Why in news?

The India–Brazil–South Africa (IBSA) Leaders’ Meeting in 2025 was held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. The meeting focused on strengthening trilateral cooperation among the three major democratic economies of the Global South.
 
Key Proposals and Initiatives in 2025 Meeting

• Institutionalizing National Security Advisers (NSA)-level dialogue for ongoing security cooperation.
• Launching an IBSA Fund for promoting climate-resilient agriculture to help Global South countries adapt to climate change.
• Creating a Digital Innovation Alliance to share successful digital public infrastructure platforms such as India’s UPI payment system and the CoWIN health platform.
• Unified global action against terrorism emphasizing no tolerance for double standards.
• India invited IBSA countries to participate in the AI Impact Summit to be hosted in India, aimed at shaping human-centric and trustworthy AI norms.
• Strengthening economic cooperation and mutual investment in infrastructure, innovation, mining, and startups.​

 
Strategic Importance

• The IBSA forum serves as a significant platform for advancing South-South cooperation beyond traditional sectors.
• It strengthens political dialogue and economic ties among three continents, providing a collective voice for the Global South on international platforms.
• In the backdrop of global uncertainties, the IBSA countries aim to coordinate on institutional reforms and collaborative development initiatives, which also include large-scale bilateral and trilateral trade agreements and sustainable development goals.​

 
The IBSA forum aims to contribute to a new international architecture by enhancing political consultation, collaboration on projects, and South-South cooperation for development in partner countries.​

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