T he UN aNd M exico ’ s s oUTh -s oUTh c ooperaTioN

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T ôwards â G ^lobal P ârTnershiP ^for d êveloPmenT

T he UN aNd M exico ’ s s oUTh -s oUTh c ooperaTioN

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Towards a Global Partnership for Development The UN and Mexico’s South-South Cooperation

United Nations Development Programme - UNDP Montes Urales 440

Colonia Lomas de Chapultepec C.P. 11000, México, D.F.

www.mx.undp.org

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irectory

United Nations Development Programme

Marcia de Castro

United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative in Mexico

María del Carmen Sacasa Deputy Resident Representative

Sebastian Haug

Global Affairs and South-South Cooperation Specialist

Paola García Knowledge Management and Capacity Development Advisor

Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation

Juan Manuel Valle Pereña Executive Director Bruno Figueroa Fischer

General Director

for Technical and Scientific Cooperation

Daniela Borbolla Compean General Director Planning and Policy Formulation

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ontents

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Introduction: South-South Cooperation in a Multipolar World 17

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Mexico’s Dual Role: Recipient and Provider 21

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UN Collaboration Framework for Supporting Mexico’s South-South Cooperation 27

4.

Strategic Partners in Mexico 31

5.

The Geography of Mexico’s South-South Cooperation Supported by the UN 32

6.

Dimensions of UN Support for South-South Cooperation:

Fostering Development Solutions 36

6.1 Supporting South-South Cooperation Schemes 38

6.2 Facilitating Networks 48

6.3 Systematizing Best Practices 50

6.4 Supporting Institutional and Operational Development

for South-South Cooperation 52

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The UN and Mexico’s South-South Cooperation: Perspectives 55

Acronyms 58

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rologues

Prologue

International development cooperation is an essential instrument of Mexico’s foreign policy by means of which it favours supportive exchanges designed to produce social and economic development, as well as to strengthen relations with the rest of the world. In its dual role as a provider and recipient country, Mexico has an extensive background in cooperation schemes that allow human, technical and financial resources to be capitalized, and for knowledge to be shared.

One the one hand, Mexico’s experience is particularly relevant in view of the transformation of the global development cooperation architecture, the reduction and redeploy- ment of Official Development Assistance, and traditional donors’ financial and fiscal limitations. On the other hand, international economic dynamism has been increasingly concentrated in Middle-Income Countries (MICs), so that “Southern countries” are now making a greater contribution to international development. In this context Mexico is prepared to increase its role in the new structure of international development cooperation, in particular by strengthening South-South and triangular cooperation (SSC and TC) schemes.

For Mexico, SSC is a highly beneficial and solidarity-based cooperation model that facil- itates the contextualized exchange of experiences and collective learning, and has become a valuable regional development asset. As effective development cooperation requires continuously strengthened institutions and clear coordination mechanisms, the Mexican Agency for International Development Co- operation (AMEXCID), established in 2011, ac- knowledges the challenge linked to its role as coordinator of cooperation efforts. The AM- EXCID is working towards achieving structured planning and an administration focused on results, with solid methodologies as well as transparent registration and inter-institutional coordination systems.

To position Mexico as a “stakeholder with global responsibility,” strategic partnerships have been established to foster innovative forms of cooperation with a greater scope. The 2014- 2019 United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) formalizes priority cooperation areas between the United Nations (UN) and the Mexican Government. The UN- DAF’s sixth cooperation area, “Global Partner- ship for Development”, emphasizes UN efforts on SSC. The association with the UN in Mexico offers operational and technical advantages to the AMEXCID and those Mexican institutions that aim to both leverage the flow of SSC

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Towardsa Global ParTnershiPfor develoPmenT • The UN aNd Mexico’s soUTh-soUTh cooperaTioN

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and TC and expand their related institutional capacities. With the activities falling under the

“Global Partnership for Development” cooperation area, the UN is expected to support efforts to increase the scope and visibility of Mexico’s SSC and, consequently, to strengthen the country’s position as an effective regional and global development actor.

In April 2014 Mexico confirmed its commitment to global development by hosting the First High-Level Meeting of the Global Part- nership for Effective Development Coopera- tion (GPEDC) and taking over as Co-Chair of this innovative and inclusive mechanism. In the framework of the GPEDC, Mexico has been promoting the principles of effective development cooperation as a useful tool for the generation of concrete country-level results as well as the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda. Mexico will continue to encourage the participation and inclusion of a wide variety of actors and development vi- sions, which, in turn, will allow to maximize the impact of development cooperation.

