In news- India organized the IBSA Tourism Ministers’ Meeting to promote tourism cooperation among the member states and reviewed the intra IBSA Tourism cooperation.
Key updates-
- The IBSA Tourism Ministers’ Meeting recognized the importance of strengthening cooperation in tourism to overcome the impact of Covid 19 pandemic on the tourism sector.
- The Ministers resolved to work together to realise the full potential of IBSA countries through cooperation in the tourism sector.
- The significant aspect of the meeting was the adoption of the IBSA Tourism Ministers Joint Statement, an outcome document on cooperation and promotion for speedy recovery of travel and tourism.
- The Ministers also agreed to implement various tourism activities to be actioned by respective member countries.
About IBSA –
- IBSA is a trilateral, developmental initiative between the Governments of India, Brazil and South Africa to promote South-South cooperation and exchange.
- All three countries are developing, pluralistic, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious nations.
- The aim of the IBSA is for strengthening relations between the member countries for economic development and for promoting cooperation in the field of tourism and expansion of tourism relations with a view to understand and appreciate each other’s history, culture and way of life.
- The grouping was formalized and named the IBSA Dialogue Forum when the Foreign Ministers of the three countries met in Brasilia on 6 June 2003 and issued the Brasilia Declaration.
- India is the current IBSA Chair.
- India as the current IBSA Chair has planned to convene the 6th IBSA summit virtually on 5th September 2021, under the theme “Democracy for Demography and Development”.
IBSA Fund-
The IBSA facility for poverty and hunger alleviation (IBSA Fund) was established jointly by India, Brazil and South Africa in March 2004 and became operational in 2006 to identify replicable and scalable projects that can be disseminated to developing countries on a demand driven basis as examples of best practices in combating poverty and hunger.
IBSA mechanism-
Cooperation in IBSA is on three fronts:
- First, as a forum for consultation and coordination on global and regional political issues, such as, the reform of the global institutions of political and economic governance, WTO/Doha Development Agenda, climate change, terrorism etc.
- Second, trilateral collaboration on concrete areas/projects, through fourteen working groups and six People-to-People Forums, for the common benefit of three countries.
- Third, assisting other developing countries by taking up projects in the latter through IBSA Fund. IBSA’s success demonstrates, most vividly, the desirability and feasibility of South-South cooperation beyond the conventional areas of exchange of experts and training.
Source: PIB
