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India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue
Forum: New Delhi Agenda for Cooperation
The Minister of External Affairs of India, H.E. Mr.
Yashwant Sinha, Foreign Minister of Brazil, H.E. Mr.
Celso Amorim, and of South Africa, H. E. Dr. Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma met in New Delhi on 4th and 5th March 2004
for the first Meeting of the Trilateral Commission of
the IBSA Dialogue Forum.
2. The Foreign Ministers reviewed developments in the
trilateral initiative that began with their meeting
in Brasilia in June 2003 and the meeting of the three
Heads of State and Government in New York in September
2003. They appreciated the progress achieved so far
and stressed the importance of carrying forward the
multi-faceted dialogue and of registering tangible results
in the operational areas already agreed upon. The Ministers
noted the significant steps already envisaged at the
trilateral meeting of the Defence Ministers of the three
countries (held in Pretoria on 1 February 2004) for
stepping up cooperation.
3. The Ministers held a wide-ranging discussion in
a friendly and cordial atmosphere and exchanged views
on regional and international issues of mutual interest
as well as on promotion of trilateral cooperation in
accordance with the objectives set forth in the Brasilia
Declaration. They attached immense value to the beneficial
spin-offs from their enhanced trilateral cooperation
to South-South cooperation. IBSA aspires to make a significant
contribution to the framework of South-South cooperation
and be a positive factor to advance human development
by promoting potential synergies among the members.
4. The Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their determination
to play a constructive role in international affairs
and to maintain friendly relations with all countries.
Their approach to IBSA dialogue aims at imparting a
new synergy to these interactions.
Multilateralism - reforms of UN
5. The Ministers agreed to work together to strengthen
the multilateral system. They expressed support for
early reform of the United Nations to make it more democratic
and responsive to the priorities of its member states,
particularly those of the developing countries that
constitute the vast majority of its membership. They
agreed that their respective delegations to the UN and
its specialised agencies as well as other multilateral
bodies would remain in close touch with each other and
would consult on all issues of significance.
6. The Ministers expressed the view that the UN Security
Council, as configured today is not representative of
present-day realities. They highlighted the need for
reform which would impart greater balance and representativeness
to the Council and reflect contemporary reality and
emphasised the need for expansion in both permanent
and non-permanent categories. They reaffirmed that the
decisions of the Security Council should be seen as
serving the interests of the global community. They
agreed to jointly explore innovative solutions to the
issues relating to the reform of the Security Council
in order to accelerate the decision making process.
Peace and Security
7. The Ministers noted that primary focus on human
development, the fight against poverty, and measures
to promote a better quality of life, should underpin
and provide for greater guarantees for international
peace and stability. The three Ministers took stock
of the global security situation -concerning disarmament
and non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMD). They took note of avowed commitments of Governments
regarding the transfer of technology related to the
manufacture of WMDs and expressed hope for observance
of these commitments unequivocally. They also underlined
that implementation of and compliance with non-proliferation
and disarmament commitments suffered from serious inadequacies,
which should be redressed through appropriate forward
looking multilateral actions. They agreed to intensify
their cooperation at the IAEA and other forums with
a view to ensuring unimpeded growth and development
of peaceful use of atomic energy through supply of technology,
equipment and material under appropriate safeguards.
8. On the Israeli-Palestinian situation, the three
countries urged an immediate resumption of dialogue
on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,
the Arab League Peace Initiative and the Quartet roadmap
so as to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution thereby
ending the current cycle of violence. They specially
affirmed their full support to the vision of the settlement
postulated in the UN Security Council Resolution 1397
of two sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, living
side by side within secured and recognised borders.
The three countries expressed their willingness to play
a constructive role to bring about just, durable and
comprehensive peace in the region.
9. The three countries noted the convergence of their
views on Iraq. They stressed the maintenance of unity
and integrity of Iraq as well as the restoration of
security and stability in the country and called for
transfer of full sovereignty to the Iraqi people as
soon as possible. In this context, they agreed that
the UN must play a vital role. They also emphasised
the urgency of reconstruction in Iraq under a democratically
elected sovereign government.
Terrorism
10. The Ministers agreed that international terrorism
was one of the most significant threats faced by the
world today and that it can only be tackled collectively.
They further agreed that terrorism should only be considered
with reference to the terrorist act and its consequences.
There can be no justification for terrorism- political,
religious or any other. The Ministers emphasised that
it was imperative today for the international community
to come together to combat terrorism, in a sustained
and comprehensive manner, with the ultimate objective
of eradication of terrorism in all regions.
11. The Ministers reaffirmed their full support to
implementing all the measures to combat terrorism outlined
in the UN Security Council Resolution 1373. They called
on the international community to work together in a
spirit of cooperation and accommodation with the objective
of an early conclusion of negotiations and the adoption
of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
Globalisation
12. Recalling their commitment to pursuing policies,
programmes and initiatives in different international
forums, to make the diverse processes of globalization
inclusive, integrative, humane, and equitable, the Ministers
noted with concern that the current global economic
structures and mechanisms continued to be marked by
inequities. The Ministers felt that an important challenge
before the international community was to maximise the
benefits of globalisation and to ensure that it becomes
a positive force for sustained economic growth in all
developing countries. They emphasised that developing
countries need to have their own agenda which would
set out their goals in the context of globalising world.
