India, Brazil, and South Africa Advocate For Result-Oriented Process For UNSC Reforms, Tangible Results

Image credit: X/@DrSJaishankar

New York: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterparts from Brazil and South Africa met for the 11th IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission here on Saturday and expressed their frustration “with the paralysis” observed at the Inter-Governmental Negotiations on UN Security Council reform. They renewed their commitment to work for the expansion of the Council to include representation from developing economies of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the ministers stressed that the time has come to move towards a result-oriented process and urged the redoubling of efforts to achieve concrete outcomes within a fixed time frame through the commencement of text-based negotiations.

They supported the legitimate aspiration of African countries to have a permanent presence in the UNSC and supported Brazil’s and India’s endeavour “to occupy permanent seats in the Security Council”.

Apart from S Jaishankar,  Brazil Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Grace Naledi Pandor attended the meeting. The ministers emphasized that while a comprehensive reform of the United Nations system remains a crucial international undertaking, the advancing of the reform of the Security Council should remain an urgent and top priority.

“The Ministers expressed frustration with the paralysis observed at the Inter-Governmental Negotiations on UN Security Council reform which lacks transparency in its working methods and have not produced tangible progress in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA),” the statement said.   

The ministers stressed that the time has come to move towards a result-oriented process and urged the redoubling of efforts to achieve concrete outcomes within a fixed time frame on this issue through the “commencement of text-based negotiations, based on a single comprehensive text, in a formal setting, during the 78th UNGA, with a view to an early comprehensive reform of the Security Council.”

They appreciated the role of India and Brazil as members of the UN Security Council for 2021-2022 and 2022-23. “The ministers renewed their commitment to work for the expansion of Security Council membership to include representation from developing economies of Africa, Asia and Latin America, in both the permanent and non-permanent membership categories for achieving a reformed, representative, equitable, responsive and effective UN Security Council which is reflective of the contemporary global realities,” the statement said.

“They supported the legitimate aspiration of African countries to have a permanent presence in the UNSC and supported Brazil’s and India’s endeavour to occupy permanent seats in the Security Council,” it added. The ministers affirmed the need for a reformed, revitalised and reinvigorated multilateralism aimed at implementing the 2030 agenda, to adequately address contemporary global challenges of the 21st Century and to make global governance more representative, democratic, effective, transparent and accountable.

IBSA was created 20 years ago to promote coordination on global issues between three large pluralistic, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic democracies of Asia, South America and Africa, and to enhance trilateral cooperation in sectoral areas, providing a new framework to South-South Cooperation.

The ministers underscored the importance of IBSA´s principles, norms, and values, including reformed multilateralism, participatory democracy, respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, peaceful negotiation, diplomacy, freedom, the primacy of international law and sustainable development.

They expressed their intention to further energise and leverage the IBSA Forum and agreed to hold a Standalone Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brazil, in the first quarter of 2024 and tasked the Sherpas to elaborate a proposal on IBSA institutional development.

The ministers affirmed the strategic significance of IBSA in safeguarding and advancing the interests of the Global South on the global stage, including at the multilateral and plurilateral bodies. The fact that the three countries will make up the G20 "troika” in 2024, provides further opportunities for concerted actions and cooperation in several areas.
Jaishankar is leading the Indian delegation for a week-long visit to New York, where he is scheduled to address a High-Level session of the 78th UNGA on September 26.