Private AreaWhat is the PSC?
During the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg in 2002, the Republic of Benin, the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Republic of Costa Rica entered into a Strategic Partnership for Cooperation on Sustainable Development, signing an agreement on the 31 of August 2002. This agreement was the outcome of the collaboration of the three partner countries and the Kingdom of the Netherlands within the framework of the Sustainable Development Agreements (SDAs). It has been a decade of promoting and supporting hundreds of projects, implemented between two or more of the partner countries, of delivering joint declarations at multilateral forums and debating policies towards achieving sustainable development. The SDAs have demonstrated the potential of an innovative framework of collaboration based on equity, reciprocity and participation that aims to break with traditional North - South relationships in development cooperation.
The three countries reaffirmed their commitment to the pursuit of sustainable development goals during the Joint Committee Meeting of the Bilateral Agreements for Sustainable Development, in May 2005, the Programme for South South Cooperation on Sustainable Development between Benin, Bhutan and Costa Rica (PSC) was created and PSC Regulations were established.
› For more information on PSC Regulations, click here.
› PSC GOALS
The PSC focuses on the pursuit of sustainable development goals and long term partnerships, as laid down in the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Benin, Bhutan and Costa Rica, signed in Johannesburg on 31 August 2002.
Recognizing that poverty alleviation will be achieved only in the context of sustainable development, the PSC seeks to catalyze the transition to sustainability by supporting innovation in policies, seeding initiatives, replicating successes, establishing new partnerships with civil society organisations between the partner countries, and disseminating information.
Sustainable development is interpreted as achieving a balance between social, ecological and economic development for this and future generations.
› More background can be found at PSC Background.
› PSC Beneficiaries
- It is expected that the direct beneficiaries of the PSC projects are inhabitants of the partner countries that will act as protagonists in the development of concrete projects and activities, identified, carried out and monitored in a participatory way. Rural communities, women, small tourism firms, consumers, users of energy and actors that depend directly on a sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity, are amongst the principal beneficiaries / actors of the PSC. Project activities are orientated towards issues such as capacity building, organisation (enhancing existing social capital), technology development, improving market access, small investments in physical assets, and so on.
- Second, a wide array of intermediate or participant organisations are indirectly benefited. These can be grass-root organisations of the direct beneficiaries (like community organisations, cooperatives, associative enterprises, marketing boards); governmental and non governmental institutions or development organisations; local governments; academic and research institutions; and private sector companies or firms. Institutions and organisations that could play a facilitating role in project formulation, provision of services (like training, technical assistance and business development services), market access, financial services, technology transfer, research, and so forth, in concrete alliances for project implementation. Through their commitment and participation, it is expected that they are able to strengthen capacities, accumulate knowledge, improve the quality of future services, and position themselves as reliable partners for service delivery.
- Third, the National Mechanisms are benefited, and also the National Mechanism of Costa Rica that will act as Secretariat of the PSC. Strengthening of their capacities and professionalisation will enhance their role as facilitator for project implementation, and as platform for building alliances for sustainable development, between government, civil society and private sector. Their role could extend beyond the PSC time-span, if they succeed in finding ways as to guarantee their organisational sustainability and financial stability. (As for example, in the current scenarios for the credit-fund in Costa Rica).
- Fourth, the Joint Committee of the PSC benefited from the programme, provided that commitment and effective communication mechanisms are in place. Successful experiences are inputs to share new viewpoints and bring the debate on sustainable development to other levels, both national and international. Successes attributable to the PSC, could fuel arguments for further exploring the potential of South-South partnerships for sustainable development, with a potential role for the Joint Committee as protagonist.
- Fifth, in a later stage, the wider community in the three partner countries could indirectly be benefited from the PSC: provided that useful experiences are generated; that best practices are replicable in the partner country or -in a modified way- in other partner countries; or that best practices could be scaled-up in better sector or territorial policies; that stronger alliances for sustainable development and empowerment in the partner countries will lead to better policies and strategies; that more people and organisations acquire consciousness and the will to act to bring about changes and innovations favourable to sustainable development.