They must carry this agenda into multilateral processes
with a view to influencing negotiations and arriving
at results which are beneficial to the South. In this
context, the Ministers took note with appreciation the
conclusions and recommendations of the World Commission
on the Social Dimension of Globalisation which called
for steps to achieve a fairer form of globalisation
that created opportunities for all.
13. The Ministers agreed to intensify cooperation in
areas of mutual interest in the current round of multi-lateral
trade negotiations as exemplified by the G-20 to realise
the Doha Development Agenda and enhance trade opportunities
commensurate with the development needs of developing
countries under a fair, equitable and transparent rules-based
multilateral trading system.
Sustainable Development
14. India, Brazil and South Africa have similar concerns
with regard to the protection of environment while they
march ahead on the path of socio-economic development
in their respective countries. In this context the three
sides agreed to work together to promote practical cooperation
in ensuring sustainable development. The Ministers also
agreed to coordinate positions on climate change, bio-diversity,
and other related issues at the concerned multilateral
fora.
15. The Ministers reaffirmed the validity of the principles
contained in the Rio Declaration, particularly on common
but differentiated responsibilities, the Programme of
Action contained in Agenda 21, and the Plan of Implementation
of the World Summit on Sustainable Development held
in Johannesburg, and called for the implementation of
these outcomes through the mobilization of new and additional
financial resources and transfer of environmentally
sound technologies within an agreed time-frame. They
stressed that an international environment supportive
of development would be critical to this process. They
called for a specific focus on capacity building and
on transfer of financial resources and technology to
developing countries.
16. They underscored the importance of the decision
taken at the WSSD to negotiate within the framework
of Convention on Bio-diversity, an international regime
to promote and safeguard the fair and equitable sharing
of benefits arising out of utilization of genetic resource.
The Ministers agreed on the need for ensuring that the
benefits arising out of the commercial use of genetic
resources accrue to the countries of origin. They reiterated
in this context their commitment for effective implementation
of the Convention on Biological Diversity. They also
called for the establishment of a legally binding instrument
for protecting intellectual property rights to traditional
knowledge and folklore. India, Brazil and South Africa
who are also the founding members of the Group of Like-minded
Megadiverse Countries, agreed to strengthen cooperation
and coordination with emphasis on multilateral negotiations
and in fostering activities related to South-South Cooperation.
Social Development
17. The Ministers in the context of the approaching
10th anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development,
recalled that the Summit had sought to put people at
the centre of development. They emphasised the need
to have the well-being of people as the focus of efforts
to assess and address the gaps in the commitments made
and results achieved.
18. The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of strengthening
of cultural ties of the three countries. With that aim
in mind, they discussed the possibility of organising
a trilateral cultural fair of music, dance and cinema
in Brazil as soon as possible and agreed to take the
necessary steps.
19. The Ministers reiterated their earlier commitments
as contained in the Brasilia Declaration to address
issues related to elimination of all kinds of racial
discrimination and to promote gender equality and mainstreaming
a gender perspective in public policies.
20. Recalling that the Brasilia Declaration had identified
trilateral cooperation among the three countries as
an important tool for achieving the promotion of social
and economic development, the Ministers agreed that
the three countries, with rich untapped natural resources
and emerging infra-structural requirements, could in
a spirit of South-South cooperation, share expertise
in several areas. With this view, working level discussions
for enhancing trilateral cooperation in the spheres
of S&T, Information Technology, Health, Civil Aviation
and Shipping, Tourism, Trade and Investment, Defence,
Energy and education took place during the Meeting.
Specific programmes of action for trilateral cooperation
in each of these sectors were identified based on these
discussions and endorsed by the Ministers. These are
annexed in the Plan of Action.
21. The Ministers reaffirmed the determination of their
Governments to contribute actively and concretely to
the implementation of internationally agreed development
goals, particularly that of combating hunger and poverty.
Following the Heads of State/Governments announcement
in September 2003, they reviewed and approved the Guidelines
for Operationalisation of the IBSA Facility for Hunger
and Poverty Alleviation contained in the Plan of Action.
The Ministers decided that a meeting be held before
the end of March 2004, to consult with UNDP on certain
operational issues. The meeting would also finalise
operational guidelines for the Board of Directors and
commence discussions on projects for implementation
under the Facility.
22. The Ministers also reiterated the invitation for
the participation of interested parties in the South-South
initiative, including the private sector and civil society.
To stress their political commitment, Brazil, South
Africa and India announced that they have made fiduciary
contributions to the Facility.
23. The Ministers also endorsed the proposal by Brazil
to host a seminar on "Economic Growth with Social
Equity" with the aim to promote better knowledge
among IBSA members of their national policies and strategies
to promote economic and social development and exchange
views on international development challenges. The organisation
of the seminar would be jointly coordinated by the three
countries.
24. The Foreign Ministers of Brazil and South Africa
thanked the Minister for External Affairs of India for
convening the first Meeting of the Trilateral Commission.
The three Ministers agreed that the next meeting would
be held in South Africa in the first quarter of 2005.
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