UNSC reforms a necessity, not an option: PM Modi at IBSA meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the reform of the UN Security Council was no longer an option, but a necessity and asserted that the India-Brazil-South Africa troika should send a clear message for changes to institutions of global governance.Addressing the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) leaders summit Johannesburg, Modi said at a time when the world appears fragmented and divided, IBSA can provide a message of unity, cooperation, and humanity.  The meeting was chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. 
Calling the interaction “timely,” the Prime Minister noted that it coincided with the first G20 Summit being held on African soil and came at the conclusion of four consecutive G20 presidencies led by Global South nations—three of which were held by IBSA members. He said this continuity helped push forward human-centric development, sustainable growth and efforts toward multilateral reform.
PM Modi described IBSA as more than a trilateral grouping, saying it connects three continents, three major democracies and three key global economies. Stressing that current global governance structures no longer reflect 21st-century realities, the Prime Minister called on IBSA countries to send a clear message that comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council has become imperative. On counter-terrorism, he called for enhanced coordination among IBSA members and cautioned that there should be “no double standards” in the global fight against terrorism.
Highlighting India’s success with digital platforms, PM Modi proposed the creation of an ‘IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance’ to enable sharing of Digital Public Infrastructure such as UPI, CoWIN-like health systems, cybersecurity frameworks and women-led technology initiatives. He also said IBSA could play a pivotal role in shaping global norms for safe, trustworthy and human-centric artificial intelligence, and invited IBSA leaders to the AI Impact Summit scheduled to be held in India next year.