H.E. Mr. Ronaldo Costa Filho, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, and Mr. Jorge Chediek, UNOSSC Director and Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation, today signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing a $2 million contribution to the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (the IBSA Fund) through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency.
“I commend the generosity and leadership of Brazil in continuing its support for the IBSA Fund,” said Mr. Chediek. “UNOSSC is proud to manage the IBSA Fund, a remarkable example of South-South solidarity and cooperation that is responding to the development demands of the countries of the South.”
The IBSA Fund, established in 2004, embodies in its fabric diversity, prosperity and a spirit of cooperation in the face of complex development challenges: it represents three developing countries on different continents coming together in solidarity to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Since its inception, the IBSA countries have contributed over $41 million to combat poverty and hunger in 21 partnering countries through 32 development projects. With this new contribution from Brazil, the Fund will surpass $43 million in programming resources.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, IBSA Fund-supported projects have enabled online training of health workers in Viet Nam and disseminated educational materials on prevention of and response to the disease to vulnerable communities in Zambia.
The IBSA Fund is a prime example of peer-to-peer and development partnership, responding to national development priorities through sustainable livelihood projects and the exchange of knowledge, skills and technologies. The path towards sustainable development is long and complex, and collaboration among developing countries is invaluable to sustain progress throughout that lengthy journey.
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The India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund) is a pioneering initiative to implement South-South cooperation for the benefit of other Southern countries in partnership with the United Nations system. Its purpose is to identify replicable and scalable projects that can be disseminated to interested developing countries as examples of best practices in the fight against poverty and hunger. The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) serves as the Fund Manager for this initiative.
