South-South Cooperation: Advancing Alternative Development Paradigms Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme | Case Study

Published by UNOSSC/UNDP

South-South Cooperation: Advancing Alternative Development Paradigms – Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme Case Study examines the effectiveness of India's Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme as a model of South-South Cooperation (SSC) for capacity building and development partnership. Published under the UNOSSC - UNDP South-South Ideas initiative, the study develops an assessment framework to evaluate ITEC's relevance, effectiveness, and alignment with the principles of South-South Cooperation through case studies of Nepal and Bangladesh. Using literature review, stakeholder consultations, policy analysis, and programme documentation, the report assesses ITEC's course content, participant selection processes, alignment with partner-country development needs, SDGs, gender inclusion, climate change priorities, and post-training follow-up mechanisms. The study finds that while ITEC is a cost-effective and mutually beneficial capacity-building programme that strengthens India's development partnerships, its effectiveness is constrained by limited transparency, inadequate monitoring and feedback systems, insufficient customisation to recipient-country needs, and weak alignment with sustainable development priorities. The report recommends adopting needs-based course design, strengthening recipient-country participation, institutionalising outcome-based monitoring and evaluation, improving transparency in participant selection, integrating SDG and climate change objectives, and developing measurable indicators to enhance the long-term development impact of India's flagship technical cooperation programme.