PM Modi Joins IBSA Leaders In Johannesburg To Strengthen Trilateral Cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Leaders’ Meeting in Johannesburg on Sunday, reaffirming the grouping’s commitment to the Global South and discussing key areas of trilateral cooperation.

The meeting was also attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, with South Africa currently serving as the IBSA Chair.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), IBSA is a unique platform that brings together three major democracies and emerging economies from Asia, Africa, and South America.

India, Brazil, and South Africa formalised the forum as the IBSA Dialogue Forum with the Brasilia Declaration issued on 6 June 2023.

During a media briefing on PM Modi’s visit to South Africa, MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Sudhakar Dalela underscored the three pillars of IBSA cooperation: political coordination, trilateral collaboration including people-to-people ties, and joint initiatives for the Global South.

He highlighted that IBSA has played a central role in combating food insecurity and hunger through the IBSA Fund.

Dalela said the leaders used the brief sidelines meeting to review progress and strengthen collaboration across these pillars.

He recalled that the IBSA Foreign Ministers had met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, further cementing the group’s shared positions on key global topics.

PM Modi’s Bilateral Engagement with Ramaphosa

On Sunday, PM Modi also held a bilateral meeting with President Ramaphosa.

A video shared on X showed the leaders greeting each other warmly before beginning discussions. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, MEA Secretary Dalela, and other senior officials were present.

The South African Presidency stated that the meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations and explore cooperation in trade, industrialisation, education, ICT, and infrastructure development.

Throughout the G20 Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi stressed the importance of global cooperation, disaster resilience, and sustainable development.

In posts on X and remarks shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, he emphasised India’s human-centric approach to growth and urged the adoption of development models that balance economic progress with environmental sustainability.

PM Modi highlighted India’s initiative in establishing the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its G20 Presidency and called for shifting disaster management from a ‘response-centric’ to a ‘development-centric’ model.

He cited the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure as a practical example of this shift.

He also proposed a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to make space-based tools more accessible to developing nations, supporting agriculture, fisheries, and disaster management across the Global South.

Also Read: G20 Leaders Adopt Landmark Declaration On Global Crises In Johannesburg