India, and other IBSA countries call for immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine

New York: India, Brazil and South Africa have jointly voiced serious concern at the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, reiterating their call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and pursuing the path of diplomacy.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday hosted the 10th India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting along with Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Alberto Franco França and Dr Joe Phaahla, Minister of Health of the Republic of South Africa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here.

"The ministers expressed serious concern at the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. They reiterated their call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the need to pursue the path of diplomacy and dialogue. They emphasised that the current global order is anchored on international law, the UN Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states," according to a joint statement issued after the 10th IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting.

The IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) has emerged as a key tripartite grouping for the promotion of cooperation in a range of areas.

The three leaders also emphasised that while a comprehensive reform of the United Nations system remains a crucial international undertaking, the advancing of the reform of the Security Council, the principal organ mandated with the maintenance of international peace and security, should remain an urgent and top priority, especially as reform of this organ has remained elusive, the statement said.

The ministers renewed their commitment to work for the expansion of Security Council membership to include representation from emerging and developing economies of Asia, Latin America, and Africa in both the permanent and non-permanent categories for achieving a representative, inclusive, equitable, responsive and effective UN Security Council which is reflective of the contemporary global realities, it said.

They even agreed that the current composition of the UN Security Council no longer reflects the realities of the contemporary world and that reforming the UNSC is critical.

On climate change, they reaffirmed their commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. They urged all countries to work together for the implementation of the Paris Agreement based on the principles of the UNFCCC, including the principles of "equity” and "common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”, according to the statement.

They underscored the importance of the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and highlighted the need to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, it added.

They urged the developed countries to fully honour their Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitments and for providing new and additional financing and the means of implementation of the SDGs, the statement read.

The eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, must be aligned with national efforts and international cooperation as it represents the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, they acknowledged.

They also expressed concern over the continuing public health, social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic globally and especially in the countries of the Global South and called for better international preparedness to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and other current and future health challenges, including through mobilisation of political and popular support, as well as necessary financial and technological resources.

The leaders also appreciated the significant progress achieved in the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and called for further cooperation among the various stakeholders to ensure the timely availability of a diversified portfolio of vaccines to all those who need it, at affordable prices, it said.

They called on all countries, international agencies, and philanthropic organisations to procure vaccines and boosters from manufacturers in developing countries, including in Africa and among the BRICS countries.

IBSA exemplifies the spirit of South-South cooperation. The IBSA Fund is a special feature of the IBSA collaboration. It has since its inception, allocated over USD 44 million, supporting 39 South-South cooperation development projects in 35 partner countries with the majority being Least Developed Countries.

India is the incumbent IBSA Chair and will be hosting the 6th IBSA Summit on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in November 2022.