women, Volunteerism and Entrepreneurship, and Public-Private Partnership
- Creative Economy and Sustainable Tourism
- Green Recovery, Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action
- Food Security and Supply Chain
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
- Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response
Additionally, in the lead up to the GSSD Expo 2022, under the Youth4South initiative, the co-hosts launched a Youth Entrepreneurship Competition, with support of the UN Secretary-General Youth Envoy Office, focusing on sustainable recovery efforts, particularly in addressing extreme poverty, food insecurity, vaccination inequality, and other global challenges through South-South and triangular cooperation. Through this entrepreneurship competition and training, young startups and established entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to gather, share knowledge and ideas, collaborate to develop and scale-up their innovative and digital solutions, as well as connect with SDG investors at the GSSD Expo 2022 in September in Bangkok. Click here to apply for competition: https://forms.office.com/r/xX0WCFjrpA