In this context, the AMEXCID is pleased to present –together with the UN in Mexico and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)– the publication “Towards a Global Partnership for Development: The United Nations and Mexico’s South-South Cooper- ation.”

This publication is based on collaboration initiatives between Mexican Government agencies and institutions, primarily from the Fed- eral Government, and the UN to provide more in-depth knowledge of the role played by the UN specialized agencies, programmes and funds in support of Mexico’s SSC. The more general goal is to learn from the whole set of analysed experiences and make proposals to strengthen the strategic association between the Mexican Government and the UN, and thus foster Mexico’s SSC and TC.

Juan Manuel Valle Pereña AMEXCID Executive Director

“The partnership with the UN in Mexico offers advantages, both operational and technical, to promote and stimulate the flow

of South-South and triangular cooperation.”

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rologues

Prologue

Mexico’s commitment in favour of equita- ble global governance is a fundamental part of the country’s foreign policy. Its active role in building an inclusive multilateral architecture, one highlights the contribution made by Southern countries to face development challenges, has led to its increasingly significant international leadership.

This commitment is embedded in the Na- tional Development Plan, whose fifth axis aims to position Mexico as a country with global responsibility.

Crucial steps in that direction have been taken by building a strategic institutional architecture for international development cooperation. Under the leadership of the Mexican Agency for International Develop- ment Cooperation (AMEXCID), Mexico’s devolpement cooperation that benefits from the advanced solutions as well as the regional and global prestige of dozens of Mex- ican Government institutions is being artic- ulated and coordinated.

In recognition of Mexico’s leadership and the importance given by the United Nations De- velopment Programme (UNDP) to South- South cooperation (SSC) in emerging countries, in 2011 the AMEXCID and UNDP signed a Collaboration Framework Agreement, estab- lishing a strategic partnership to maximize Mexico’s potential as a key international development actor.

Within that framework, we present the publication “Towards a Global Partner- ship for Development: The United Na- tions and Mexico’s South-South Coopera- tion,” the result of an inter-agency collabo- ration process designed to map the United Nation (UN)’s support for SSC initiatives led by Mexican institutions. This publication provides insights into the UN’s efforts in supporting Mexico’s SSC and identifies opportunities for joint work with the Govern- ment in strategic areas, such as centres of excellence and the systematization of best practices.

The publication also reflects the voices of the UN’s partners in Mexico and is based on 90 UN initiatives led by 30 Mexican institutions.

The analysis highlights the diversity of stakeholders with which the UN has established collaboration partnerships, from federal ministries to decentralized and autonomous bodies, State Governments, judicial entities, and academic institutions. It also demon- strates how the thematic focus of the UN’s support is in line with Government priorities, such as social inclusion, environmental sustainability and citizen security.

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Internationally, 2014 has been an important year for reflecting upon the advances and challenges of international development cooperation, by providing spaces for debate such as the Global Partnership for Effective Develop- ment Cooperation (GPEDC) that promotes reflection on SSC and aims to help defining the implementation mechanisms of the post-2015 development agenda. Mexico is one of the most influential and active stakeholders in this process and, in April 2014, hosted the First High-Level Meeting of the GPEDC.

In this line, we hope that the publication at hand will not only provide elements for a Mexican reflection on the UN’s role in development cooperation but also serve as a key input for regional and global debates on the new development agenda.

The publication at hand affirms the commitment of the Mexican Goverment, UNDP, and the UN as a whole to promote international development cooperation based on the principles of respect, solidarity and horizon- tality and strengthen Mexico as a stakeholder with global responsibility. We are pleased to go hand in hand with the AMEXCID in this effort that represents another step towards consolidating the Mexican international development cooperation system.

Marcia de Castro United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative in Mexico

“The analysis highlights the diversity of stakeholders with whom the UN has established partnerships and shows how the UN’s support for

South-South cooperation is aligned to Government priorities.”

