IBSA Six Years On: Co-operation in a New Global Order

The IBSA Forum has successfully fostered political coordination and South-South dialogue, most notably through its development fund and a 96% vote convergence at the United Nations. While trade integration is hampered by regional constraints, the forum has seen success in science, technology, and revenue service cooperation. The author recommends that IBSA focus on development efforts and trade facilitation rather than overarching trade agreements, positioning itself as a development-oriented complement to the economically driven BRIC grouping.

• IBSA has achieved significant political coordination, evidenced by a 96% vote convergence among member countries at the United Nations and a shared priority for reforming global institutions, specifically the Security Council.
• The IBSA development fund is considered an unexpected success, utilizing a model where each member contributes $1 million annually to fund small projects in impoverished regions via the United Nations Development Programme.
• The development fund has completed projects in Haiti (waste management), Guinea Bissau (agricultural development), and Cape Verde (health care clinic), with others underway in Burundi, Palestine, Gaza, and Laos.
• Trilateral trade grew from $3.9 billion in 2003 to over $10 billion in 2008, but remains small compared to the $43 billion trade between China and Brazil in 2008; full market integration is viewed as unrealistic due to regional constraints like Mercosur and the Southern African Customs Union.
• Cooperation in science and technology is a leading area of success, including joint research in Antarctica and the sharing of technology regarding biofuels, which also informs work on energy and climate change.
• IBSA differs from the BRIC grouping in that it is based on political and development co-operation, whereas BRIC is founded on economic imperatives.

APA

White, L. (2009). IBSA Six Years On: Co-operation in a New Global Order. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Policy-Briefing-8.pdf

Chicago

White, Lyal. IBSA Six Years On: Co-operation in a New Global Order. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Policy-Briefing-8.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=White |first1=Lyal |title=IBSA Six Years On: Co-operation in a New Global Order |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=8 November 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Policy-Briefing-8.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{white2009ibsa, author = {White, Lyal}, title = {{IBSA Six Years On: Co-operation in a New Global Order}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Policy-Briefing-8.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }