G20 Summit: IBSA nations praise India, pledge support for Brazil's presidency

The ministers of India, Brazil, and South Africa (IBSA) praised the smooth organisation of the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi under the Indian G20 leadership and pledged their support for the Brazilian G20 presidency that will take over in the coming months. On Friday, the ministers of the international tripartite grouping IBSA convened in New York on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). IBSA was formed to foster international collaboration among these three nations. IBSA was established 20 years ago to advance sectoral trilateral collaboration and provide a new framework for South-South collaboration between three sizable pluralistic, multicultural, and multiethnic democracies in Asia, South America, and Africa. The African Union’s admission to the G20 under the Indian Presidency was warmly welcomed by the IBSA ministers. In a joint statement released during the 11th IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting, they decided to continue amplifying and better integrating the voice of the Global South into the G20 agenda under the Brazilian and South African presidencies in 2024 and 2025, respectively. “A very productive IBSA meeting with Foreign Ministers Mauro Vieira and Naledi Pandor on #UNGA78 sidelines. The Joint Communique demonstrates the strength of our South-South solidarity,” posted India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar following their meeting. The IBSA ministers highlighted the necessity of fostering sustainable development and the G20’s position as the foremost forum for international economic cooperation, according to the joint statement. “They commended the successful hosting of the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi under the Indian G20 Presidency and expressed their full support to the upcoming Brazilian G20 Presidency and highlighted the fact that, starting on 1st December 2023, the three IBSA countries will comprise the G20 troika. The sequence of four developing countries in the presidency of the group (Indonesia, 2022; India, 2023; Brazil, 2024; South Africa, 2025) constitutes a valuable opportunity to further integrate a developmental perspective in the G20 agenda,” the joint communiqué read. The ministers reaffirmed the necessity for coordinated macroeconomic policy in order to achieve robust, sustainable, equitable, and inclusive growth while limiting unfavourable spillovers and external shocks. The ministers also decided to work together on matters of shared concern, such as global trade and investment, environmental protection and climate change, terrorism prevention, social inclusion and food security, development challenges, and issues relating to health and education. Additionally, the IBSA ministers reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing agricultural cooperation both within and outside of international organisations. They emphasised that one of the key ways to deal with the world’s food security challenges is through open, dependable, non-discriminatory, and unabated international trade in agriculture and related inputs. The ministers also emphasised the need for agricultural commerce to remain free of protectionist policies and unilateral limitations. “They welcomed the United Nations declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets and encouraged production of millets as an alternate climate-resilient and nutritious grain for ensuring food security,” according to the joint communiqué. The ministers reaffirmed the necessity for coordinated macroeconomic policy in order to achieve robust, sustainable, equitable, and inclusive growth while limiting unfavourable spillovers and external shocks. The Ministers decided to work together on matters of mutual concern, such as global trade and investment, environmental protection and climate change, terrorism prevention, social inclusion and food security, development challenges, and issues relating to health and education. According to a formal announcement from the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar is leading the Indian team for a week-long trip to New York, where he is slated to speak at a High-Level session of the 78th UNGA on September 26. In keeping with India’s commitment for the Global South, Jaishankar will hold a special event titled “India-UN for Global South: Delivering for Development” during his visit from September 22–30. The external affairs minister will go to Washington, DC, from September 27–30 for bilateral meetings with US counterparts after completing engagements relating to the 78th UNGA. His programme will feature conversations with US business executives, think tanks, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, among other key US government officials. (With agency inputs)