22 February 2019, New York – The Board of Directors of the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund) and United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) had their first official meeting of 2019 to highlight successes of the IBSA Fund portfolio, share lessons learned, and plan the way forward.
“The IBSA Fund makes all of us very proud and I have total commitment to its success. I want to commend the generosity of India, Brazil and South Africa, three great democracies of the South coming together with a mechanism that is both effective and efficient,” stated Mr. Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director of UNOSSC.
Representing their countries at the Board meeting were H.E. Mr. K. Nagaraj Naidu, IBSA Fund Chair and Ambassador Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Frederico Meyer Ambassador, Deputy Permanant Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, and H.E. Mr. Thabo Molefe, Acting Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations.
The IBSA Fund supports projects on a demand-driven basis through partnerships with local governments, national institutions and implementing partners. Initiatives are concrete expressions of solidarity and objectives range from promoting food security, to addressing HIV/AIDS, to extending access to safe drinking water – all with the aim of contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
At this meeting, the Board expressed support to the new project “Palau Education Revitalization”, which aims to provide students and teachers with safe and reliable transportation and infrastructure to enable a healthy learning environment. The project will provide a school bus, fiberglass boat, teacher training facility, a High School resource center, and 10 new roofs on elementary schools. Supported by the Palau Ministry of Education, this project aligns with Palau’s priority for 2019 to be the year of education.
The three countries acknowledged the project’s potential to have great impact on the education sector. Focusing on SDG 4, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, this investment in education aims to improve the economic outcomes of Palau’s citizens and propel future generations forward.
The Palau Education Revitalization project will add to the extensive portfolio of the multi-million-dollar IBSA Fund, which to date has accumulated 33 projects with 21 partner countries and mobilized $37.3 million in contributions. In partnership with the United Nations, the IBSA Fund has become a remarkable example of cooperation among three developing countries and is leading to impactful results in the Global South.
For more information on IBSA, please visit the IBSA Fund Website or download the latest IBSA Portfolio Report. For questions about IBSA, please contact Mithre Sandrasagra at mithre.sandrasagra@unossc.org or Anita Raman at anita.raman@unossc.org
