IBSA [India, Brazil & South Africa]

Dated: 09-04-2020

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. All three countries are developing, pluralistic, multi-cultural,
multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious nations.

The idea of establishing IBSA was discussed at a meeting between the then Prime
Minister of India and the then Presidents of Brazil and South Africa in Evian on 2
June 2003 on the margins of the G-8 Summit. The grouping was formalized and
named the IBSA Dialogue Forum when the Foreign Ministers of the three
countries met in Brasilia on 6 June 2003 and issued the Brasilia Declaration.

The 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.

The success of IBSA reflects an important demonstration effect. It demonstrates,

most vividly, the desirability and feasibility of South-South cooperation beyond the
conventional areas of exchange of experts and training. IBSA success in
contributing to discourse on global issues also shows the importance of engaging
with the countries of the South.
Organizational Structure

Joint Working Groups

Joint Working Groups to promote sectoral cooperation have been established. There
are 14 Joint Working Groups in areas, Transport; Health; Education; Defence;
Science & Technology; Trade & Investment; Culture; Agriculture; Energy; Public
Administration and Governance, Revenue Administration, Human Settlement,
Environment and Social Development. These Working Groups meet as per their
respective plans.

People-to-People Forums

There are six People-to-People Forums under IBSA. These are, Parliamentary
Forum, Women's Forum, Academic Forum, Local Governance Forum, Business
Forum, and Editors' Forum. There is also a Tri-nation Forum on MSME.

Focal Points

Senior Officials from the Foreign Offices of the three countries dealing with IBSA are
the designated Focal Points; Secretary (West), assisted by Joint Secretary (MER),
Ministry of External Affairs, is the IBSA Focal Point for India. Focal Points meet once
a year for a standalone meeting and also meet prior to the Trilateral Commission.

Trilateral Commission

The Brasilia Declaration established a Trilateral Commission at the level of Foreign

Ministers. The Commission meets regularly; the first meeting of the Trilateral
Commission was held in New Delhi on 4 - 5 March 2004. The 7th meeting of the
Commission was also held in New Delhi on 8th March, 2011; 8th Meeting is due in
South Africa. In addition, Foreign Ministers meet regularly before every IBSA Summit
as well as on the sidelines of UNGA in New York.
IBSA Summits
Date Host country Host leader Location held

2006 September, 2006 Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Brasilia

2007 October, 2007 South Africa Thabo Mbeki Pretoria

2008 October, 2008 India Manmohan Singh New Delhi

2010 15 April 2010 Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Brasília

2011 18 October 2011 South Africa Jacob Zuma Pretoria

2013 16 May 2013 (canceled) India Manmohan Singh New Delhi

2017 17 October 2017 South Africa Maite Nkoana-Mashabane Durban

An innovative work of IBSA is the establishment of IBSA Facility Fund for

Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger through which development projects are
executed with IBSA funding in fellow developing countries. An annual amount of
US $ 1 million is contributed by each IBSA member country. IBSA Fund received
the 2010 MDG Award for South-South cooperation on 17 September 2010 in New
York recognizing the work of the three countries in using innovative approaches
to share development experiences in other parts of the world.

IBSA projects cover Haiti, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Burundi, Palestine,
Cambodia, Lao PDR and Sierra Leone. A sports complex has been completed
and inaugurated in 2011 in Ramallah under the IBSA Fund.

IBSA Business Forum

An IBSA Business Forum was launched in Cape Town in March 2005. From India,
CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM are represented on the Council; CII coordinates
India's participation.
 Agreements/MoUs

1. Three Agreements and 17 MoUs have been signed for pursuing sectoral
cooperation among IBSA countries
Other Meetings/Areas

2. The IBSA Trade Ministers frequently meet to exchange views on Doha Round.
At their meeting on the sidelines of OECD Trade Ministers Meeting in June 2009,
they adopted a Joint Declaration highlighting the common approach of the three
countries towards the Doha Round; they also met in Davos in January 2013.
Permanent Representatives of the three countries in Geneva and New York also
meet to coordinate on issues related to WTO/WIPO.

3. Four meetings of IBSA S&T Ministers have been held; two were hosted by India
(the first meeting in 2004 and the fourth in 2008 before the third Summit) and two
by Brazil (second in 2005 and the third in 2006).

4. The Third edition of Joint Naval Exercises of IBSA countries took place in South
Africa in October 2012; two Indian Naval Ships participated in these exercises.
The Second edition was held in South Africa in September 2010.

5. A Declaration of Intent between ILO and IBSA members was signed in Geneva
in 2010. Under this Declaration the Ministry of Labour and Employment hosted an
International Workshop on "Employment Guarantee Schemes & Sustainable,
Inclusive Growth: Innovations, Convergence and Adaptation” in New Delhi on 1-3
March 2012.

Latest on IBSA

Meeting between external affairs ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa was
organized in Pretoria, South Africa in June’2018. This ministerial summit chaired by
India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was attended by South
African Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu and the
Brazilian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcos Bezerra Abbott Galvao.
The outcome of this meeting was a document titled IBSA Declaration on South-South
Cooperation. This document calls for contribution of each of the member to contribute
to greater understanding of development cooperation as a common endeavour of the
global South.