Practical proposals for Triangular Cooperation: cities
As part of the SEGIB-EU project on Triangular Cooperation, work has been carried out on a possible design for a Decentralised Triangular Cooperation Instrument (DTrC).
SEGIB, in partnership with the EU and within the framework of two projects under the ADELANTE Programme, has carried out sectoral studies analysing the current situation of Triangular Cooperation in certain areas. In 2022, as part of an initial SEGIB-EU project, the analysis Notes for an Ibero-American Ecosystem of South-South and Triangular Decentralised Cooperation (SSTrC) was published. This analysis traces the links between SSTrC and Decentralised Cooperation (DC) in Ibero-America, identifying difficulties and common features shared by all modalities. It highlights how, among these modalities of cooperation, there are common values such as horizontal relationships, mutual aid, the exchange of experiences and lessons learnt, and the relatively lower importance of one-way transfer.
One of the key recommendations of this initial study was to create a multi-stakeholder, multi-level platform to promote Decentralised Triangular Cooperation, building on the shared values that unite Ibero-American countries and the regional TrC experience. Thus, as SEGIB’s data show, Ibero-American TrC has become firmly established in recent years, thanks to the strengthening of its institutional framework, which highlights the importance of having technical and operational tools so that the various stakeholders can dynamize and promote it. Therefore, considering the study’s findings, a second SEGIB-EU project aimed to ‘move from knowledge to action’, promoting and designing specific thematic instruments that foster and revitalise this form of cooperation on issues relevant to the Ibero-American region.
The Proposal for a Decentralised Triangular Cooperation Instrument: Technical and Operational Bases builds on the aforementioned study, expanding and updating it to propose a design for an instrument centred on cities and the potential coordination between existing networks, mechanisms and organisations to achieve a significant impact on local development.
Therefore, the proposed instrument focuses on three components:
- Promotional Committee for Decentralised Triangular Cooperation, which brings together key, multi-stakeholder and multi-level actors
- World Multi-stakeholder Forum on Decentralised Triangular Cooperation, as a platform for exchange where city networks and partnerships connect with funding entities
- Decentralised Triangular Cooperation Fund, to promote specific initiatives in this modality
In addition, two complementary tools are proposed:
- ‘Triangular Window’ Interactive Platform, as an effective management tool to facilitate knowledge exchange and the systematisation of projects
- Decentralised Triangular Integral Cooperation Programmes, as frameworks for decentralised triangular cooperation
The proposal does not aim to start from scratch, as the D-SSTrC ecosystem is vast and complex. Instead, it proposes ‘providing an appropriate qualitative and quantitative boost, aligned with global sustainability agendas and the local development strategies of each territory’.
March 2026
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Source: SEGIB and COOP&CO Red de Gestión de Conocimiento para el desarrollo sostenible (2026). Proposal for a Decentralised Triangular Cooperation Instrument: Technical and Operational Bases
Photos: SEGIB.
