As an example of successful South-South and triangular cooperation, the Regional Fit for School program, implemented by GIZ in the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and Lao PDR, in partnership with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH), is featured in the recent UN publication “Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development”.

This collection of 61 good practices, grouped according to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, was published in May 2016 by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). It was developed in close collaboration with the member agencies of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) Task Team on South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

“Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development”, the first in its series, highlights Southern good practices that are relevant to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights activities that illustrate the main characteristics of effective South-South and triangular cooperation, initiatives that involve and benefit a great number of people in two or more countries of the South, and programs that have been tested, validated, adapted and/or scaled up in various locations.

The Regional Fit for School program is featured under SDG 6 “Sanitation and Water”. The article highlights how Fit for School supports South-South regional exchanges, networking and capacity development for WASH in schools. The program actively fosters knowledge-sharing and regional as well as international learning exchanges, which provide platforms for collaboration and create momentum for WASH in schools beyond individual program countries.

Exciting from a WASH in schools viewpoint is the explicit inclusion of the topic in the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education. This emphasizes the necessity for the education sector all over the world to systematically think about and integrate WASH into planning and budgeting processes and to realize that the management of healthy learning environments for students is one of its tasks. The Fit for School program is advocating for the integration of WASH in Schools in the education sector and supports Ministries of Education in working on the topic and learning from good practices in the field.

The publication can be accessed and downloaded through the UNOSSC website here.

More information on Fit for School on www.fitforschool.international