India-UN Capacity Building Initiative Takes Off with First Four Global South Projects

Strengthening South-South Cooperation, India Partners with UN to Launch Specialized Training Projects Across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, officially launched the first tranche of four projects under the India-UN Global Capacity Building Initiative on August 1, 2025. The launch was presided over by Shri Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West), MEA, in the presence of UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Shombi Sharp, Heads of Missions from partner countries, senior UN agency representatives, and senior Indian officials.

The initiative stems from India’s commitment to promoting South-South Cooperation and was first announced in September 2023 during the 78th United Nations General Assembly by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. Following this, the MEA and UN country team in India collaboratively selected key areas for capacity building, focusing on accelerating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Global South.

India has long been a frontrunner in capacity-building through its flagship Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, offering over 12,000 training slots annually to around 160 countries. With more than 225,000 professionals trained to date, India’s reach in skill development and knowledge sharing is extensive and well-recognized.

The India-UN Capacity Building Initiative is a natural extension of this effort. It integrates the expertise of Indian training institutes with the global reach of UN agencies to design country-specific, demand-driven training programmes. The UN agencies will help identify SDG-focused projects, while India will provide the training infrastructure and technical expertise under the ITEC framework.

In this first phase, four impactful projects have been selected:

Nepal: Rice fortification and supply chain management, supported by the World Food Programme.

Zambia and Lao PDR: Establishing digital health platforms, in collaboration with the UNDP.

Belize, Barbados, St. Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago: Enhancing census preparedness, with help from the UN Population Fund.

South Sudan: Vocational training programmes, implemented with support from UNESCO.

ITEC-affiliated institutes in India will deliver training courses for these projects starting September 2025.

This landmark collaboration reinforces India’s role as a knowledge partner and development ally to emerging nations, contributing meaningfully to global SDG targets and enhancing diplomatic ties through skill development and cooperation.