Triangular co-operation factsheet Sept 2016
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
DAC GLOBAL RELATIONS TRIANGULAR CO-OPERATION – Findings from a 2015 Survey* A total of 73 actors from government and international organisations responded to a survey on triangular co‑operation conducted by the OECD between May and August 2015 (from the 203 questionnaires sent out). Detailed information was obtained on over 400 triangular co‑operation programmes, projects and activities from 60 respondents. The report “Dispelling the myths of triangular co‑operation ‑ Evidence from the 2015 OECD survey on triangular co‑operation” provides a detailed description and analysis of the survey findings, which are summarised in this factsheet. Who are the actors involved in Triangular Co-operation? According to the survey findings, the main actors in triangular co‑operation are governments or international organisations (61% of the reported projects). In addition, academia and research institutions (14%), civil society organisations, media and foundations (13%), the private sector (6%), and other actors (5%, e.g. hospitals, wildlife authorities, cities) provide valuable inputs. Actors involved in triangular projects can be facilitators, pivotal partners and beneficiaries, as concluded at the Policy Dialogue on Triangular Co‑operation held in Lisbon in May 2013 (www.oecd.org/dac/dac-global- relations/dialogue-triangular-cooperation.htm). These roles can evolve over time. Based on the 60 responses received, the most active countries in triangular co‑operation were Japan, Chile, Brazil, Norway, Spain, Guatemala, Germany, South Africa, Mexico, and Colombia (with 20 to 160 activities each). The Pan‑American Health Organisation (PAHO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) were the most active international organisations (with 10 to 20 activities each). The majority of triangular co‑operation projects LAC Africa Asia-Pacific Multi-regional MENA & Eastern Europe can be found in Latin America and the Caribbean 9 (LAC), followed by Africa, Asia‑Pacific, the 250 18 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Eastern Europe. Triangular co‑operation 200 between countries in the same region is still 150 the most common arrangement, with 55% of all 230 reported projects being implemented in Latin 100 America and the Caribbean,14% of projects in 24 55 Africa and 13% in Asia‑Pacific. In addition, 18% 50 56 16 24 8 of the triangular co‑operation projects reported 18 8 0 involved more than one region. More than half LAC Africa Asia-PacificMulti-regionalMENA & Eastern of all triangular co‑operation projects involved Europe only LAC, a region with mainly middle‑income The survey results showed that the most typical countries. triangular co‑operation project (59% of the cases) HIC-LDC-LDC Other IO-MIC-LDC 6% 2% involved two or more middle‑income countries 5% (MICs) and one or more high‑income countries HIC-IO-MIC -LDC 6% (HICs) or international organisations (IOs). The second most typical arrangement involved one HIC-MIC -MIC or more high‑income countries or internatoinal 42% HIC-MIC-LDC organisations, middle‑income countries and least 22% developed countries (LDCs). In 13% of cases, there were four types of actor involved with HICs and IOs jointly engaged in triangular co‑operation projects HIC-IO-MIC-MIC IO-MIC -MIC 7% 10% with MICs and LDCs, as depicted in the graph. * This factsheet was prepared by the OECD Development Co-operation Directorate in September 2016, drawing on the responses received from 60 actors involved in triangular co-operation. In some cases, complete data was not provided on the activities reported. www.oecd.org/dac/dac-global-relations How do countries and international organisations engage in Triangular Co-operation? 80% Triangular co‑operation provides a diverse range of 67% actors with an opportunity to explore new ways of 65% working together. Respondents reported engaging in triangular co‑operation mainly through project‑type interventions. Technical co‑operation activities and 38% dispatching experts ‑ e.g. for training, workshops and exchange visits ‑ also occurred frequently. 23% 22% 12% This finding correlates strongly with responses on durations. The average duration of the reported projects was 32 months, 71% lasted between 12 Project-type Stand-alone ExpertsSpecific Basket-funds/ Scholarships Others technical purpose pooled and 48 months, while 15% lasted under one year assistance programmes funding – i.e. workshops or training activities. Another 14% and funds involved several project phases and had durations of up to a total of 14 years. Of the projects for which budget information was provided, costs Duration of Triangular No. of % of were shared in 48% of cases. The average budget amounted Co-operation Activities Projects Projects to USD 1.7 million. However, budgets varied from approximately < 12 months 58 15% USD 2 000 to more than USD 40 million. Consistent with the finding on frequent use of short‑term training or dispatching Between 12 and 24 months 142 38% experts, the budget in most cases (74%) was less than Between 25 and 48 months 125 33% USD 1 million. Between 49 and 168 months 53 14% The survey results showed that triangular co‑operation projects Total 378 100% were implemented in all sectors and depended on the specific requests and expertise of the actors involved. About 30% of Triangular Co-operation Budgets No. of % of the over 400 projects captured in the survey were in the field (in USD) Projects Projects of government and civil society, followed by health (13%), Under 100 000 109 32% agriculture (13%), environmental protection (7%) and business Between 100 000 and 500 000 99 28% (5%). Between 500 000 and 1 000 000 47 14% According to respondents, 66% of the reported triangular Between 1 000 000 and 5 000 000 63 18% co‑operation projects were evaluated. However, few actors conducted joint evaluations. Many respondents stated that Between 5 000 000 and 10 000 000 10 3% the specific value added of triangular co‑operation was not > 10 000 000 17 5% adequately captured through existing evaluation methodologies. Total 345 100% Why do countries and international organisations engage in Triangular Co-operation? Actors reported that their main motivation for engaging in triangular co‑operation was to share knowledge and experience. This enables the combination of different assets ‑ e.g. specific expertise, technology and cultural proximity ‑ as a way to maximise the benefits for all actors, especially among developing countries that face similar challenges. Providers of South‑South co‑operation reported that they are often interested in enhancing their capacity to manage development co‑operation. Respondents indicated that triangular co‑operation helps forge mutually beneficial relationships and creates new opportunities for regional integration. What are the trends in Triangular Co-operation? The OECD has now conducted two surveys on triangular co‑operation, in 2012 and 2015. Comparing the findings, it is clear that triangular co‑operation remains highly relevant. More project data and evaluations are now available and point to an increase in the number of projects, their budgets and durations. There is a great variety of triangular co‑operation in terms of scale, scope, regions, sectors and project types. Moreover, respondents to the 2015 survey mentioned a more strategic use of triangular co‑operation by pooling different actors’ expertise and resources. In the long run, this evolution can lead to greater ownership by the actors involved, the involvement of other actors, scaling‑up and joint implementation of activities designed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). www.oecd.org/dac/dac-global-relations
TaxonomyTree: The taxonomy type specified could not be found.
Subscribe for an Alert when this record is updated (log in only)
(DRM) Digital Rights Management Badge (Bates Marking)
