Programme of South-South Cooperation for Sustainable Development Benin, Bhutan and Costa Rica

In the framework of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (1992) in Rio de Janeiro, Benin, Bhutan and Costa Rica separately entered into bilateral Sustainable Development Agreements (SDA) with the Kingdom of Netherlands being formalized in 1994. The Programme for South-South Cooperation between Benin, Bhutan, Costa Rica and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (henceforth PSC) grew out of those Bilateral Sustainable Development Agreements, in 2002, at the Rio+10, World Summit for Sustainable Development (Johannesburg).

In 2005, Costa Rica, Benin and Bhutan came under the umbrella of S-S Cooperation, with a US$13.2 million grant from the Kingdom of Netherlands.

Purpose, goal, expected results

Specifically, PSC identified four development goals that it would work towards.

*Develop reciprocal projects that will generate knowledge and empower stakeholders.

*Mobilize national governments, the civil society, and the academic and private sectors in partner countries to renew and reinforce commitment to sustainable development.

*Contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction in partner countries, taking into account environmental, economic and cultural idiosyncrasies.

*Explore the potential of South-South partnership to promote international commitments and mutual cooperation for sustainable development and experiment with a new North ? South ? South model of development cooperation.

These goals were set around four thematic areas which included: 1) sustainable tourism, 2) sustainable production and consumption chains, 3) conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, 4) access to sustainable energy and efficient energy use. Gender equity and women empowerment was a cross-cutting theme emphasized in all PSC projects.