New York, USA, 21 September 2023 Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) President, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, and United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Director, Ms. Dima Al-Khatib, met on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York to underscore their commitment to strengthening the strategic collaboration between their institutions.

Their aim is to jointly promote South-South and Triangular cooperation within IsDB member countries, with the overarching goal of advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the course of their discussions, an MoU was formalized, with Dr. Mansur Muhtar, IsDB's Vice-President for Operations, signing on behalf of IsDB, and Ms. Al-Khatib representing UNOSSC. 

Dr. Al Jasser said IsDB has been a longstanding partner of UNOSSC and has been actively involved in many activities, such as the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo and the SSC Galaxy. He noted that the Bank is ready to continue supporting this vital platform for knowledge sharing and ideas to enhance South-South and Triangular Cooperation globally.

"We are a South-South institution, and all our 57 members are from the Global South. South-South Cooperation is in our DNA, and since IsDB's inception in 1975, we have been promoting and advocating for South-South cooperation. All our member countries, regardless of their level of development, have something to share to help one another tackle development challenges,” the IsDB President emphasized. 

President Al Jasser disclosed that the Bank is deploying the ecosystem concept to help many member countries, such as Cameroun, Guinea, Pakistan, Palestine, and Tunisia, build the proper institutional arrangements. He said, "By creating the ecosystems for our member countries and members from the Global South, we equip them with the right tools to engage in development cooperation actively. "

He encouraged UNOSSC to advocate for the utilization of the index and invite countries from the Global South to undertake a voluntary assessment of their SSC efforts. He described the MoU as a significant milestone in the collaboration between the two institutions, and it will enhance coordination and synergy to advance the joint development agenda to promote and strengthen South-South Cooperation in countries and regions of mutual interest.