Draft:Southern Voice

 

Southern Voice is a network and open platform for think tanks, created with the goal of amplifying the voices of think tanks across the Global South. Established in 2013, the organization serves as a catalyst for fostering dialogue, generating evidence-based policy analysis, and promoting engagement on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its primary objective is to rectify the existing disparities in knowledge accessibility and participation in global development discourse.

The organization encompasses 66 think tanks from different regions of the Global South, such as Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, and Asia. These think tanks are dedicated to producing local data and research to enrich discussions surrounding the SDGs, thereby advancing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the Global South.

Since March 2024, the executive director of Southern Voice is Margarita Gómez.

Vision and Mission

Vision: Southern Voice envisions a world where power dynamics between nations are rebalanced, fostering equitable engagement on global issues and paving the way for sustainable development in which the rights and needs of people are met.

Mission: Southern Voice aims to facilitate a shift in power dynamics within intergovernmental relations concerning the SDGs. This is achieved through:


 * Stimulating, generating, and disseminating high-quality evidence-based analysis on the SDGs, empowering think tanks from the Global South
 * Integrating Southern research into the global discourse on the SDGs and development in general
 * Advocating for space conducive to evidence-based policy-making and ensuring governmental accountability for effective delivery

Inception

The creation of Southern Voice can be traced back to a gathering of recipients of the Think Tank Initiative (TTI), a multi-donor program currently managed by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa. Conceived during a TTI awardees meeting in Cape Town, South Africa in 2012, the initiative gained traction following an expert group meeting (EGM) held in Dhaka in 2013. During this meeting, the initiative's activity plan was endorsed, a steering committee was elected, and strategies for engaging with the UN High-Level Panel on Post-MDGs were devised.

Engagement and Impact

Southern Voice has emerged as a prominent voice on numerous national, regional, and global platforms, advocating its perspectives on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through its concerted efforts, the organization continues to drive meaningful discourse, policy formulation, and accountability mechanisms aimed at realizing sustainable development goals across the Global South.