G20 Summit: PM Modi proposes alliance for digital infra collaboration, fund for climate change at IBSA meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday participated in IBSA Leaders' Meeting on the sidelines of G20 Summit, held in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the meeting with President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa and President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, he proposed the establishment of an alliance for digital infrastructure collaboration and the creation of a fund for climate-resilient agriculture

Highlighting technology's crucial role in ensuring human-centric development, PM Modi proposed establishing an 'IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance' to facilitate the sharing of Digital Public Infrastructure like UPI, health platforms like CoWIN, cybersecurity frameworks and women-led tech initiatives among the three countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Modi appreciated the IBSA Fund's work in supporting projects across forty countries in sectors like education, health, women empowerment and solar energy. He further proposed IBSA Fund for Climate Resilient Agriculture to further advance South-South cooperation.


Prime Minister is on a visit to South Africa for the annual G20 Summit. He described the ISBA Leaders' Meet as timely as it coincided with the first G20 Summit on African soil and marked the culmination of four consecutive G20 presidencies by Global South countries, out of which the last three were by the IBSA members. Modi further noted that the meetings have resulted in several important initiatives focused on human-centric development, multilateral reform and sustainable growth.

Also read: G20 Summit: PM Modi outlines 3 key initiatives on knowledge, skills and drug-terror crackdown

UNSC reforms no longer an option, but a necessity

PM Modi made a strong pitch for reforms of the UN Security Council, asserting that the India-Brazil-South Africa troika should send a clear message that changes to institutions of global governance were no longer an option, but a necessity.

Addressing the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) leaders summit, Modi said at a time when the world appears fragmented and divided, IBSA can provide a message of unity, cooperation, and humanity.

He proposed institutionalising the IBSA NSA-level meeting to strengthen security cooperation among the three countries.

“In the fight against terrorism, we must move forward in close coordination. There is no place for any double standards on such a serious issue,” Modi said.

The IBSA grouping focuses on promoting South-South cooperation, pushing for reforms in global governance systems and enhancing collaboration among developing nations.