The three initiatives collectively strengthened South-South and triangular cooperation across the BRICS+ and SIDS communities by advancing evidence, leadership and policy innovation on productivity, decent work, emerging technologies, and climate-related mobility. The BRICS Productivity Ecosystems studies in Brazil, China and South Africa generated the first shared evidence base on how productivity and decent work could reinforce one another, enabling peer learning among labour ministries, social partners and research institutions. Additionally under the Brazilian presidency in BRICS in 2025 was organised side event dedicated for for additional exchanges on productivity, artificial intelligence, South-South cooperation and just transitions. Complementing this, the Future Leaders for the World of Work South-South University and the BRICS DEVTECH/PARTNERSHIPS event empowered young professionals, academics and practitioners from BRICS+ countries to co-create policy ideas, explore the employment implications of emerging technologies, and design South-South initiatives that supported rural development, digital inclusion and just transitions. In parallel, the Caribbean–Pacific SIDS cooperation on climate change, mobility and just transitions built interregional solidarity among highly vulnerable island states by enabling tripartite actors to jointly develop climate-mobility frameworks, action plans and a community of practice that linked decent work with resilience and fair migration governance. Together, these initiatives demonstrated how South-South collaboration generated new knowledge, strengthened institutional capacities and created durable platforms for countries to shape inclusive, future-oriented development pathways.