Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Norberto Moretti, as Chair of the meeting of the IBSA Fund Board of Directors - January 29th, 2024

 
With warm greetings to Ms. Dima Al-Khatib and my fellow and dear DPRs from India and South Africa, let me start by welcoming you all to this session and extending our sincere appreciation for your commitment to and engagement in the Fund actitivies.

We take pride in being able to coordinate the work of the IBSA Fund at such a paramount juncture for sustainable development, at which all available assets and means of implementation, including South-South cooperation instruments, must be fit for purpose and geared towards expediting the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs in the last stretch of its implementation period.

We should also avail ourselves of the unprecedented opportunity presented by the troika of IBSA countries in the G20 presidency to advance and give concrete expression to the interests of developing countries. As we take over the presidency from India, we are intent on pushing forward with the overdue imperatives of eradicating hunger and poverty and reducing inequalities, furthering the three pillars of sustainable development in a balanced and integrated manner, and thrusting global governance reform, including the international financial architecture.

It is then high time we built on such momentum to review and reenergize the Fund. Our IBSA sherpas have already agreed to task our respective cooperation agencies with commencing discussions with a view to implementing the guidance by our respective Foreign Affairs Ministers in the Declaration of the 11th Meeting of the Trilateral Ministerial Commission of IBSA, last September, to elaborate a proposal to strengthen and expand the IBSA Fund. To this effect, some preliminary ideas have already been shared. We, therefore, urge you all to engage in earnest in this process so as to bring that idea to fruition in the near future.

Now turning to our agenda today, we are heartened by the amount of new projects submitted for our consideration as it signals not only interest by recipient partners in cooperation under the Fund, but also a window of opportunity to inject impetus into the project portfolio for speedier and more timely sourcing as well as a more regular and dynamic flow of projects. There is no denying that all of that hinges on constant and predictable financial contributions from all IBSA countries. And in this regard let me reassure you that we remain steadfast in concluding the final procedural steps to transfer to UNOSSC as soon as possible our announced increased contribution. This notwithstanding, we are confident we will be in a position to technically and politically endorse all projects in the pipeline and up for approval at today´s session.

Last but not least, we feel much obliged to extend over again a special word of appreciation to UNOSSC for its devoted and reliable assistance in managing the Fund, following up and updating on project implementation, campaigning for the Fund and boosting its visibility, and integrating and mainstreaming the South-South cooperation perspective into the activities of the United Nations Development System. We are also very keen on carrying on with our partnership regarding capacity building in developing countries for South-South and trilateral cooperation management.
Let me conclude by wishing us all a very productive meeting.