The 10th India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) Trilateral Ministerial Commission (ITMC) meeting took place in New York. 

It was chaired by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil Carlos Alberto Franco França,  Minister of Health of South Africa Joe Phaahla led their respective delegations.

What is IBSA?

• IBSA is a unique forum which brings together India, Brazil and South Africa, three large democracies and major economies from three different continents, facing similar challenges. 

• The grouping was formalised and named the IBSA Dialogue Forum when the foreign ministers of the three countries met in Brasilia on June 6, 2003 and issued the Brasilia Declaration.

• India is the incumbent IBSA Chair and will be hosting the 6th IBSA Summit on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in November 2022.

• The IBSA has emerged as a key tripartite grouping for the promotion of cooperation in a range of areas.

• IBSA’s success demonstrates, most vividly, the desirability and feasibility of South-South cooperation beyond the conventional areas of exchange of experts and training. 

• The IBSA Fund is a special feature of IBSA collaboration. Since its inception, it has allocated over $44 million, supporting 39 South-South cooperation development projects in 35 partner countries with the majority being Least Developed Countries.

Cooperation in IBSA is on three fronts:

1) As a forum for consultation and coordination on global and regional political issues, such as, the reform of the global institutions of political and economic governance, WTO/Doha Development Agenda, climate change, terrorism, etc.

2) Trilateral collaboration on concrete areas/projects, through fourteen working groups and six People-to-People Forums, for the common benefit of three countries.

3) Assisting other developing countries by taking up projects in the latter through IBSA Fund.

Highlights of the meeting:

The ministers reviewed the entire gamut of IBSA cooperation. They welcomed new initiatives within IBSA, such as the inaugural meeting of the IBSA National Security Advisers, the launch of cooperation amongst the Development Cooperation Agencies in the form of IBSA Working Group on International/Trilateral Development Partnerships and the inaugural IBSA Senior Officials Meeting on Traditional Medicines.

The ministers held discussions on global issues, including cooperation in multilateral organisations, South-South cooperation, UNSC Reform, 2030 Agenda & Sustainable Development Goals, Climate Change, countering terrorism, financing for development, WTO, G20, among others.

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