This article has been written by Tanmay Ujjwal, a first year student of Army Law College, Pune.
Abbreviation
The IBSA Forum, established in 2003 to unite India, Brazil, and South Africa, faces challenges like joint effort issues, legitimacy disputes, and resource constraints. Despite limitations, it stands out for promoting South-South Cooperation and addressing global challenges. With shared values, economic cooperation, and advocacy for global governance reforms, the forum contributes to a more inclusive international order. Emphasizing social and cultural exchanges and acknowledging the impact of digitalization, the IBSA Forum plays a crucial role in fostering cooperation, understanding, and adaptability in a rapidly changing world.
Introduction
IBSA is a distinct Forum which brings together India, Brazil and South Africa 3 massive democracies and economies of three different continents, which are facing similar problems. All of them are developing, pluralistic, have more than one culture, ethnicities, languages and religions too. On 6th of June 2003 foreign ministers of all three countries met in Brasilia and issued the Brasilia Declaration which led to creation of India Brazil South Africa Dialogue Forum
This forum is formulated to promote South South Cooperation. The idea related to south south cooperation is not new. This Idea can be traced back to decades of efforts by countries and groupings, which are working together to ensure south south cooperation some examples could be Bandung conference 1955, Non Aligned Movement 1961, G77 grouping, UNCTAD and many more
There are three fronts in which cooperation is done in this forum
- Forum for consultation and coordination on global and regional political issues
- Collaboration of all three countries on concrete areas and projects with the help of working groups and people to people forums
- Helping other developing countries by taking up projects in their countries through IBSA Fund.
Limitations of IBSA Forum
-Lack of joint efforts
Foreign ministers of three countries meet regularly on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly for discussing ways to strengthen cooperation, but when look towards results we find that the joint initiatives between the countries are few and have largely fallen short of the expectations. For instance n 2011 negotiators from IBSA countries we send to Damascus in an attempt to initiate a dialogue about a possible ceasefire in Syrian civil war but failed. There are some places where joint efforts can be seen like IBSA Fund, which is responsible for financing developmental projects around the world.
-Problem of legitimacy
IBSA members hold themselves out as regional democratic leaders with some capacity to represent Global South, but this regional role is highly contested by many countries some being Argentina, Pakistan, Nigeria, etc
-National stance
National issues are capable of creating problems for cooperation in the Forum for example, all the members of IBSA supports UNSC reforms but still South Africa has to abide by African Union’s guidelines which means they cannot field a candidate on its own. Another example could be, IBSA’s future agenda is trilateral free trade agreements, but this agenda seems unlikely as South Africa is a member of South Africa Customs Union (SACU) and Brazil is a member of MERCOSUR. The problem here is that the members of these groups are not allowed to sign a free trade agreement with countries outside their respective zones.
-Resource Constraints
There is possibility that member countries might face resource constraints in the term of funding and capacity, which can further impact the implementations of the projects of joint initiatives. This resource constraint might also restrict the forum’s ability to address complex global challenges comprehensively.
-Institutional framework
When we compare institutional framework to other regional or international organizations we will find that the frame work of IBSA is weaker than the other. This weakness in the framework could be the reason of limited ability to enforce agreements or resolutions effectively
Importance of IBSA forum
-Values
There are plethoras of values that are shared between the countries for example democratic value, multiculturalism, commitment to inclusive development. This forum is a platform for these countries to work together on issues that align with their shared objectives
-Economic Cooperation
The member countries of the Forum have recognized the potential that is behind collaborations. The countries seek to promote trade, economic cooperation, and investment among themselves with the aim of boosting development and strengthen their position in the global economy.
-Political dialogues
The Forum facilitates political dialogues amongst its member states, hence providing them with a platform to discuss and coordinate their positions on various issues either on a regional or global level. This helps in increasing and enhancing their diplomatic ties and helps in addressing common challenges faces by them
-Global Governance Reform
When a country in the Forum advocates about some reforms in Global Governance all the countries in the forum supports and advocates for reforms in global institutions like United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank and many more. This helps in better representing the developing countries interests, leading to formation of a more equitable and inclusive international order.
