A new cooperation effort was launched on Thursday to help countries in the Southern Hemisphere implement climate agreements reached through the 2015 Paris meeting, with initial funding coming from China and other partners.

The effort, known as the Southern Climate Partnership Incubator (SCPI), was launched by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and the UN Office of South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).

"Dealing with climate change requires the international community to work together," said Xie Zhenhua, China's chief climate negotiator and deputy chief of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission.

South-South cooperation, which refers to the mutual sharing of resources among developing countries in the Southern Hemisphere, is an important supplement to North-South cooperation, Xie said in prepared remarks.

"It is an important way for developing countries to build alliance and self-renewal, mutually beneficial cooperation, solidarity to achieve common development," said Xie, who spoke at a special event held on South-South cooperation at the UN.

Virachai Plasai, Thailand's permanent representative at the UN, said the incubator will support developing countries in their goal to achieve 2030 for sustainable development.

Speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China - a group of developing countries at the UN - Plasai said that South-South and triangular cooperation are "dear to the heart of the Group" and he wishes to see "the momentum created by this initiative to promote South-South and Triangular cooperation be carried forward in other important areas apart from climate change".

The event took place a day before the Paris Agreement signing ceremony set for Friday in New York. Representatives from more than 150 countries will be at UN headquarters to formally sign the climate agreement reached in Paris at the end of 2015.

China has provided assistance to developing countries in the region by exchanging lessons it has learned on how to combat climate change, Xie added.

During the UN General Assembly last September, President Xi Jinping said that over the next five years, China will initiate 600 South-South Cooperation projects - 100 for poverty reduction, 100 for agriculture, 100 for trade, 100 for ecological preservation and 100 for hospitals.

The country also will set up a South-South Cooperation and Development Academy and provide $2 million in cash assistance to the World Health Organization. Xi said that the South-South Cooperation efforts should deliver "practical results" as opposed to "just being empty talk".

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 04/22/2016 page1)