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cknowleDgements

Acknowledgements

This publication was prepared by Nils-Sjard Schulz (Multipolar Network), Paola García (UNDP) and Sebastian Haug (UNDP). We would like to highlight the work and dedication of the South-South cooperation focal points of UN agencies, programmes and funds in Mexico¹ who provided substantial input and actively participated in compiling information for this document:

Economic commissionfor Latin amEricaandthE caribbEan (EcLac) foodand agricuLturE organization• ofthE unitEd nations (fao)

intErnationaL civiL aviation• organization (icao) intErnationaL Labour• organization (iLo) intErnationaL organization• for migration (iom) officEforthE coordinationof• humanitarian affairs (ocha) officEofthE unitEd nations high commissionEr• for human rights (ohchr) Pan amErican hEaLth organization/WorLd• hEaLth organization (Paho/Who)

unitEd nations chiLdrEn• ’s fund (unicEf) unitEd nations dEvELoPmEnt• ProgrammE (undP)

unitEd nations EducationaL, sciEntific•and cuLturaL organization (unEsco) unitEd nations Entityfor gEndEr EquaLityand• thE EmPoWErmEntof WomEn (un WomEn)

unitEd nations EnvironmEnt• ProgrammE (unEP) unitEd nations high commissionEr• for rEfugEEs (unhcr) unitEd nations human sEttLEmEnts• ProgrammE (un-habitat)

unitEd nations industriaL dEvELoPmEnt• organization (unido) unitEd nations officEon d•rugsand crimE (unodc)

unitEd nations PoPuLation• fund (unfPa)

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1. For purposes of this publication the term agencies is used to refer to the UN entities in Mexico.

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We are grateful for the support of the Mexican Agency for International Development Coop- eration (AMEXCID) during the preparation of this publication and thankfully acknowledge the feedback provided by the following institutions:

nationaL forEstry commission (conafor) nationaL PoPuLation• counciL (conaPo) mExican WatEr tEchnoLogy• institutE (imta) nationaL institutEof statistics• and gEograPhy (inEgi)

nationaL migration• institutE (inm) nationaL institutEfor W• omEn (inmuJErEs)

ministryof hEaLth• (saLud) ministryofthE i•ntErior (sEgob)

ministry of EnvironmEntand n•aturaL rEsourcEs (sEmarnat) ministryfor E•nErgy (sEnEr)

ministryof Labourand• sociaL WELfarE (stPs) ELEctoraL courtofthE f•EdEraL Judiciary (tEPJf)

“Towards a Global Partnership for Development: The United Nations and Mexico’s South- South Cooperation” is a joint effort bringing together the AMEXCID and the UN in Mexico with a common goal: to strengthen Mexico’s South-South cooperation while underlining the UN’s added value and potential to effectively contribute to national and global development goals.

This publication was made possible through UNDP’s Fund for Country-level Emerging Priorities and Innovation (FCEPI). We would like to thank Michael O’Neill, UN Assistant-Secretary General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), and Jessica Faieta, UN Assistant-Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbe- an, as well as their teams for jointly supporting UNDP Mexico’s work on South-South cooperation.

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For more details about UN initiatives that support Mexico’s South-South cooperation see:

http://bit.ly/1kDv58e

For more general information visit the following websites:

AMEXCID www.amexcid.gob.mx

UN Mexico www.onu.org.mx

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14 In Numbers: UN Support foir Mexico’s South-South Cooperation

²

Led by

30

Mexican institutions, the UN has supported

44

South-South cooperation projects and activities, of which:

37

are directed towards Latin America

and the Caribbean,

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focus on Central American and Caribbean countries, and

15

are subregional schemes.

In addition,

50

South-South workshops and dialogue forums took place.

In total, the UN in Mexico has promoted more than South-South cooperation initiatives. 90

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funds, programmes, specialized agencies and commissions of the UN in Mexico have accompanied these initiatives.

2. The majority of the analyzed initiatives are currently underway. For details on the sources used for this publication see the following page.

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INFORMATION SOURCES FOR PREPARING THIS PUBLICATION

Following two forums on SSC in September 2013, the UN agencies in Mexico identified the need to collect and systematize their experiences in supporting Mexico’s SSC. Faci- litated by UNDP and in collaboration with the AMEXCID they started to map their SSC initiatives, based on extensive record cards completed by 18 UN agencies^{that are} represented in Mexico and contribute with substantive programmes to the country’s development. In total more than 90 initiatives were shared, of which the vast majority are currently underway. Among those initiatives, 44 SSC projects and activities led by 30 Mexican institutions as well as 50 workshops and dialogue forums^were registered. To supplement this data, the authors organized a validation workshop with UN agencies as well as a dozen in-depth interviews with representatives of the AMEXCID, Mexican ministries and other entities as well as UN agencies in February 2014. The inputs collected during this process form the basis for this publication that was made possible by the generous support of the focal points involved.

