On November 14, ORF America hosted a roundtable with the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), and the Embassy of India in Brazil in advance of the meeting of the leaders of India, Brazil and South Africa during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The conversation identified common ground among the IBSA troika and recommended action plans reflecting the voice of the Global South in four areas:
(i) Agreeing on the pathway for the reform of global Institutions to achieve SDGs;
(ii) Strengthening the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty and Mission LiFE;
(iii) Accelerating energy transition with social justice; and
(iv) Promoting Inclusive and equitable digital transformation.
There was wide consensus that IBSA can play an important role to amplify voices of the Global South and focus on the development agenda both within G20 and in other multilateral groupings. The consecutive presidencies of India and Brazil followed by South Africa in 2025 is an opportune moment to delineate common positions on issues such as addressing the debt crisis, financing energy transition, addressing poverty and inequality, and accelerate the progress towards the SDGs. The roundtable participants also emphasized that IBSA is well positioned to guide the post-SDG development agenda and restructure the COP climate negotiation process, especially with Brazil hosting the COP30 in Bélem in 2025.
Just over two decades after its formation, there is an opportunity to revive IBSA as a force for peace and development in an increasingly turbulent world. However, this would require increased political commitment among the leaders of the three countries than has been the case over the past decade. This needs to be backed by a commitment to invest resources and create concrete programs for collaboration among the three countries, something that has been an impediment to IBSA's influence until now.
Speakers:
Marianna Albuquerque, Senior Fellow, CEBRI
Pamla Gopaul, Senior Research Fellow, African Union Development Agency
(AUDA-NEPAD)
Feliciano Guimarães, Senior Fellow, CEBRI
Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America
Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, India
Matsosha Mnguni, G20 Coordinator, Director General of International Relations and
Cooperation (DIRCO), Government of South Africa
Anit Mukherjee, Senior Fellow, ORF America
Antonio Patriota, Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom
Suresh Reddy, Ambassador of India to Brazil
Fabio Veras Soares, Director of International Studies, Instituto de Pesquisa
Economia Aplicada (IPEA)
