On April 29, 2016, the launch ceremony of Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD) was held at the National School of Development of Peking University, marking a new chapter in South-South cooperation and development.
Zhang Xiangchen, Vice Minister of in the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, referred to ISSCAD as a national-level project that marked the transition of South-South cooperation from providing financial and engineering support to sharing wisdom and ideas about development. He hoped that ISSCAD would become the most powerful, promising, and dynamic development research institute. He also promised full support from the Ministry of Commerce.
Zhu Shanlu, Chair of Peking University Council, then expressed his confidence and determination to make ISSCAD an effective institute with high academic standards.
Alain Noudehou, United Nations resident coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, pointed out that 2016 would be a challenging year since it is the first year of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, therefore, the promises and efforts made by Chinese government would be of great value to all developing countries.
Victor Sikonina, Madagascar’s ambassador to China, also expressed his hope that Africa could benefit from South-South cooperation and find a healthy way towards prosperity.
Towards the end of the launch ceremony, Lin Yifu, principle of ISSCAD and honorary dean of the National School of Development, concluded that the greatest barrier to the development of a country was the lack of suitable and systematic theories of development. According to Lin, ISSCAD was a breakthrough in finding a theory of development that suited developing countries.
This September, ISSCAD will welcome its first students, which consist of 30 graduates and 10 Ph.Ds chosen from officials and scholars from developing countries.