The publication reflects the effort to provide a first account of the different ways through which the UN supports Mexico’s SSC and is one of the first joint country-level analyses of UN SSC activities in the region. Building on this initial exercise, one of the key challenges for the future lies in the systematic documentation and financial quantifi- cation of SSC initiatives supported by UN agencies.

To access the publication and a detailed list of initiatives go to:

http://bit.ly/1kDv58e

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1. Introduction:

South-South Cooperation in a Multipolar World

Since the beginning of the 21^st century southern countries have been experiencing a sustained period of development, allowing hundreds of millions of people to get out of poverty and supporting the consolidation of social and economic development foundations on both national and regional levels. As underlined by the 2013 Human Development Report published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the growing group of Middle-Income Countries (MICs) has benefit- ted from economic growth, greater trading opportunities, as well as increasingly sophis- ticated information and communication tech- nologies.

At the same time, developing countries have been able to articulate and consolidate innovative public policies on a great variety of issues, from green development and agriculture to social protection and public finances reform.

In this context, and in response to structural weaknesses, Southern governments have made progress on modernizing and strengthening their public sectors, with strategies adapted to their political and institutional

realities. A key ingredient for the South’s suc- cess lies in increasing willingness, commitment and capacities to promote development by States and societies that are more compe- tent, better prepared and increasingly re- ceptive for knowledge and experience-based learning.

This new diversity of development has been accelerated by a rebalancing of the global economic system marked by the economic and financial crisis of developed countries since 2008, and by the appearance of a sec- ond generation of emerging economies which, in the last five years, have extended beyond the already “traditional” BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). Coun- tries such as Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey are now proof of a multipolar world in which the MICs have an accumulated capital of experiences and solutions on how to promote sustainable human development in such di- verse areas as social protection, transport, public health, natural disaster risk management, and national statistic systems.

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In this dynamic context, South-South cooperation (SSC) has been playing a key role in shaping the future of the international development system, both in policies and in prac- tice. While there are various definitions of SSC in inter-governmental agreements at both

global³ and regional⁴ levels, this publication uses a working definition taken from the Unit- ed Nations (UN) High-Level Panel on South- South Cooperation that refers to South-South cooperation for development as

“a process whereby two or more developing countries pursue their individual and/or shared national capacity development objectives through exchanges of knowledge, skills, resources and technical know-how, and through regional and interregional collec- tive actions, including partnerships involving Governments, regional organizations, civil society, academia and the private sector, for their individual and/or mutual benefit within and across regions.” ⁵

Deeply rooted in the solidarity movement of non-aligned countries during the Cold War and supported by the UN, SSC is experiencing a period of growth thanks to the extensive social and economic progress made by developing countries as well as their willingness to share their experiences and knowledge with partners and peers.

Beyond the financial and investment flows originating from Brazil, China and other countries (particularly oil-producing economies), most SSC schemes are focusing on the exchange of knowledge, mutual learning and the transfer of experiences and specialized solutions. Based on their successful public policies, emerging economies and other MICs representing more limited markets have become vital sources of ideas and solutions to promote development in other countries.

Against this backdrop it is no surprise that SSC, and in particular knowledge exchange, has positioned itself as a model of horizontal association between Southern countries.

Its starting point tend to be confidence, equity and mutual benefit among the partners involved, thus enriching traditional North- South aid relations. While countries have maintained their South-South ties for de- cades, and more recently have promoted triangular cooperation (TC) with traditional donors,⁶ there is a great potential to fully in- clude these cooperation modalities in the global development system, particularly de- signing and implementing the post-2015 development agenda. Also, as shown by the following overview, there are a range of reference frameworks that guide and reflect the significance of SSC within the global development agenda.

3. Paragraphs 5-8 of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Coopera- tion among Developing Countries (1978); paragraphs 9-19 of the Final Document of the Nairobi Confer- ence (2009); section 1 of the Bogota Report “Towards Efficient and In- clusive Development” (2010); and paragraphs 30-31 of the Busan Part- nership for Effective Development Cooperation (2010).

4. In particular the definitions in the Ibero-American South-South Coop- eration Reports of the Ibero-Amer- ican General Secretariat (since 2008).

