Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) – Rio de Janeiro, February 22, 2024

The India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) Foreign Ministers’ meeting took place today, February 22, in Rio de Janeiro. Foreign ministers Mauro Vieira of Brazil, Grace Naledi Pandor of South Africa, and Minister V. Muraleedharan of India attended the event.

IBSA was created in 2003, during the first term of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. It brings together three large pluralistic, multicultural and multiethnic democracies from Asia, South America and Africa, with a view to promoting coordination on global issues and trilateral cooperation across many sectors.

Brazil has held the IBSA presidency since 2023. At today's meeting, the ministers decided to strengthen the IBSA Fund, an internationally recognized South-South cooperation initiative, with 45 projects in 37 countries, and  to hold a first meeting of IBSA authorities in food security and nutrition, among other advancements.

The ministers also agreed to host an IBSA Summit in Rio de Janeiro, in November 2024, which for the first time will include an external engagement session with countries that share IBSA's principles and values and that can serve as a bridge for cooperation and dialogue in South-South and South-North frameworks.

During the meeting, the ministers from the three countries, which currently comprise the G20 troika, also discussed issues related to peace, global governance reform, sustainable development and the fight against poverty and hunger, among other topics of the international agenda.