https://arab.news/px8na
Several countries across the Middle East and North Africa have, in recent years, emerged as key players in reshaping global cooperation dynamics, particularly through South-South cooperation. This dynamic process allows developing countries, often historically marginalized in global power structures, to collaborate and share knowledge, resources and expertise. Regional nations are clearly transitioning from simple contributors to central champions of South-South cooperation, challenging the traditional north-south power structures that have dominated global governance for decades.
South-South cooperation aims to foster mutual development and solidarity among nations of the Global South by enabling exchanges of knowledge, technology and resources. The UN Office for South-South Cooperation, established in 1974, has long supported these initiatives, which include knowledge sharing, technical expertise, diplomatic ties and development financing. MENA countries, historically more aligned with the West due to geopolitical interests, are now at the forefront of this global shift, pushing for a more equitable and collaborative approach to global governance.
One of the most striking examples of MENA’s growing role in South-South cooperation is the significant increase in bilateral trade and investments between the region’s countries and other developing regions, particularly Africa and Asia. MENA countries’ economic diversification strategies are shifting their focus from traditional oil and gas revenues to more sustainable partnerships, driven by the desire to reduce reliance on the West.
