<p>Whether a country is strong or weak, rich or poor, a donor or a receiver of official aid, the transaction between them is invariably described as that of ‘bilateral cooperation’`. This is true in general, but even more so when we think of the relations between fellow developing countries, all located in the three continents of Asia, Africa and Latin America.<br />The term South-South Cooperation has been in use since the seventies to characterise what these countries have tried to achieve between them, as distinct from their relations with their erstwhile colonial masters or the superpowers. S-S cooperation covers different aspects: education with offers of scholarships; more specialised training , for example, India training hundreds of Africans in areas such as small and medium industry; infrastructure as in China building stadiums or even parliament buildings; services such as setting up hospitals or schools as India has done in Afghanistan or Maldives. All this is S-S cooperation in the classical sense.<br /><br />As some of the countries of the South became more advanced and capable, other types of transactions between them have also occurred. Countries like China, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, and of course India are at a different level today in terms of manufacturing, science and technology, and some other parameters, even if large sections of the population in these countries are still poor. Cooperation among them includes elements such as joint — research, technology transfers, investments, banking, and harmonisation of positions in organisations that matter to them such as WTO or IMF. <br /><br />The newer forums such as IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) or the now famous BRICS are a platform for their exchanges often more focused compared to large gatherings under the UN or the G-77 ( the name for the grouping of all developing countries).<br />Apart from the convergences and the language of cooperation in such forums that we now see, can there be greater content directly impacting on our domestic situations?<br /><br />Willingness to learn</p>.<p>What seems to be an emerging feature is another interesting aspect: a willingness to exchange notes and learn from each other about the ‘developmental model’ itself, of how best to approach practical problems in economic and social spheres within the country. Here are some examples.<br /><br />As the Indian representative in Brazil, I watch the visits in both directions. Apart from the usual flow of trade delegations seeking export markets, businessmen trying to identify investment opportunities and such other staples of bilateral relations, I see a newer pattern. There are teams from India say from the Planning commission or from Delhi administration or from Aadhaar authority wanting to see how, and how differently, Brazil is administering its poverty alleviation programme called Bolsa Familia. Why should we be interested?</p>.<p>The Latin American countries, famously Brazil and Mexico, are the pioneers in what are termed ‘Conditional Cash Transfers’ (CCT), programmes that have been designed and developed over the last decade to address the issue of intergenerational poverty i.e. sections of population trapped perennially in poverty without a hope of coming out of it unless actively helped. The problems are familiar to us: millions of destitutes, bonded labour, or others condemned to extreme poverty, without access to the basic requirements of nutrition, health, education and any form of employment. Millions of families in Latin America have faced similar situations. <br /><br />The CCT programmes as delivered in Brazil and Mexico are now seen as a superior solution to help people out of such abject poverty. Some important elements in the design of Bolsa Famila are: a rigorous and technologically sound process of a unique national register with the ID for all the families facing such poverty (similar to our plans for the UID, but already in place over ten years ago); direct injections of cash through a debit card to the mother of the households without intermediaries or a PDS system or leaks making it a transparent and cost-effective process; conditions to meet before such cash transfers take place such as vaccination of children, obligatory school attendance; the transfers to include elements of schooling, nutrition, education and cash for essentials. <br /><br />Positive results<br /></p>.<p>Developmental analysts regard these as the model for such programs and the results speak for themselves. In Brazil’s case, the percentage of people below the poverty line has come down from 12 per cent in 1996 to less than 5 per cent now. These are impressive results by any standards.<br /><br />Does Brazil have problems of political and bureaucratic corruption and other inefficiencies? Of course it does. No system is perfect and we are not the only country with such afflictions. Thus there is something that we can learn about how they have gone about attempting change in circumstances similar to ours. This is but one example and there are others: how to improve slums –favelas in Brazil, shanty-towns in South Africa; what not to do in organising games as in CWG in Delhi and the forthcoming FIFA world cup in Brazil; managing urban traffic whether in Rio or Mumbai; how India has developed generics in pharmaceuticals, how cellular telephony has reached the masses at such low costs in India. <br /><br />Learning from each others headaches and best practices can be one way of adding content to cordiality in our relations. And the good news is that some of it has started happening.<br /><em><br />(The writer is the Indian Ambassador to Brazil) </em></p>
