Key messages

• Just energy transition partnerships represent an innovative form of North-South cooperation that aims to support low-carbon transitions in developing countries while incorporating social justice considerations; however, these partnerships face limitations in financing, local ownership, and equity in implementation.

• South-South cooperation offers complementary opportunities for advancing just transitions by fostering peer learning, building context-specific solutions, and sharing technical expertise among countries facing similar socio-economic and governance challenges.

• While the just energy transition partnerships often prioritize donor agendas and a techno-economic framing, South-South cooperation can promote more holistic, justice-centred approaches that integrate local development needs such as energy access, job creation, and socio-political inclusion.

• The experiences of South Africa and Colombia illustrate the challenges of implementing just transitions; at the same time, there is untapped potential for cooperation between these two countries in areas such as mine closure, green industrialization, institutional coordination, and community benefit-sharing.

• Realizing the full potential of South-South cooperation to aid just transitions will require greater institutional support, inclusive multi-actor engagement, and sustained knowledge exchange. Nevertheless, these efforts can help reframe just transitions as a pathway for broader, transformative development aims.