5. Paragraph 9, Framework of Opera- tional Guidelines on United Nations Support to South-South and Trian- gular Cooperation, Note by the Sec- retary-General, SSC/17/3 (2012).

6. According to Article 4 of Mexico’s International Development Coop- eration Act (LCID), Triangular Coop- eration is a “cooperation modality in association with a bilateral or multilateral traditional source, in order to jointly concur in actions in favour of a third demanding nation at a lower or similar level of relative development.” For purposes of this publication we refer to “UN support for Mexico’s SSC” in order to recognize Mexico’s leadership and the evolving role of the UN –beyond its status as a multilateral traditional source– regarding the development cooperation Mexico provides.

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International South-South Cooperation Reference Framework

Source: Authors.

E BUENOS AIRES PLAN OF ACTION (1978)

The Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Coopera- tion among Developing Countries, a crucial milestone for SSC, was adopted by 138 states on the 12^thof September 1978.

E NAIROBI OUTCOME DOCUMENT (2009)

The Outcome Document of the High-Level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation in Nairobi (2009) underlines the UN’s key role supporting SSC through all its funds, programmes, specialized agencies and regional commissions.

E UN HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE ON SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION

The UN High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation is a subsidiary body of the General Assembly and the main normative entity regarding South-South Cooperation within the UN.

E HIGH-LEVEL PANEL ON THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Within the broader framework of defining the post-2015 development agenda, the High-Level Panel explicitly considers the contribution of South-South cooperation and knowledge exchange to reaching the new development goals, particularly in thematic areas with a clear demand of experiences from Middle Income Countries.

E GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

Stemming from the High-Level Forum in Busan (2011), the Global Partnership for Effec- tive Development Cooperation (GPEDC) reflects a greater attention to South-South cooperation and the proactive role of Middle-Income Countries in global development. The First High-Level Meeting of the GPEDC took place in April 2014 in Mexico

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The publication at hand is embedded in this dynamic global context. It analyses from UN agencies’ support for SSC schemes led by Mexican institutions and identifies elements to improve both the scale and quality of this multilateral effort. Facilitated by UNDP, this process originates from reflections within the UN on mechanisms and methods of col- laborating with the Mexican Government in its extensive political, institutional and operational commitment to SSC. In this line, the publication is also part and proof of the close collaboration between UN agencies and the AMEXCID as the governing body of Mexico’s SSC.

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21 2. Mexico’s Dual Role:

Recipient and Provider

Mexico looks back on a long history as an international development cooperation partner and has implemented multiple pilot projects in order to gradually adapt the country’s approach to a changing national and international context. Over the last years Mexico’s role as a dual partner has come to the fore- front, reflecting its identity as both a recipient and provider of development cooperation. As one of the most innovative countries in building this new identity, Mexico is not only a pioneer in advanced models for mobi- lizing and channelling external sources of development financing (on climate change, for example) but has also designed a series of innovative SSC and TC models primarily directed towards Latin America and the Caribbean.

UN support provided to Mexico’s SSC direct- ly responds to the country’s policy priorities. In line with Mexico’s 2013-2018 Nation- al Development Plan (PND), SSC is a foreign policy tool for a “Mexico with Global Re-

sponsibility” (fifth axis), aimed at “expand- ing and strengthening Mexico’s presence in the world,” with the AMEXCID as the key actor in the implementation and coordination of Mexico‘s international development cooperation.

The publication of the International Develop- ment Cooperation Act (LCID) in the Official Gazette of the Federation in April 2011 was a milestone as it anticipates the instruments needed to consolidate Mexico’s policy on the issue and thus extend the scope and impact of SSC initiatives. Drafted within a consen- sus-based and inclusive consultation process, the LCID establishes the goals,⁷ principles⁸ and guidelines aimed at guaranteeing (1) that SSC complements the countries’ own development efforts, (2) the self-sustainability of development processes, and (3) the involve- ment of the recipients of Mexico’s SSC through co-financing and other schemes where all stakeholders contribute.

7. The eradication of poverty, unemployment, inequality, and social exclusion; the permanent raising of educational, technical, scientific and cultural standards; the reduction of asymmetries between developed countries and developing countries;

the pursuit of environmental protection and the fight against climate change; as well as the strengthening of public security.

