India Brazil South Africa (IBSA) summit: PM Modi urges democratic trio to lead push for global reform

India's new push for global reforms, among old friends. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit in Johannesburg has called for faster reform of international institutions and stronger cooperation among the three major democracies of the Global South.

Speaking alongside South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Indian PM described IBSA as far more than just a grouping. “IBSA is not merely a grouping of three countries; it is an important platform that connects three continents, three major democratic powers, and three large economies,” he said. “It is also a deep and heartfelt bond that embraces diversity, shared values, and common aspirations.”

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The meeting even as South Africa is hosting the first G20 summit ever held on African soil, the fourth consecutive G20 presidency held by a Global South nation after Indonesia, India, and Brazil. “Today’s IBSA Leaders’ Meeting is both historic and timely,” Mr Modi told the gathering. “The first G20 Summit on African soil marks the conclusion of four consecutive G20 presidencies by Global South countries.”

At the summit, the Indian PM called for the need to overhaul global governance. “All three of us agree that global institutions are far removed from the realities of the 21st century,” he said. “None of our countries is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. This clearly shows that global institutions do not represent today’s world. Therefore, IBSA must send a unanimous message to the entire world that institutional reform is no longer an option, it has become a necessity.”

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The Indian leader put forward three new proposals:

• Making regular meetings of the three countries’ national security advisers a permanent feature, building on a first meeting hosted by India in 2021
• Creating an “IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance” to share digital public infrastructure such as India’s UPI payments system and CoWIN health platform, with a potential launch at India’s AI Impact Summit in 2026
• Establishing an IBSA Fund for Climate-Resilient Agriculture to complement the existing fund that has supported nearly 50 projects in developing countries.
• He also urged closer coordination on terrorism, saying: “There can be no place for double standards on such a serious issue.” His comments come even as India emerged from the terror attack in its national capital Delhi earlier this month, and the Pahalgam terror attack in April, by Pakistan trained terrorists.
• The IBSA forum, founded in 2003, has often been overshadowed by several other groupings. Sunday's meeting signalled a renewed determination by its three democratic members to give the platform fresh purpose at a time of growing geopolitical fragmentation.