The global system of international co-operation is under unprecedented strain. From Doha to Dakar, from Pretoria to Jakarta, countries of the Global South are confronting a convergence of pressures: rising debt burdens, constrained fiscal space, climate induced shocks, food and energy insecurity, technological disruption, and persistent inequality. At the same time, many of the tools and institutions meant to support development are struggling to adapt to this new reality.Against this backdrop, South Africa’s decision to co-host the 2026 Global Partnerships Conference with the United Kingdom — Tuesday and Wednesday in London — is not a routine diplomatic engagement. It is a strategic intervention aimed at redefining how international co-operation works, and for whom it works.For much of Africa, the Arab world, and the wider Global South, development co-operation has too often been shaped elsewhere, framed through narrow aid paradigms, and delivered through models that prioritise compliance over capability, and projects over transformation.Today, there is a growing consensus that this approach is neither sufficient nor sustainable. What is required is a shift toward partnerships that respect sovereignty, strengthen national institutions, mobilise investment, and deliver results aligned with each country’s development priorities.South Africa enters this conversation with a clear perspective: international co-operation must move beyond old donor–recipient binaries without losing its developmental compass.A changing development landscape demands new partnershipsThe challenges facing developing countries today are complex, interlinked and systemic. Climate change is no longer a future risk — it is a present economic shock. Debt distress is constraining public investment across Africa and parts of the Arab world. Conflict and humanitarian crises are spilling across borders. At the same time, rapid advances in technology and artificial intelligence offer new opportunities, but only if countries are enabled to build local capability rather than remain dependent consumers.These realities have exposed the limits of traditional development models. Aid alone cannot finance development at scale. Markets alone cannot deliver equitable growth. And fragmented initiatives cannot substitute for strong institutions and coherent national strategies.This is why the focus of the Global Partnerships Conference — on sustainable finance, technology and artificial intelligence, and shifting power toward people and countries — is particularly relevant to the Global South. These themes address the need for fiscal resilience, productive investment, technological sovereignty, and national ownership. South Africa’s Role: From participation to co shapingSouth Africa’s role as co-host is rooted in a deliberate choice to help co shape the future of international co-operation, rather than merely participate in existing frameworks. As a developing country with lived experience of structural transformation, policy co-ordination, and institution building, South Africa understands both ambition and constraint.Our message is straightforward: partnerships must be built around country led development pathways. They must align with national priorities, support public institutions, and strengthen implementation capacity. Success should be measured not by announcements or pledges, but by delivery — by jobs created, resilience strengthened, infrastructure built, and opportunities expanded.This perspective resonates strongly across Africa and the Arab world, where countries are increasingly asserting their development agency and seeking partnerships that respect mutual benefit and long term outcomes. A voice for Africa and the Global SouthSouth Africa’s co-hosting role is also about ensuring that African and Global South perspectives help shape the global agenda. Too often, reforms to development finance, climate action or technology governance are discussed without adequate representation from those most affected by these decisions.Africa, the Arab world and other emerging regions are not short of ideas or ambition. What is required is a global system that listens, adapts, and supports nationally driven solutions. This includes tackling structural constraints in the global financial system, improving access to affordable finance, addressing debt vulnerabilities, and aligning global initiatives with domestic development strategies.South Africa will use the conference platform to advocate for partnerships that mobilise capital for productive investment, support structural transformation, and promote inclusive growth — priorities that are shared broadly across the Global South. Beyond aid, without beyond developmentThere is growing enthusiasm — particularly among investors and philanthropies — for moving “beyond aid.” South Africa supports innovation in financing and partnership models. However, we are equally clear that moving beyond aid must not mean abandoning development.Partnerships must not weaken public systems, displace national priorities, or impose external commercial logic at the expense of social and developmental outcomes. A credible new model of co-operation must blend public finance, domestic resource mobilisation, development finance, private investment, technology exchange and capacity building — anchored firmly in national ownership and accountability.This balanced approach is essential if countries are to navigate complex transitions: from carbon intensive to sustainable economies, from commodity dependence to diversification, and from vulnerability to resilience. Building inclusive global development coalitionsThe Global Partnerships Conference will bring together governments, multilateral institutions, investors, philanthropies, civil society and technology leaders. The challenge — and the opportunity — is to transform this diversity into coherent coalitions for implementation.South Africa’s diplomatic experience positions it well to bridge divides: between the North and the South, the public and the private sectors, political dialogue and delivery on the ground. In regions such as the Gulf, where development finance, investment and innovation are increasingly aligned, there is significant scope for deeper co-operation with African and other Global South partners on shared development priorities.A moment that must be used strategicallyUltimately, South Africa’s objective in co-hosting the Global Partnerships Conference is clear: to contribute to a more equitable, credible and development oriented model of international co-operation — one that reflects the realities and aspirations of the Global South.For countries across Africa, the Arab world and beyond, this moment matters. The choices made now will shape how development is financed, how technology is governed, and how power is distributed in the global system for years to come.South Africa intends to use this platform not for symbolism, but for substance — advancing partnerships rooted in mutual respect, shared responsibility, and the practical work of building capable states and resilient economies. That is the kind of co-operation the Global South needs — and deserves.