<p>Whether a country is strong or weak, rich or poor, a donor or a receiver of official aid, the transaction between them is invariably described as that of ‘bilateral cooperation’`. This is true in general, but even more so when we think of the relations between fellow developing countries, all located in the three continents of Asia, Africa and Latin America.<br />The term South-South Cooperation has been in use since the seventies to characterise what these countries have tried to achieve between them, as distinct from their relations with their erstwhile colonial masters or the superpowers. S-S cooperation covers different aspects: education with offers of scholarships; more specialised training , for example, India training hundreds of Africans in areas such as small and medium industry; infrastructure as in China building stadiums or even parliament buildings; services such as setting up hospitals or schools as India has done in Afghanistan or Maldives. All this is S-S cooperation in the classical sense.<br /><br />As some of the countries of the South became more advanced and capable, other types of transactions between them have also occurred. Countries like China, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, and of course India are at a different level today in terms of manufacturing, science and technology, and some other parameters, even if large sections of the population in these countries are still poor. Cooperation among them includes elements such as joint — research, technology transfers, investments, banking, and harmonisation of positions in organisations that matter to them such as WTO or IMF. <br /><br />The newer forums such as IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) or the now famous BRICS are a platform for their exchanges often more focused compared to large gatherings under the UN or the G-77 ( the name for the grouping of all developing countries).<br />Apart from the convergences and the language of cooperation in such forums that we now see, can there be greater content directly impacting on our domestic situations?<br /><br />Willingness to learn</p>.<p>What seems to be an emerging feature is another interesting aspect: a willingness to exchange notes and learn from each other about the ‘developmental model’ itself, of how best to approach practical problems in economic and social spheres within the country. Here are some examples.<br /><br />As the Indian representative in Brazil, I watch the visits in both directions. Apart from the usual flow of trade delegations seeking export markets, businessmen trying to identify investment opportunities and such other staples of bilateral relations, I see a newer pattern. There are teams from India say from the Planning commission or from Delhi administration or from Aadhaar authority wanting to see how, and how differently, Brazil is administering its poverty alleviation programme called Bolsa Familia. Why should we be interested?</p>.<p>The Latin American countries, famously Brazil and Mexico, are the pioneers in what are termed ‘Conditional Cash Transfers’ (CCT), programmes that have been designed and developed over the last decade to address the issue of intergenerational poverty i.e. sections of population trapped perennially in poverty without a hope of coming out of it unless actively helped. The problems are familiar to us: millions of destitutes, bonded labour, or others condemned to extreme poverty, without access to the basic requirements of nutrition, health, education and any form of employment. Millions of families in Latin America have faced similar situations. <br /><br />The CCT programmes as delivered in Brazil and Mexico are now seen as a superior solution to help people out of such abject poverty. Some important elements in the design of Bolsa Famila are: a rigorous and technologically sound process of a unique national register with the ID for all the families facing such poverty (similar to our plans for the UID, but already in place over ten years ago); direct injections of cash through a debit card to the mother of the households without intermediaries or a PDS system or leaks making it a transparent and cost-effective process; conditions to meet before such cash transfers take place such as vaccination of children, obligatory school attendance; the transfers to include elements of schooling, nutrition, education and cash for essentials. <br /><br />Positive results<br /></p>.<p>Developmental analysts regard these as the model for such programs and the results speak for themselves. In Brazil’s case, the percentage of people below the poverty line has come down from 12 per cent in 1996 to less than 5 per cent now. These are impressive results by any standards.<br /><br />Does Brazil have problems of political and bureaucratic corruption and other inefficiencies? Of course it does. No system is perfect and we are not the only country with such afflictions. Thus there is something that we can learn about how they have gone about attempting change in circumstances similar to ours. This is but one example and there are others: how to improve slums –favelas in Brazil, shanty-towns in South Africa; what not to do in organising games as in CWG in Delhi and the forthcoming FIFA world cup in Brazil; managing urban traffic whether in Rio or Mumbai; how India has developed generics in pharmaceuticals, how cellular telephony has reached the masses at such low costs in India. <br /><br />Learning from each others headaches and best practices can be one way of adding content to cordiality in our relations. And the good news is that some of it has started happening.<br /><em><br />(The writer is the Indian Ambassador to Brazil) </em></p>