India-South Africa India-South Africa 2019 | Page 17

SPECIAL REPORT
India and South Africa
at Multilateral Fora
Deciphering the Stances
Dr. Faisal Ahmed*
R
elations between India and South Africa
have been evolving and have both geo-
economic and strategic orientations.
The same convergence is also witnessed in
their cohesive approaches and the common
positions that they have held at various regional
and multilateral levels.
This article, therefore, delves deeper into
understanding the converges in the stances
adopted by India and South Africa as exhibited
at various multilateral and inter-governmental
fora viz. World Trade Organisation (WTO),
the United Nations (UN), Brazil-Russia-India-
China-South Africa (BRICS) and India-Brazil-
South Africa (IBSA), and the Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA).
In the WTO
Both India and South Africa are strong
proponents of rule-making at the multilateral
level and their commitment to the multilateral
trading system is extraordinary. In the 2017
WTO Ministerial in Buenos Aires, India
and South Africa held common positions on
several key issues to strengthen the multilateral
trading system. The two countries held similar
stances for securing a permanent solution for
public stockholding programs, under which the
current WTO rule provides for a fi xed subsidy
of 10 percent. The G-33 countries have been
demanding that their food security programs
be exempted from such a subsidy limit. This
issue has been raised overwhelmingly for a long
time, but especially since the Bali Round of
2013 when the Peace Clause was agreed upon.
Also, India and South Africa have held common
positions on the issue of farm subsidies, and call
for developed countries to reduce such trade-
distorting farm subsidies.
Moreover, at the multilateral level, both
India and South Africa took common stances
in opposing the issue of investment facilitation
in the agenda General Council meeting of
the WTO. They argued that the WTO rules
on investment facilitation intrude into their
policy space. The Joint Ministerial Statement
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