IBSA Focal Points Reflect on 15 Years of the IBSA Fund and the Way Forward

On the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, focal points of the India, Brazil South Africa Fund (IBSA) met with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) to reflect on achievements, discuss opportunities, and pave a way forward.

“I personally visited the project in the State of Palestine and was impressed with the quality of work being done there. It made me proud as a Brazilian,” stated Mr. Henrique Sardinha, focal point for Brazil. This year, the IBSA Fund finished a project reconstructing a medical center in Gaza City.

“The IBSA Fund is impressive, with 32 projects and a gamut of information, said Mr. Alok Dimri, focal point for India, “the fund has proved itself to us and has sustained for 15 years. It has captured the thoughts and sentiment of IBSA.”

The meeting was an opportunity to reflect on IBSA’s repository of good practices and discuss sharing solutions with countries actively working to achieve the SDGS. Mr. Anil Sooklal, focal point for South Africa, discussed new partnerships with academics and scholars that will offer new perspectives and increase visibility of IBSA initiatives.

Mr. Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director of UNOSSC reiterated UNOSSC’s support and shared how the office’s 2018-2022 Strategic Framework can support the vision of IBSA in the coming years.

Also discussed were some of the recent updates on the fund, including a new project on ending child marriage in Malawi and Zambia, as well as the launch of a project that is training women on the use of Rocket Stoves in Fiji.

IBSA, as an alliance between three leading democratic, multi-ethnic, multicultural states from three different continents has inspired an enormous amount of praise. To date, the IBSA Fund has received $37 million in contributions to implement 32 projects in 19 partner states across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Arab States. The fund projects range from enhancing livelihoods, to improving health care infrastructure, to extending access to safe drinking water.

For more information on IBSA, please visit the IBSA Fund Website or download the latest IBSA Portfolio Report. For questions about IBSA, please contact Mithre Sandrasagra at mithre.sandrasagra@unossc.org or Anita Raman at anita.raman@unossc.org