• Proposal by Pres. Mbeki to consider a G-south bloc
• Initiative commenced in 2001, but postponed due to changed global security environment
• Launch of India Brazil South Africa Trilateral Forum (IBSA) - Brasilia Declaration, June 2003

• India, Brazil and SA share complementary levels of development - synergy
• Countries are leaders in their respective regions

• Vibrant Democracies
• Free Market Economies
• Championing the cause of the South

• IBSA formed core of G20+ at Cancun WTO meeting

• Summit meeting of IBSA leaders during UNGA 58, September 2003

· Release of New Delhi Agenda for Co-operation & New Delhi Plan of Action

· Senior Officials Forum meeting, Sao Paolo, February 2004

· Second Trilateral Foreign Ministers meeting scheduled for March 2005, South Africa

· First Trilateral Foreign Ministers meeting, New Delhi, March 2004

· Result of ongoing conversations prior to G-8 Evian Meeting, where agreement was reached to meet

· Reform of the UN, in particular expansion of the UNSC

· Threats to security to be handled with effective, co-ordinated and solidary international co-operation

· Pioneering meeting of three countries with vibrant democracies; with the aim

of examining themes on the international agenda and of mutual interest

· Priority emphasis on promotion of social equity and eradication of hunger and poverty

· Elimination of all kinds of racial and gender discrimination

· Trilateral Co-operation as an important tool for the promotion of Social & Economic Development

• Importance of respecting the rule of International Law, strengthening the UN and UNSC and diplomacy as a means to maintain international peace &

• Co-operation in ICT to narrow the digital divide
• Implementation of Johannesburg Programme of Implementation on Sustainable Development
• Effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the rights of countries of origin over their own genetic resources
• Globalisation must become a positive force for change for all people

• Full implementation of the Doha Development Programme

· Importance of a predictable and transparent international trading system

· Reform of international financial architecture to be more responsive to development needs of countries

· Good governance at national and international level

· Intensification of Dialogue at all levels

• Regular political consultations on international agenda items

• Three leaders confirmed their desire to see IBSA functioning a s a p
• Foreign Ministers agreed to Trilateral meeting in India in March 2004
• State Visits between India, Brazil and SA within six months
• State visits to be utilised to support projects identified by IBSA

· Funding mechanism created for projects to address hunger, education, health and

sanitation -US$100 000 each as seed money

· Agreement was reached that the IBSA fund would be "self-standing"

• Permanent Representatives to UN and UNDP agreed to set up a working level technical committee to develop details and consider possible programmes to be funded by IBSA.

· SA Government Representatives from

- DFA, Public Enterprises, Defence, Communication, Transport, Science & Technology,

Education, Trade and and Health

- Presidential National Commission on Information Society and Development

· Outcomes of First Trilateral Foreign Ministers Meeting

• The New Delhi Agenda for Co-operation contains the pronouncements the Ministers made on many issues in the international agenda including UN Reform, Peace and Security, Terrorism, Globalisation, sustainable development and social development.

• The Brasilia meeting identified sectoral areas for possible co-operation amongst the three countries. These sectoral areas of co-operation were further developed into the New Delhi Plan of Action and agreed upon.

It was agreed that the Second Trilateral Foreign Ministers Meeting is to take place in South

Africa in 2005

· IBSA agreed to more than double trade flows by 2007, from current total trade of US$4,6 billion to US$ 10 billion

· Convergence between current trade negotiations between IBSA countries and their regions:

- Brazil-Mercosur

• SA -SACU & SADC

• Agreement to promote trilateral co-operation in science & technology, ICT, health, defence, energy, education, trade & investment, civil aviation & maritime transport, and tourism

• Focus on infrastructure development

- Civil Engineering & Project Management, Roads, Airports, Ports, Energy, Telecommunications, Internet

The initial work on the sectoral working groups was started in Brasilia during the Senior Officials Meeting. In this regard several sectoral working groups were established to advance co-operation in areas of mutual interests. The following working groups were convened:

• The Departments of Transport, Public Enterprises, Trade and Industry as well as Environmental Affairs and Tourism took part in this working Group. The working group agreed to a timetable that sets out deliverables for implementation and for consideration by the meeting of the focal points and meeting of ministers to be held in South Africa early next year.

• Amongst the issues lactivities that were agreed upon include inter alia:

• Meeting of Ministers of Tourism

• The ministers of Tourism are expected to meet in to dIscuss a framework for co-operation

• Merchant Shipping Agreement

• Trilateral discussions on the issue have not yet commenced

• TrilateraI Air Services Agreement

• The countries would explore the possibility of a trilateral air services agreement given that bilateral air services agreements exist between the three countries.

Meeting of the ministers of Trade and Industrv

• The working group met to consolidate common positions with regard to the way forward with regard

to the outcomes of the 1st phase of the World Summit on Information Society. Follow up meetings

for exchange of experiences and best practices are being envisaged.

· Working Group on Science and Technology

· The working group agreed on the establishment of a trilateral working group to formulate a detailed

programme of action and meet regularly to review progress of implementation. The Indian Minister

of Science and Technology has subsequently invited his SA and Brazilian counterparts for a

Trilateral Ministerial Working Group. The Department of Science and Technology is seized with the

matter.

· South Africa has also offered to host a science and technology implementation meeting, to be held

in conjunction with the South African Science and Technology Fair, which will take place in

Johannesburg during November 2004.

• The working group on Education was formed for the first time in India. An area of co-operation that was identified was open and distance education, higher and professional education, and universal mass education with special emphasis on equality and gender equity.

• The working group agreed on a programme of reciprocal visits with the purpose of exchanging ideas, experiences and practices in the energy fields. The areas of focus so far are:- access to affordable energy in rural areas with emphasis on non-conventional energy; exploring bio-diesel as a commercially viable energy source; and research and development in the areas of hydrogen.

• Working Group on Defence

• With the Defence Ministers having met on 1 February 2004, where they worked out a programme of action in this area, the working group met to reinforce what was discussed in February 2004.

• Working Group on Health

• The working group on Health built on the work initiated in Brazil. Each of the IBSA countries have key strategies related to the health sector and specifically the pharmaceutical sector.

• Brazil has proposed to host a Seminar on Economic Growth with Social Equity in October 2004. Brazil explained that the UNDP Office in Brazil conceived the idea of the seminar. The UNDP office in Brazil approached the Brazilians and expressed their (UNDP) and the UN Secretary General's support of the IBSA initiative, informing that they wanted to contribute to the success of IBSA by sponsoring a seminar on sustainable development. The Ford Foundation is also a co-sponsor of the event.