Dr. Essam Sharaf writes
Former Prime Minister of Egypt
EXCHANGE ideas, learn from one another, and turn shared understanding into practical solutions. This should be the guiding principle of international development cooperation. Yet dialogue alone is not enough. We must also create opportunities to test ideas collaboratively, evaluate their effectiveness across different contexts, and distinguish between what works and what does not.
A policy that delivers promising results in one society cannot simply be transplanted into another. Successful development requires adaptation, not imitation. We must document our experiences, share the lessons they offer, and make the resulting knowledge accessible to those who can benefit from it. Professional education, collaborative research, and enduring institutional partnerships can provide the continuity this process demands. Gradually, individual experiences can become a shared reservoir of practical knowledge, enriching the development efforts of societies across the world.
With its academic foundation and international community of graduates, the International School of Social Sciences, China Academy of Social Sciences (ISSCAD), is well positioned to contribute meaningfully to this endeavor. However, I believe its next chapter—and the broader future of South-South cooperation—should be measured not by the number of conferences convened or declarations issued, but by something far more consequential: the ability of people and institutions to solve tangible problems together and demonstrate measurable improvements in people’s lives.
This brings me back to a fundamental question that has shaped much of my thinking: What is development ultimately for?
Economic growth, advanced technologies, effective institutions, and productive economies are indispensable. But they are means, not ends. Their true value lies in the human possibilities they unlock. Progress should enhance human dignity, expand opportunities, allow cultures to flourish, strengthen social responsibility, and enable societies to enrich one another through meaningful exchange.
Development acquires its true civilizational meaning when it serves humanity—not merely when it expands economies or transforms landscapes.
Conclusion: Development as a Shared Journey
When I completed China’s Approach, Global Practice, my thoughts returned to the people who must transform ideas into reality. A book about education and international cooperation is, at its heart, a book about responsibility: the responsibility to listen attentively, think independently, adapt wisely, and persevere even when initial efforts fall short of expectations.
My long-standing relationship with China has deepened my appreciation for what patient effort, strategic vision, capable institutions, and a genuine willingness to learn can achieve. It has reinforced my conviction that sustained progress emerges from the interaction of ambition, knowledge, discipline, and collective commitment.
Yet this experience has not led me to believe in a universal blueprint for development. Every society must discover its own path, grounded in its history, shaped by its resources, and inspired by the aspirations of its people. International partnerships can expand our horizons and enrich our choices, but they cannot make those choices on our behalf.
For the countries of the Global South, this presents an extraordinary opportunity. We can learn from one another without surrendering our distinct identities. We can build partnerships that cultivate local expertise, strengthen national institutions, and empower communities rather than merely deliver projects. We can move beyond a model of cooperation measured by financial commitments or the scale of public announcements toward one defined by enduring capabilities, shared knowledge, and tangible benefits for ordinary people.
This requires a shift in perspective: from assistance to partnership, from the transfer of ready-made solutions to the co-creation of knowledge, and from short-term achievements to long-term human and institutional development.
Ultimately, the success of South-South cooperation will depend on whether it enables societies to become more capable of shaping their own destinies while contributing to the progress of others. The real measure of a partnership is not simply what it builds, but what it enables people to build for themselves long after the partnership’s immediate projects have ended.
If I were to distill the central message of China’s Approach, Global Practice into a single idea, it would be this: development is neither a gift bestowed from outside nor a destination reached through ambition alone. It is a continuous process, built patiently by people who learn from experience, cooperate across boundaries, acknowledge their mistakes, improve their institutions, and persevere in the face of difficulty.
This is the spirit in which I hope ISSCAD will continue to evolve, and in which South-South cooperation will enter its next decade—with greater intellectual openness, deeper institutional connections, and an unwavering commitment to improving human lives.
The task before us is not to replicate one nation’s journey, but to help every society discover what is possible when knowledge becomes action and cooperation becomes a force for shared progress.
The future is not a time we wait for. It is a reality we create together.
