PM Presses IBSA to Seek UNSC Reforms

New Delhi: At the trilateral India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) leaders’ meeting held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that global governance institutions are “far removed from 21st-century realities.” He urged IBSA to send a “strong and unified message” that reform of global governance bodies, particularly the UN Security Council, “is no longer an option but an imperative.”

On counter-terrorism, the Prime Minister called for close coordination among the three nations and said there should be “no room for double standards” in combating terrorism. For global peace and prosperity, he stressed, “united and decisive action is essential.” Recalling that the first meeting of IBSA National Security Advisers was held under India’s chairmanship in 2021, he suggested institutionalising the mechanism to strengthen security cooperation.

Modi proposed creating an IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance to share Digital Public Infrastructure, including UPI, the CoWIN health platform, cybersecurity frameworks and women-led tech initiatives, across the three countries. Such collaboration, he said, would accelerate digital growth and produce scalable solutions for the Global South. He also proposed an IBSA Fund for Climate-Resilient Agriculture to deepen cooperation on sustainable farming.

Highlighting the role of emerging technologies, the Prime Minister said IBSA could lead global efforts on human-centric, safe and reliable AI norms. These, he suggested, could be launched at the AI Impact Summit to be hosted by India next year.

Calling the IBSA format timely, Modi said today’s world is “fragmented and divided,” and that IBSA can project a message of “unity, cooperation and humanity.” He noted that IBSA brings together three major democracies from three continents and three significant economies, rooted in shared values and aspirations. The absence of any IBSA nation as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, he said, shows how global institutions fail to reflect today’s world.

Terming the meeting “historic,” Modi noted that this first G20 Summit on African soil caps four consecutive G20 presidencies led by Global South nations. India, Brazil and South Africa, he said, have driven initiatives on human-centric development, multilateral reform and sustainable growth across the last three summits, and must now strengthen these efforts.

He said IBSA can complement one another’s development work, from promoting millets and natural farming to advancing disaster resilience, green energy, traditional medicine and health security. Referring to the IBSA Fund, he said nearly 50 projects across 40 countries have been supported, covering education, health, women’s empowerment and solar energy, all shaped by local community needs.