From 27 February to 1 March 2011, 65 policy-makers, practitioners and experts gathered in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss the potential and challenges of triangular cooperation as a form of horizontal partnership. Triangular cooperation is seen today as a prime avenue to bridge South-South and North-South cooperation. Participants engaged in an evidence-based debate around how triangular cooperation works in practice and which areas need to be strengthened.

In line with the ongoing analytical work of the Task Team on South-South Cooperation (TT-SSC), active discussion addressed the following questions:

• How to ensure partnership?
• How to identify and promote the use of comparative advantages?
• How to manage transaction costs?
• How to use innovative approaches and models to promote SSC and triangular cooperation?

Triangular cooperation can be a strong complement to existing North-South cooperation arrangements. Highly adaptable solutions are often promoted in triangular schemes, which allow traditional donors to better adapt to cultural contexts in developing countries. Progress has been made in using this form of cooperation. But triangular cooperation often remains ad-hoc and dependent on strong political buy-in. A lack of programmatic and strategic approaches limits the availability of information and data, generating high transaction costs and obstructing learning and capacity development around triangular initiatives.

The event conclusion document explores the four questions discussed at the workshop in greater detail.

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