Sevilla, Spain 30 June 2025 – Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group Chairman, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, has told a global audience at a High-Level Roundtable on South-South Synergies, held on the margins of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Spain, that the Bank stands ready to strategically collaborate with likeminded institutions.  This high-level roundtable was co-hosted by the Arab Coordination Group (ACG) and Development Ban of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF).

He emphasized that aligning priorities with these partners can promote inclusive development, climate resilience, and regional integration. This, he noted, would help forge deeper bonds between two strategic regions — Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Arab world — both abundant in cultural richness, human potential, and unwavering resilience.

Dr. Al Jasser stated that South-South cooperation is a significant strategy rooted in trust, mutual benefit, and shared ambition to facilitate sustainable development in member countries. He highlighted that the Bank’s commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean is genuine and growing, highlighting its active development engagements in Suriname and Guyana. He said the IsDB is actively engaged in both nations through co-financing with ACG institutions and providing targeted technical assistance that responds to national priorities.

The IsDB Group Chairman disclosed that in Suriname, the Bank is co-financing two transformative initiatives. He said one is expanding the national power transmission and distribution network, bringing energy security to more communities, while the other is enhancing the health sector through the construction of a state-of-the-art academic hospital.

Dr. Al Jasser said the development programs in both regions are more than just infrastructure projects. He described them as instruments of dignity, opportunity, and empowerment that reflect what is possible when Global South institutions join forces and pool their resources.

He added that acting in concert allows these institutions to learn from one another, leverage comparative advantages, and unlock new sources of capital and creativity. This, he stressed, is essential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals through the power of South-South cooperation.