India-South Africa India-South Africa 2019 | Page 19

In BRICS and IBSA India and South Africa have generally taken common positions at the BRICS platform. This includes those related to regional trade, climate change, and development cooperation, among others. They, together with other BRICS countries, have been instrumental in strengthening the Southern voice. Moreover, within the BRICS, IBSA has been a congregation with a unique characteristic owing to its ability to balance democracy and development. India and South Africa have held common positions at the IBSA platform as they share the values of democracy and human rights. They have also made concerted efforts toward promoting South- South Cooperation. The IBSA Declaration on South-South Cooperation, Pretoria (June 2018) stated that “IBSA recalls all eff orts over the decades to bring about greater solidarity among South-South countries, including the Bandung Conference 1955, NAM 1961, UNCTAD, G-77 grouping, Buenos Aires Plan of Action 1978, Nairobi Declaration 2009.” As part of IBSA, the two countries have also reasserted the centrality of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the cause of “common but diff erentiated responsibilities” under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. IBSA also holds a common commitment to the issues pertinent to the global development architecture including the Offi cial Development Assistance to the countries of the global South. In November last year, the 15th Anniversary of the IBSA Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund) was celebrated at the UN. The Fund has been instrumental in capacity building and forging development partnerships Both countries along with other IORA members have also partnered for ensuring maritime safety and security. They have been working closely to leverage benefi ts from the provisions as envisaged under the Jakarta Concord and the IORA Action Plan. in several countries of the global South by facilitating projects in the areas of agriculture, employment, environment, health, and water resource management. In IORA South Africa is an integral part of the IORA. The 18th IORA Ministers meeting held in November 2018 celebrated the 150th year of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela. The Indian Ocean is a geopolitically vibrant region and both India and South Africa have been working together to build a safe and economically viable blue economy. Moreover, both countries along with other IORA members have also partnered for ensuring maritime safety and security. They have been working closely to leverage benefi ts from the provisions as envisaged under the Jakarta Concord and the IORA Action Plan. The Jakarta Concord called for strengthening maritime cooperation and developing a stable Indian Ocean. The IORA aims to work towards securing sea lanes of communications, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, people-to- people contacts, and trade and investment by promoting open regionalism. Conclusion With so many convergences at the multilateral and regional levels, the way ahead for India and South Africa is to leverage the benefi ts of such cooperation for strengthening their respective global outreach. This will help create win-win advantages for the people of both countries.  * The author is Associate Professor and Chair of the International Business Area at FORE School of Management, New Delhi. India-South Africa • 2019 • 19