Three Continents, One Voice: IBSA Pushes For A More Inclusive Global Order

New Delhi: On the margins of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday joined leaders of Brazil and South Africa for a renewed push to energise the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum.

Stressing that IBSA represents not merely three nations but a bridge across three continents and economies, Modi underscored the grouping’s growing relevance in a fractured geopolitical landscape. The trilateral meeting signalled a shared ambition to amplify the voice of emerging democracies at a time when global governance reforms and South-South cooperation are back in sharp focus.

"Prime Minister emphasised that IBSA is not just a group of three countries but an important platform connecting three continents, three major democratic nations, and three major economies," the External Affairs Ministry said in a press release following the meeting. "Prime Minister stressed that global governance institutions are far removed from 21st-century realities. He called on IBSA to send a strong message that reform of institutions of global governance, in particular the UN Security Council, is now not an option, but an imperative."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa a meeting, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Other leaders and officials are also seen. (PTI)

On counter-terrorism, following the Pahalgam terror attack in April this year and India’s response through Operation Sindoor, Modi emphasised the need for close coordination and that there should be no room for double standards while fighting terrorism.

"Highlighting technology's crucial role in ensuring human-centric development, the Prime Minister proposed establishing an ’IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance’ to facilitate the sharing of Digital Public Infrastructure like UPI, health platforms like CoWIN, cybersecurity frameworks and women-led tech initiatives among the three countries," the Ministry stated. "Prime Minister also emphasised IBSA’s potential to contribute to the development of safe, trustworthy and human-centric AI (Artificial Intelligence) norms. He invited IBSA leaders to the AI Impact Summit to be held in India next year."

rime Minister Narendra Modi with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during IBSA Leaders' meeting, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa. (PTI)

The IBSA Dialogue Forum is an international tripartite grouping for promoting international cooperation among these countries. It represents three important poles for galvanising South–South cooperation and greater understanding between the three important continents of the developing world, namely, Africa, Asia, and South America. The forum provides the three countries with a platform to engage in discussions for cooperation in the field of agriculture, trade, culture, and defence, among others.

The IBSA Dialogue Forum plays an increasingly important role in the foreign policies of India, Brazil, and South Africa. It has become instrumental for promoting ever closer coordination on global issues between three large multicultural and multiracial democracies of Asia, South America and Africa, and contributed to enhancing trilateral India-Brazil-South Africa cooperation in sectoral areas.

Over the years, IBSA served as a vehicle of South-South cooperation: a mechanism for these countries to coordinate positions in global multilateral fora, share experience in development, trade and governance, and to promote emerging-market voices. By aligning with Brazil and South Africa, India reinforced its role as a voice from the Global South. In Johannesburg, with the G20 being hosted on African soil for the first time, the location itself underscored this orientation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, center, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, during IBSA Leaders' meeting, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa. (PTI)

"One thing that had become a cause for worry is that since the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) became an international constellation, the IBSA was seen as being sidelined," Ash Narain Roy, Director of the New Delhi-based Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), told ETV Bharat.

"With China and Russia appearing as big guns in geopolitics, people wondered as to what happened to IBSA," Roy said. "The IBSA was seen as the new Gondwana alliance and had aspirations to occupy the global high table."

Gondwana was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today’s continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Zealandia, Arabia, and the Indian subcontinent.

Roy further stated that one of the most important objectives of the IBSA member states was to become permanent members of the UN Security Council.

"However, over the last decade or so, no major IBSA meeting was held," he said. "IBSA should be considered important within the BRICS framework."

Roy further stated that though the foreign ministers of the IBSA member states have been meeting formally on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, the grouping "should not be allowed to die under the pile of BRICS."

According to the External Affairs Ministry statement, Modi on Sunday stated that IBSA member countries can complement each other's development and become an example for sustainable growth.

"He highlighted cooperation opportunities in areas such as millets, natural farming, disaster resilience, green energy, traditional medicines and health security," the Ministry stated. "Appreciating the IBSA Fund’s work in supporting projects across 40 countries in sectors like education, health, women empowerment and solar energy, the Prime Minister proposed the IBSA Fund for Climate Resilient Agriculture to further advance South-South cooperation."

Roy pointed out that IBSA projects are implemented under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

"It is good that the IBSA meeting was held in Johannesburg today," he said. "However, why should IBSA meetings be held on the sidelines of global summits? India should take the lead in holding IBSA meetings at the heads of government level."

To sum up, the IBSA summit on the sidelines of the 2025 G20 Summit in South Africa is significant for several reasons: it affirms the continuing relevance of South-South cooperation; it anchors India’s domestic and external priorities (digital, climate, development) in a trilateral format with wide geographic reach; and it underlines a push towards a more inclusive, multipolar global order in which emerging democracies can coordinate to shape global governance, trade and development paradigms.

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