Breaking Down the Myths of Triangular Co-operation in Middle East and North Africa

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identifies triangular co-operation as a promising modality to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Triangular co-operation is thought mainly to happen in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This working paper shows that triangular co-operation is a modality that is also used in other regions and therefore dispels the myth that there is little triangular co-operation in the Middle East and North Africa. Arab countries and institutions engage in triangular co-operation, be it as pivotal, facilitating or beneficiary partner. Yet, their activities, approaches and solutions to tackle development challenges have not been sufficiently captured in research on the topic. Arab triangular co-operation activities are of relatively longer duration and have bigger budgets than general triangular co-operation trends; activities often follow clear guidelines and are integrated into broader development co-operation strategies – even if Arab providers do not always characterise their activities as ‘triangular’. To conclude, this working paper identifies the added value of triangular co-operation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and shows how triangular co-operation can promote further collaboration between the Arab providers and the members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), thus helping them to be more effective in supporting partner countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.