Palestinian children, along with women, have been disproportionately impacted by Israel’s retaliatory actions, which have included bombardments and a ground offensive.

Jalalzai believes that women leaders often bring a distinct set of skills and experiences to the table, including a propensity for collaborative approaches and advocacy for marginalized groups.

With higher mortality rates for women and children, lack of access to infrastructure and medication, and the high cost of medication, Africa needs smart interventions to overcome the barriers to healthcare access and adoption.

"Our approach to South-South cooperation is about generating mutually beneficial opportunities and results by cultivating values with one another and our counterparts in the North. In the process, we demystify stereotypes and create innovative standards for collaborations and measures for success," says Zaynah Khanbhai, founder of South South Women.

By Winston Mwale Leaders from 26 East and Southern African countries are meeting in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe to make final touches to an agreement that may see the formation of what could prove to be Africa's largest free trade area.The proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) is touted to improve the economic and social welfare of the citizens of the COMESA-EAC-SADC region.

Recent statistics do show that south-south cooperation has reeved up, but there is still a long way to go. Statistics also show that the 29 member countries of the OECD’s development assistance committee account for 90% of global development aid and have decades of experience behind them; and south-south cooperation is certainly not going to replace these figures soon. For many, south-south cooperation is an ideological boost rather than something concrete in practice.