The Permanent Representatives of India, Brazil and South Africa to the United Nations and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund) Overview of Project Portfolio Report and Exhibition, together with Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation.
Forty-five Ambassadors to the United Nations and numerous High-level United Nations officials joined the celebration, including the Permanent Representative of Guyana who spoke on behalf of IBSA Fund partner countries.
“The IBSA Fund shows how developing countries can work together to eradicate poverty and build a more peaceful and sustainable world for all,” said Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, in a message prepared for the exhibition.
“The projects of the India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) Fund are improving many lives across the global South,” said Mr. Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator during the ceremony.
“The IBSA Fund is a great example, not only of solidarity among countries of the South, but also of the benefits of partnering with the United Nations system to advance the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Mr. Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the Seretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director, UNOSSC. “Jointly with the UN, the IBSA Fund capitalizes on both local and global expertise to improve national systems and the lives of those most vulnerable.”
Managed by UNOSSC, the IBSA Fund promotes cooperation among developing countries, and supports projects on a demand-driven basis through partnerships with local governments, national institutions and multiple United Nations implementing agencies.
To date, the Fund has received $35 million in contributions and has advanced 27 projects in 21 partner countries, in support of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. IBSA Fund projects range from enhancing livelihoods, to improving health care infrastructure, to extending access to safe drinking water. IBSA Fund projects have accomplished remarkable results across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Arab States; and have been recognized by major United Nations and national government officials.
“I have no doubt that with the support of partnerships such as IBSA, we will achieve the peace, prosperity, and development sought by the 2030 Agenda,” read a message by H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the seventy-first session of the United Nations General Assembly on the occasion of the launch.
The launch is an integral part of the celebration of the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, which is observed on 12 September every year. This year the event will emphasize South-South cooperation as a critical modality toward achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The IBSA Fund experience shows that prioritizing national ownership and leadership and harnessing Southern ingenuity, expertise, and know-how delivers concrete and impactful results.
For more information, or to schedule media interviews, please contact:
Ms. Ines Tofalo, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (ines.tofalo@undp.org , + 1 917 497 5177).
