The South-South Cooperation Council for Sustainable Development (SSCC) is a global NGO which was created by a group of like-minded individuals and institutions as a facilitator and catalyst to promote south-south dialogue and strengthen world peace. It has global outreach but was established in Colombia and is registered with the Cartagena Chamber of Commerce.

There are several factors which prompted the promoters of south-south cooperation to unite their forces in pursuing the common agenda. The most important one is that the international community is fractured today by countless armed conflicts based on ethnic, religious, tribal and other discords and also as a result of colonial legacy. The world wars have been replaced by a cluster of conflicts which have now, through terrorism, spilled into many regions throughout the world and the plight of millions of refugees is putting huge strain on European countries.

SSCC has strengthened its institutional framework in 2025 by appointing a prominent member of its corporate board, Mark (Neko) Sparks, as the managing director. He will help us spearhead many new programs and also promote links with corporate sector. The headquarters in Colombia also appointed a group of young members, including a youth ambassador who is responsible for social networks and will also act as an editorial board of an audiovisual magazine. They will also coordinate work with youth ambassadors from Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Plans for the year 2025 include the following:

1. Promoting awareness of the values of ancestral knowledge of indigenous peoples to protect environment. This emerging programme currently encompasses South and Central America, Asia and Africa and will expand to Australia and New Zealand in 2026. The programme will be launched at a forum in Cartagena de Indias on 1 and 2 July 2025, hosted by the Government of Spain.
2. Continued support for dissemination of the docufiction Ulysses from Ghana following its success in inauguration of II and IV UNESCO Fora against Racism and Discrimination. In 2025, a version using artificial intelligence will be disseminated throughout the world, using, inter alia, video messages from prominent leaders.
3. Further docufictions are planned in other parts of the world, starting with the Philippines in December 2025.
4. Fostering twinning arrangements between cities and provinces in Latin America and local authorities on other continents starting with twinning between Manila and Cartagena in 2025.
5. Follow up of the programme SDG Forum, festival and workshops which was initiated in Manila. This programme has resulted in an alliance between Earthsavers UNESCO Artist for Peace, SSCC, Climate Institute in Washington DC, and Art's Planet and Energies 2050 in France and francophone countries. This programme will culminate at COP30 in Belem in November 2025 with participation of all partners, and will continue in future COPs.
6. Continued support for Pan African Heritage World Museum (PAHWM) where I have the honour to participate on its international advisory board.