8. International solidarity, the defence and promotion of human rights, the strengthening of the rule of law, gender equity, the promotion of sustainable development, transparency and accountability, and the criteria for appropriation, alignment, harmonization, results-oriented management and mutual responsibility.

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Regarding the institutional framework for Mexico’s international development cooperation, the LCID anticipates the following instruments:

MEXICAN AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION (AMEXCID)

E COORDINATION OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION POLICY

The AMEXCID was set up in September 2011 as a decentralized body of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE). Over the course of three years, it has initiated transformation and reengineering processes aimed at responding to both the Act’s provisions and the needs imposed by a continuosly changing national and international context.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION PROGRAMME (PROCID)

E BASIS FOR PLANNING AND EXECUTING DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION SCHEMES

The PROCID is the cross-cutting programmatic framework for Mexico’s development cooperation. It applies to several Federal public administration entities, reflecting the fact that Mexico’s development cooperation in general and the successful implementation of cooperation projects in particular depend upon collaboration between minis-

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23 NATIONAL FUND FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION (FONCID)

E TRUST FUND FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

The setup of the FONCID will allow to improve the planning of development cooperation projects and increase their impact. It is currently being developed and expected to be set in motion in 2015.

NATIONAL REGISTRY AND INFORMATION

SYSTEM FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION (RENCID AND SICID)

E TOOL FOR MONITORING AND REGISTERING DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

The RENCID and SICID build on previous efforts of the SRE to monitor and register development cooperation, such as the International Cooperation Data System (SICOI) and the Mexican International Development Cooperation Data System (SIMEXID).

They will allow to register projects, agreements, partner institutions, monetary va- lues and other data related to Mexico’s development cooperation.

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In this favourable context, the AMEXCID’s role is particularly relevant regarding inter-sectorial coordination and the support for institutional and operational capacities of ministries and other Federal entities that as development solutions providers, contribute to how Mexico’s ‘brand’ is perceived abroad. The main vehicles and resources of Mexico’s development cooperation are sectorial ex- perts from Government institutions offer- ing their knowledge, experience and con- textual sensibility for the benefit of other countries in the region. Within this context, the 2012 Catalogue of Mexican Capaci- ties for International Development Coopera- tion, published in collaboration with the Jap- anese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is the Goverment’s first exercise to gather expertise from various Mexican institutions with great potential and capacity to participate in international development cooperation schemes. The Catalogue covers areas such as environment, education, en- ergy, government and civil society, as well as agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

In addition to database on international development cooperation, the AMEXCID is consolidating a methodology to account for human, financial and technical resources in development cooperation. At the same time, the AMEXCID is implementing an institutional capacity building strategy supported by partners such as the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), JICA, and UNDP.

Regarding the geographic focus of Mexico’s SSC, the LCID establishes Central America and Latin America and the Caribbean priorities.

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Bilaterally, most projects are designed for capacity building and institutional strengthening in key sectors of the partner country. Re- gionally, high-impact projects implemented under the Mesoamerican Integration and Development Project and those financed by the Infrastructure Fund for Mesoamerican and Caribbean Countries are particularly relevant for Mexico’s development cooperation. The Infrastructure Fund, also known as the “Yu- catán Agreement,” is a reflection of Mexico’s commitment to Latin America. It was an- nounced in 2001 and officially launched in March 2012 as a regional cooperation mechanism to finance infrastructure programmes and projects and to support technical assistance as well as the commercial exchange of goods and services associated with infrastructure.

With certain countries there has been a shift towards horizontal cooperation programmes, where benefits and costs are equally shared.

These bilateral schemes have been particularly relevant in South America and the Asia- Pa- cific region as well as under the umbrella of programmes in Mesoamerica and Ibero Amer- ica. The Joint Cooperation Funds that Mexico has set up with Chile and Uruguay are em- blematic mechanisms facilitating horizontal cooperation. Recently, efforts have been made to also apply this scheme with Costa Rica. In terms of TC Mexico has positioned itself as a promoter of debate and reflection and a strategic partner for the benefit of Lat- in American and Caribbean countries. During 2012 Mexico was involved in 23 triangular projects, mostly in association with Japan, Germany, Spain, and South Korea.

GraPh 1

MEXICO’S SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION PROJECTS

Q Latin America and the Caribbean: 153 Q Regional: 18

Q Asia-Pacífic: 17 Q Africa: 1

Note: In total Mexico provided 212 SSC projects in 2012.

