The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum remains a dynamic interregional mechanism in advancing South-South cooperation. We remain committed to strengthening the role of developing countries in the fight against poverty and hunger and in international policy and decision-making processes that place multilateralism at the centre.
It remains our firm resolve to enhance the voice and representation of emerging economies and developing countries in the international arena to ensure equal opportunity of development with sustainable and inclusive growth.
Following the establishment of the IBSA Fund by the Prime Minister of India, the President of Brazil and the President of South Africa in 2004, the trilateral partnership has been able to successfully support developing and least developed countries (LDCs) in the common pursuit of their broad development objectives.Â
The Fund is a concrete expression of solidarity and cooperation among countries of the Global South, borne out of shared experiences and history and to address developmental challenges.
The Fund became operational in 2006 to identify replicable and scalable projects that can be disseminated to developing countries on a demand-driven basis as examples of best practices in the fight against poverty and hunger. IBSA Fund-supported projects help partner countries in the Global South to achieve their national priorities as well as all other internationally agreed development goals.
The IBSA Fund is a remarkable example of partnership between developing countries in exchanging knowledge, skills and technologies and promoting South-South cooperation. Since its inception, a total of 35 development projects have been supported in 31 countries allocating $39.43 million. As of 2020, a total of 8 projects were ongoing; 23 projects have been completed; and 4 projects are under preparation for implementation. These best practices of what we can achieve together have become instrumental examples, helping developing countries to build and share indigenous solutions in improving the well-being of people, particularly women and children.
The demand-driven approach of the IBSA Fund has enabled partner countries to steer their own development. The Fund enables partner countries to lead the design and implementation processes of all projects as per the respective needs and priorities of their populations.
India, Brazil and South Africa, as the IBSA Member States, would like to renew our commitment to promote South-South cooperation through the IBSA Fund in the final decade towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This cooperation is marked by interdependence, with an emphasis on people-centric policies and reforms. We also look forward, in 2021, to jointly following up the implementation of the decisions of 20th High-Level Committee on South-South cooperation, and the BAPA+40 outcome.
South-South cooperation is a manifestation of solidarity among peoples and countries of the Global-South that contributes to national and collective self-reliance and the attainment of all internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda. The collective initiative of India, Brazil and South Africa through the IBSA Fund has supported important examples of such cooperation and demonstrated sustainable results in alleviating poverty and hunger reaching the furthest behind first. I would like to congratulate the IBSA Fund and its partners for their exemplary work in advancing the 2030 Agenda through leveraging South-South cooperation.Â
South-South cooperation is instrumental in advancing the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The COVID-19 pandemic has created new obstacles to that work, and South-South cooperation will continue to play an essential role during recovery as we strive to address the inequalities and fragilities that the crisis has exacerbated and exposed. The IBSA Fund provides valuable opportunities for countries of the Global South to scale up development success by learning from each other and implementing solutions. The United Nations is strongly committed to working with all partners to advance this vital work at this challenging time.
South-South and triangular cooperation play an indispensable role in today’s development landscape. The IBSA Fund is a strong example of such cooperation – propelling vital human development projects to advance the fight against poverty and hunger. Building upon impressive achievements to date, the United Nations Development Programme will continue to work closely with the IBSA Fund to leverage the immense potential of the Global South to build forward better from COVID-19 pandemic and to advance the 2030 Agenda.
