Yingke Law Firm and UN Development Programme sign partnership agreement to strengthen South-South Cooperation

New York, 21 November – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a Partnership Agreement with Beijing Yingke Law Firm, the biggest own-operated law firm in Asia Pacific, during a special event on the legal environment for South-South cooperation. Yingke becomes the one of five founding agencies of the United Nations South-South cooperation Global think tank. It is the first time for the United Nations to forge a long-term partnership with the private sector in the field of global policy and regulatory research. Another founding agency from China is the Development Research Center of the State Council.

Figure above is the meeting scene.

Figure above is Mr. Xiangrong MEI, Chairman of Yingke Global Board of Directors and Ms. Sarah Poole, Deputy Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support signing the Partnership Agreement ( Photo: UNDP )

The new partnership aims to support the global coalition of think tank networks to expand research and knowledge production and sharing for South-South Cooperation underpinning the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The partnership will also support deepening the understanding of legal environment and policy coordination related to South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

Sarah Poole, Deputy Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, emphasized the importance of strengthening the legal environment and policy coordination for effective South-South and Triangular Cooperation. She said: “In South-South Cooperation, it is often the public-private partnership at play that implements strategic programmes across developing countries.”

Policy coordination and the legal environment for South-South cooperation is one of the priority research pillars of the South-South Global Thinkers Initiative — the Global Coalition of Think Tank Networks for South-South Cooperation supported by UNDP and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). The Global Coalition was established to foster engagement of the think tank networks of the South on harnessing knowledge and innovative solutions to advance frontier thinking and policy advocacy in South-South Cooperation for sustainable development.

During the conference, Mr. Xiangrong MEI, Chairman of Yingke Global Board of Directors, made a speech in English and said “Yingke is grateful to the opportunity to partner with the South-South Global Thinkers initiative and will continue contributing our support, knowledge, and expertise to South-South Cooperation, as a devoted supporter to sustainable development goals from the private sector.” Ms. Linda YANG, Executive Chairman of Yingke Global Board of Directors, delivered a keynote speech on “Legal Environment of South-South Cooperation and One Belt and One Road from the perspective of Yingke and Chinese Enterprise Experiences”, and shared with the guests regarding the One Belt and One Road strategies through taking PPP project for example, In addition, Ms. YANG conducted in-depth analysis of the project process in a variety of risks and prevention and control measures by combining with the lessons of Chinese enterprises. Mr. Francisco Sánchez, former Vice Minister of Commerce of USA and Chairman of Yingke Global Advisory Committee, praised the role of Yingke in the “Going Global” strategy of Chinese enterprises. Participants also expressed their affirmation for Yingke to become a United Nations partner and work together for the cooperation of developing countries.

Figure above is Ms. Linda YANG, Executive Chairman of Yingke Global Board of Directors, making a speech. Figure above is Mr. Francisco Sánchez, former Vice Minister of Commerce of USA and Chairman of Yingke Global Advisory Committee, making a speech.

Amb. Richard Nduhuura, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the UN and President of the UN High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation expressed his appreciation for the partnership between Yingke Law Firm and UNDP. He stated: “The agreement signed today will allow think tank networks under the Global Coalition to flourish over the coming years.”

Figure above is Mr. Amb. Richard Nduhuura, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the UN and President of the UN High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation, making a speech.

“South-South Cooperation has shown it can make a difference, with countries like China. Not only have we developed successful research studies, but we also have shown how this process works and how it can be shared. The networks along with the Yingke law firm are another contribution towards building a global partnership for South-South Cooperation,” stated Mr. Jorge Chediek, UN Secretary General’s Envoy and Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.

Figure above is Mr. Jorge Chediek, UN Secretary General’s Envoy and Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, making a speech.

During the meeting, Ms. Xiaojun WANG, Lead Advisor on South-South and Triangular Cooperation of UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, gave a detailed account of the sustainable development goals and challenges of South-South cooperation, as well as the significance of creating the global think tank networks. The legal framework for South-South cooperation and related legal issues, including intellectual property, social and environmental, labor law and PPP projects, were also noted.

Figure above is Ms. Xiaojun WANG, Lead Advisor on South-South and Triangular Cooperation of UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, making a speech.

Distinguished participants present at the event discussed good practices and challenges in building an enabling legal environment for South-South Cooperation and highlighted the need to examine this critical research area in order to fully leverage the potential and scale of South-South Cooperation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Perspectives from government, private sector, and triangular cooperation partners were also presented.