-Social and Cultural Exchanges
This Forum not only focuses on economic and political cooperation, but social and cultural cooperation also. This results in formation of an environment which is capable of fostering people to people connections, understanding, and appreciation of the diverse cultures which are present within the member countries
-South South Cooperation
IBSA is Forum that represents yet another commitment to South South Cooperation, this Forum emphasizes on collaboration amongst countries in the Global South. IBSA provides a platform to these nations for working together on common challenges and problems without having to rely solely on the traditional North South relationships
IBSA and Digital Governance
A report of IBSA says that the first tangible result from IBSA’s digital momentum was expected during India’s G-20 presidency, which among others will also promote a new gold standard for data. This is said to be achieved by strategic leadership with practical initiatives such as a self evaluation of nations’ data governance architecture: regularly incorporating citizen voices and preferences by modernizing the national data system
Digitalization also have a possibility of exacerbating major societal tensions that these countries are facing like, digital divide, need of a digital governance that has the ability to reflect local culture, political and economic specificities.
The three member countries of the forum spearheaded digital inclusion by prioritizing affordable access to citizens, supporting and training them for digital skills, and even creating a legal framework for the growth of small digital enterprises
Data Governance
India has planned to take strategic leadership with practical plans during the G- 20 presidency, like self evaluation of nations’ data governance architecture, modernization of the national data system and so on and so forth.
Problems faced
Whenever we try to achieve something in life we are bound to face some problems. The problems that we are facing with digital governance are:-
Geopolitical Rivalry
Geopolitics always plays a very important role in implementation of anything on an international level specially in this era where satellite collisions, cyber resilience and security of space services, exploration of space resources have increased competition between countries which posses the potential to weaponries the outer space.
The core of the geopolitical battle (especially between United States of America and China) is semiconductors
Sovereignty and integration
Many countries in order to digitalize will have to balance data sovereignty and integration in the global economy. Free flow of data will is going to be essential for small and export oriented economies to smoothen the process, but it might not be essential for big countries like United States of America
India’s progress in the Digital Governance
India is very serious when it comes to digitalization. India has taken many big steps towards digital governance, some of the important steps are:-
Aadhar- India’s biometric ID system incorporated Aadhar card has been a major step towards digitalization and is seen by many as a leading digital identity initiative, which have inspired many other countries to make a similar system.
MyGov Platform- it is a platform which has laid robust foundation to help citizens engage and participate in governance in the country. This is achieved with the help of a common digital platform, where citizens can share their views on government programmes and schemes.
Unified Payment Interface (UPI) – UPI is a real time payment system that provides instant money transfer between bank accounts with the help of mobile phones, it was launched in 2016.
It has drastically transformed the mode of payments in India; it has made transactions faster, more convenient and more secure. The success that UPI had in India has inspired other countries to tie up with India and adopt payment system which are similar.
Digital India Act – Government of India has proposed to come up with Digital India Act 2023 this Act will act as a catalyst for Indian economy by enabling more innovation, more startups while protecting citizens in terms of safety, trust and accountability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the IBSA Forum, formed by India, Brazil, and South Africa, provides a crucial platform for South-South Cooperation. Despite facing challenges such as limited joint efforts and contested legitimacy, the forum holds significance in promoting shared values, economic cooperation, and political dialogue among its member states.
While acknowledging limitations such as resource constraints and a weaker institutional framework, the IBSA Forum stands out for advocating global governance reforms and addressing contemporary issues like digital governance. It serves as a vital force in fostering collaboration and understanding among diverse nations, contributing to a more inclusive international order.
References
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- Stuenkel, Oliver. ‘The Uncertain Future of IBSA’. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, https://carnegieendowment.org/2015/02/18/uncertain-future-of-ibsa pub-59108. Accessed 7 Jan. 2024.
- ‘IBSA Forum’. Drishti IAS, https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-news-analysis/ibsa-forum . Accessed 7 Jan. 2024.
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