The IBSA Fund is a successful model of South-South cooperation that facilitates – through demand-driven approaches – the learning, sharing and implementing development solutions among the countries of the Global South in achieving their development goals to alleviate poverty and hunger. I would like to highlight the generosity of India, Brazil, and South Africa, who have come together through the IBSA Fund mechanism. It has proven to be successful and demonstrates unequivocally the true spirit of South-South solidarity. I would also like to applaud the strong partnerships demonstrated by Member States and United Nations entities in implementing IBSA Fund projects and achieving excellent results leveraging South-South and triangular cooperation. UNOSSC, as fund manager, is proud of these remarkable results that have been achieved. The IBSA Fund is an initiative that UNOSSC will continue to support as a model of South-South partnership towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The IBSA Fund is a remarkable example of cooperation among three developing countries, which pioneered the implementation of South-South cooperation initiatives for the benefit of other Southern countries in partnership with the United Nations system. Its purpose is to identify replicable and scalable projects that can be disseminated to interested developing countries as examples of good practices in the fight against poverty and hunger. The IBSA Fund, which was established in 2004 and became operational in 2006, supports projects on a demand-driven basis through partnerships with local governments, national institutions and implementing partners. The IBSA Fund- supported projects are concrete expressions of solidarity for the benefit of the most vulnerable and marginalized people with the objectives of promoting food security, addressing HIV/AIDS, extending access to safe drinking water, and promoting quality education and gender equality, all with the aim of contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A total of 35 development projects have been supported through the IBSA Fund in 31 countries, with $39.43 million allocated. As of 2020, a total of 8 projects were ongoing; 23 projects had been completed; and 4 projects were under preparation for implementation.
The IBSA Fund Board of Directors comprises the Deputy Permanent Representatives of India, Brazil and South Africa to the United Nations in New York. The Board approves proposals and detailed project documents, and continuously provides strategic direction to IBSA projects to ensure their successful implementation through strong South-South partnerships. The Board of Directors is assisted by technical experts, who closely monitor project progress and the Fund portfolio. The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation serves as the Fund Manager and secretariat of the Board of Directors.
IBSA Board virtual meeting, 1 April 2021: (from top left) H.E. Mr. João Genésio de Almeida Filho, Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations; Ms. Xiaojun Grace Wang, Deputy Director, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation; H.E. Mr. K. Nagaraj Naidu, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations; H.E. Mr. Xolisa Mfundiso Mabhongo, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations; Mr. Adel Abdellatif, UNOSSC Director, a.i.Â
The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), established by the United Nations General Assembly in UNDP in 1974, is mandated to promote, coordinate and support South-South and triangular cooperation for development on a global and United Nations system-wide basis.
UNOSSC provides policy advisory and consulting services to Member States and United Nations entities on South-South and triangular cooperation to enable developing countries to effectively face their most important development challenges and harness global opportunities to address them. In its role as the secretariat of the General Assembly High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, UNOSSC works to monitor and report on United Nations system progress in South-South and triangular cooperation. This includes the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, the new directions strategy for South-South cooperation, the Nairobi outcome document and the BAPA+40 outcome document. As a robust knowledge hub, UNOSSC also analyses trends, emerging issues and opportunities for the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation approaches to development.
The engagement of UNOSSC with Member States globally and regionally as well as within the United Nations system facilitates practical expressions of Southern solidarity towards the achievement of internationally agreed development goals. UNOSSC ensures that its Southern constituencies have timely access to high-quality analytical planning, mapping, programming and reporting on data, trends and opportunities that will advance South-South and triangular cooperation in ways that lead to successful outcomes. It works with a wide range of partners, including global centres of excellence, to intensively explore how building endogenous capacity can be encouraged, how broadening and sharing technological advances within the Global South can be undertaken systematically, and how emerging innovative financing mechanisms can be harnessed through South-South and triangular cooperation.
UNOSSC is the Fund Manager and secretariat of the IBSA Fund, supporting its Board of Directors as it establishes the strategic vision and programmatic activities of the Fund. The UNOSSC Trust Fund Management Team, working closely with the IBSA Fund experts and partners, provides monitoring, quality assurance and knowledge-management support across the IBSA Fund projects.
UNOSSC also serves as Fund Manager and secretariat of the steering committees of other South-South and triangular cooperation trust funds implemented jointly with the United Nations system, namely, the Pérez-Guerrero Trust Fund (PGTF), the United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation (UNFSSC) and the India-UN Development Partnership Fund (India-UN Fund).
Total revenue and delivery, 2004-2020
Total revenue and delivery, 2004-2020
Total revenue and delivery, 2004-2020
Total revenue and delivery, 2004-2020