India-Brazil-SA: An Idea Whose Time Has Arrived As Global South Seeks Dignity

The age of dominance by two powers may be a thing of the past as emerging economies, including India, Brazil and South Africa, are making their presence felt globally but without dictating the agenda and rather being consultative. The just-concluded IBSA Summit in South Africa could not have been better timed.

In the words of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, IBSA is not just a group of three countries but an important platform connecting three continents, three major democratic nations, and three major economies. According to PM Modi, the global governance institutions are far removed from 21st-century realities. He suggested in the meeting in South Africa that IBSA must send a strong message that reform of institutions of global governance, in particular the United Nations Security Council, is now not an option, but an imperative.

The Effort For Global South

IBSA must now make a concerted effort to push for UN Security Council reforms as all three India, Brazil, and South Africa have strong backing for seats in the UNSC as permanent members. The clarion call by the Indian PM must be worked upon. IBSA, a coalition of three democracies and three maritime powers, holds huge promise for the developing world across the continents. As a voice of the Global South, IBSA as a group can be a force of change. All three countries are developing, pluralistic, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and multi-religious nations. All of them are being led by dynamic leaders who believe in the concept of strategic autonomy and multi-alignment.

Cooperation in IBSA is on three fronts: first, as a forum for consultation and coordination on global and regional political issues; second, trilateral collaboration on concrete areas or projects, through working groups and People-to-People Forums; and third, assisting other developing countries by taking up projects in the latter through the IBSA Fund.

While UN programmes have gained popularity, the IBSA facility for poverty and hunger alleviation (IBSA Fund) was established jointly by India, Brazil, and South Africa in 2004 and became operational in 2006. Since its inception, IBSA Funds has allocated over US$53.27 million, supporting 46 South-South cooperation development projects in 34 partner countries, with the majority of them being Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Development & Cooperation

Maritime cooperation between the three spanning the Indian and Atlantic Oceans is the next big idea for IBSA to keep sea lanes of communication stable. The 8th edition of IBSAMAR, a joint multinational maritime exercise among the Indian, Brazilian and South African navies, was held in October 2024 off the coast of South Africa. The defence partnership between IBSA could gain momentum in the coming years with a focus on Navy-to-Navy partnership.

IBSA can complement each other's development and become an example for sustainable growth. There exist cooperation opportunities in areas such as millets, natural farming, disaster resilience, green energy, traditional medicines and health security. India has also proposed the IBSA Fund for Climate Resilient Agriculture to further advance South-South cooperation.

Next Level Partnership

Given strong bilateral ties rooted in history, India and South Africa need to push the partnership to the next level with a focus on the creative economy and value addition on natural resources. The Indian PM became a big draw at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in the absence of the US President Donald Trump and gave the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa big confidence. Similarly, India-Brazil ties have come of age and with a dynamic leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in place in Brasilia.

There will be an IBSA Leaders Summit soon on a mutually-agreed date, as the South African President called the grouping more than a forum for dialogue; IBSA not only the aspirations of its own citizens, but the hopes of a Global South that seeks dignity, respect and partnership in shaping the future. IBSA stands out as a testament to the durability of principled and constructive cooperation. This should now translate into shaping a fair global trade system that helps diversify markets for each of the three IBSA member states and counterbalance the impacts of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. 

(The writer is a commentator on geopolitics. Views are personal.)