New York: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira, and South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, held a meeting on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United National General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

During the meeting, the IBSA ministers reiterated their commitment to work for the expansion of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) membership to include representation from developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, in both the permanent and non-permanent membership categories.

In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Attended a productive IBSA Foreign Minister's meeting today alongside FM Mauro Vieira and FM @RonaldLamola. IBSA nations participate in and shape ongoing global discourses on development, SDGs, poverty eradication, multilateralism, and South-South cooperation. We share convergent views on reforms of UN system and of its Security Council. Our consultations should intensify as these debates acquire greater urgency."

BSA is a unique forum that brings together India, Brazil and South Africa. All three countries are developing, pluralistic, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious nations. The grouping was formalised and named the IBSA Dialogue Forum when the Foreign Ministers of the three countries met in Brasilia in 2003.

The joint statement released following the IBSA Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs stated, "The Ministers renewed their commitment to work for the expansion of Security Council membership to include representation from developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, in both the permanent and non-permanent membership categories for achieving a reformed, representative, equitable, responsive and effective UN Security Council, which is reflective of the contemporary global realities. They supported the legitimate aspiration of African countries to have a permanent presence in the UNSC and supported Brazil's and India's endeavours to occupy permanent seats in the Security Council."

The three ministers expressed concern regarding the conflict in Ukraine and called on all actors involved to promote de-escalation and to foster direct dialogue, so as to create conditions for effective peace. They assessed relevant proposals of mediation and good offices, including by countries not directly involved, aimed at the peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, according to the joint statement.

They emphasised that all states must act consistently with the purposes and principles of the UN charter. Jaishankar, Vieira and Lamola expressed their "deep concern about the dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza" and reiterated their call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages.

The joint statement reads, "They stressed that all actors must comply with their obligations under international law, including relevant UNSC resolutions and ICJ decisions. They reaffirmed the urgent need for a lasting solution to the conflict through the political settlement of the situation based on a two-state solution, with an independent and viable state of Palestine living side by side with Israel, in peace and security, within the 1967 borders, which include the Gaza Strip and the west bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

"The Ministers called states that have not yet recognized the state of Palestine to do so, and expressed their support for the admission of Palestine as a member of the UN. The Ministers shared their concern about the risk of escalating conflicts in the Middle East, with unpredictable consequences for the whole region and the world," it added.

The ministers agreed to strengthen, expand and promote the IBSA Fund, an internationally recognised initiative of South-South cooperation, with 45 projects in 38 countries. The three leaders agreed that the fight against poverty and hunger is a priority and a long-standing area for cooperation among IBSA nations.

They agreed to leverage international cooperation to ensure food security and nutrition at the global level. The three ministers pledged to keep promoting the importance of this topic, as stated in the IBSA standalone meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs held in February 2024, according to the joint statement released following IBSA Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in New York.

The three leaders encouraged further progress on the IBSA Fund for the Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger (IBSA Fund), which improves financial support for South owned, South-led, demand-driven projects under national ownership across the developing world.

The ministers welcomed the pre-launch of the Global Alliance against hunger and poverty as one of the principal initiatives of the Brazilian presidency of the G20 and look forward to its continuity. The joint statement reads, "The Ministers reiterated their intention to further energize and leverage the IBSA Forum, this Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs constituting a further step in that direction."

The joint statement said, "The Ministers noted with concern the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the eruption of conflicts in various parts of the world and emphasized the urgency of re-engaging in the pursuit of peace, in contrast to divisive narratives that only serve to reinforce the current scenario of fragmentation and geopolitical polarization."

They stressed the need for valuing dialogue and diplomacy as a primary instrument for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and the need for strengthening tools for conflict prevention, like mediation and negotiation. The ministers expressed their commitment to multilateralism and to the principles of the United Nations Charter and called for upholding international law.

The joint statement reads, "They affirmed the need for reformed, revitalized and reinvigorated multilateralism aimed at implementing the 2030 Agenda, at adequately addressing contemporary global challenges of the 21st century and at making global governance more representative, legitimate, democratic, effective, transparent and accountable."

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