Cooperating internationally

Cooperating towards the same goals on the part of nation-states, governmental and nongovernmental organizations (whether worldwide, regional, national or community-level), and individuals in all fields of human activity, including; economic and social development; the environment; international transfer of science and technology; cultural cooperation; world health; international law; education; promotion of human rights; food and agriculture. Such cooperation may be bilateral or via intergovernmental agencies.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, a series of independent commissions have sought to advance the cause of global cooperation. The Independent Commission on International Development Issues (Brandt Commission) was followed by the Independent Commission of Disarmament and Security Issues, the World Commission on Environment and Development and the South Commission. In 1991 members of these different commissions formed the Stockholm Initiative on Global Security and Governance and issued a report which led, in 1992, to the establishment of the Commission on Global Governance.

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities.

International cooperation played a political and strategic role during the cold war. The powers made over resources to the third world and to development agencies which helped to maintain ties of political loyalty in a world of polar division. Very often international cooperation was used as a weapon in the play of political balance. Since the cold war ended, international cooperation has entered a profound crisis. The World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen Conference) did not succeed in signing up a commitment on this issue, leaving it to States to freely determine whether they wished to increase or decrease the volume of cooperation, the methodology to be applied, financial decisions on debt reduction and their response to other initiatives suggested to the participating States.