Source: AMEXCID’s 2012 internal activities report.

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Different factors determine the role Mexico has assumed as a bridge and facilitator in the debate on the global development cooperation architecture. It is essential to acknowledge the variety of Mexico’s roles as provider and recipient, its identity as a MIC, as well as its membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and specifically, as an observer on the organization’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC).

Finally, Mexico has also promoted capacity building and knowledge exchange in the framework of the Group of 20 (G20) development agenda, during its G20 presidency in

2012. Mexico’s active engagement with international development cooperation and the post-2015 development agenda has been reflected discussions in the framework of the OEDC and the UN, particularly in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and the Ibero-American Summit. In the context of the Global Partnership for Effec- tive Development Cooperation (GPEDC), Mexico is leading the debate on SSC and TC as well as the role of MICs in the changing international development cooperation land- scape. In April 2014 Mexico hosted the First High-Level Meeting of the GPEDC and took over as one of its Co-Chairs.

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27 3. UN Collaboration Framework

for Supporting Mexico’s South-South Cooperation

The 2014-2019 United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) establishes the basis for the joint work of the UN and the Government of Mexico and responds specifically to the country’s development challenges. Via its cooperation area VI “Global Partnership for Development” the UNDAF highlights the UN’s willingness to contribute to Mexico’s responsible and proactive role on the international level. Specifically, according to effect 13 of the UNDAF, “the Mexican Government will have strengthened its position as an effective regional and global development partner for which it will have con- solidated a pertinent international cooperation platform.”

In addition to the UNDAF, various UN agencies also have SSC reference frameworks established by their headquarters and regional offices (see Graph 2). These general frameworks provide multiple opportunities to ensure that regional and global SSC guidelines can be translated into national strategies adapted to the country’s priorities, above all those in line with the UNDAF.

Particularly UNDP already has a history of supporting Mexican SSC capabilities. The Collab- oration Framework Agreement, signed in 2011 between the Government of Mexico and UNDP, aims to ensure synergies between Mexico as an international development partner and UNDP’s national, regional and global programmes.

UNDP: Signature of the AMEXCID-UNDP Cooperation Programme (Mexico City, March 2013).

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G^raPh 2

SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION STRATEGIES AND FRAMEWORKS OF DIFFERENT UN AGENCIES

ECLAC: Based on resolutions adopted in 2004, ECLAC’s Regulatory and Operational South-South Cooperation Frameworks seek to raise the profile of SSC in the Commission’s strategic and operational work, and to support the direct link between supply of and demand for development solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean.

UNICEF: In 2011 UNICEF headquarters published a Programme Guidance Note on South-South Cooperation that pays special attention to the role of Middle Income Countries. The document is used as a central reference in the 2014-2018 UNICEF Mexico Country Programme.

UNFPA: Adopted in 1997 and updated in 2010, UNFPA’s South-South Cooperation Strategy became the starting point for the SSC strategy of its regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2012. In both cases UNFPA defines its position as a broker between demand for and supply of development solutions.

ILO: Adopted in 2012, ILO’s strategy “South-South Cooperation and Triangular Cooperation: The Way For- ward” anticipates, inter alia, promoting the exchange of knowledge fo cused on decent work and improving operational capacities to implement SSC schemes.

UNDP: The Collaboration Framework Agreement signed with the Government of Mexico in 2011 provides the basis for UNDP’s support in strengthening institutional capacities of the AMEXCID, identifying Mexican centres of excellence, and promoting Mexico’s active participation in multilateral development dialogues.

Note: “Global Partnership for Development” is the cooperation area VI in the 2014-2019 UNDAF.

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The Agreement is now also the framework for more consistent collaboration with a view to strengthen Mexico as an international development partner. The AMEXCID-UNDP Coop- eration Programme, a joint capacity building project set up under the Agreement, includes support for systematizing good practices and strengthening centres of excellence. Since UNDP has signed similar agreements with six other emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey), there are many opportunities for a fluid and constant dialogue between the AMEXCID and development cooperation agencies of other countries supported by UNDP.

In June 2013, the UN agencies in Mexico identified UNDP as the lead agency on SSC. In this context, UNDP started mapping Mexican SSC initiatives supported by UN agencies and, in February 2014, convened the first meeting of the UN Inter-agency Group on SSC. In collaboration with the AMEXCID the Inter-agency Group will offer a space to coordinate the con- tributions of UN agencies to Mexico’s SSC.

UN Mexico: Inter-agency Group on South-South Cooperation (Mexico City, February 2014).

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The South-South cooperation initiatives supported by the UN are linked to the

6

areas of the 2014-2019 United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) in Mexico:

LA EC

FAC •

• IO

O • IOIL • OCA

M • OCHA • OHCHR • PAHO/WHO • UN-HABITAT • UN Women • UNDP • UNEP • UNESC O • U

NFPA • UNH

• UEFCRIC • UN

O • NID

UNOD

C

IOM • OCHA • OHCHR • UN-HABITAT • UN Women • UNHC R • UNIC

EF • U NODC FAO • PAHO/WHO • UN-HABITAT • UNDP • UNESCO • U

NFPA • UN ICEF ECLAC • IOM • UNDP • UNIDO

ICAO • UNDP • UNEP

UNDP

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31 4. Strategic Partners in Mexico

UN SUPPORT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF MEXICAN PARTNERS

The process of preparing this publication included a consultation process with representatives from several Mexican institutions. The meetings and interviews brought to light the extensive record of entities such as the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the Minis- tries of Health and Environment, and the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Fede- ration (TEPJF) regarding their regular exchanges with counterparts in other countries. In many cases, their SSC trajectories began over 15 years ago. Among the current challenges these Mexi- can institutions face are sectorial strategic planning, access to financing and coordination, both within the Government and with bilateral and multilateral agencies. At the sectorial level multilateral support is perceived as part of a natural alliance, anchored in historic relationships of joint work on specific development issues.

Mexican stakeholders perceive a range of advantages from UN agencies SSC support, including institutional and operational capacity development: mobilization and expansion of networks and regional dialogue spaces; the possibility of receiving logistical support in other countries; and the deft handling of financial resources. Looking ahead, Mexican institutions expect UN agencies to collaborate in the growing scale of SSC, accompanying the establishment of centres of excellence, ensuring a better flow of information and supporting results-based management in Mexico’s international development cooperation.

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THE UN’S STRATEGIC PARTNERS IN MEXICO FOR SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION INITIATIVES

Q Decentralized and autonomous bodies : 13 Q Ministries: 10

Q Academic institutions : 3 Q State Governments : 2 Q Judiciary: 2

Note: This graph refers to the 44 SSC projects and activities (see Chapter 6).

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32 5. The Geography of Mexico’s

South-South Cooperation Supported by the UN

Most partners of Mexico’s UN-supported South-South cooperation schemes are countries in the region. Of the 44 analysed projects and activities, 37 are directed towards Latin America and the Caribbean, 24 focus on Central America and the Caribbean and 15 are sub-regional. At the same time, initiatives have also been undertaken with countries in Africa and Asia.

Mexico’s international development cooperation has focused mainly on the Mesoamerican region. In this line, UN support for Meso- american programmes and strategies on the following topics has been particularly relevant: monitoring and evaluating compliance with the Millennium Development Goals (AMEXCID, supported by UNDP); road safety (Ministry of Health, supported by PAHO/WHO);

food security (AMEXCID, in collaboration with FAO); assistance to vulnerable migrants (Min- istry for the Development of the Southern Border of the Chiapas State Government, with support from the international Organiza- tion for Migration, IOM); and environmental

sustainability (CONAFOR, together with UNDP).

As for bilateral projects, two have been developed with Haiti (supported by ECLAC, together with the College of Mexico and IN- EGI, respectively); two with Nicaragua (Min- istry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Devel- opment, Fisheries and Food, SAGARPA, supported by FAO); with the Dominican Repub- lic (Ministry of the Interior, SEGOB, together with UNDP and UNODC); and with Hondu- ras and Panama (in each country, one initiative of the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, SEMARNAT, supported by the United Nations Envitonment Pro- gramme, UNEP).

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GraPh 4

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

Note: Countries in blue are part of at least one UN-supported SSC initiative that has been initiated by or includes Mexico.

Mesoamerica (small blue circle) as well as Central America and the Caribbean (bigger blue circle) are geographic priorities of Mexico’s UN-supported SSC schemes.

T he UN aNd M exico ’ s s oUTh -s oUTh c ooperaTioN

T owards a G lobal P arTnershiP for d eveloPmenT