United Nations: The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund has emerged as a vital vehicle of South-South cooperation, promoting women’s empowerment through development projects. Savitri Thakur, India’s Minister of State for Women and Child Development, described the Fund as a forward-looking initiative supporting over 50 development assistance projects in nearly 40 countries since 2004.

In March, Thakur emphasised the Fund’s role in promoting practical women-led projects, while Sindisiwe Chikunga highlighted its significance amid pressures on multilateralism. “IBSA Fund represents an opportunity for voices of emerging and developing economies to carry equal weight,” she said.

India’s Permanent Representative P Harish noted that empowering women enables their effective contribution to productive economies, while Brazil’s Thalia Barbosa Rodrigues Neves emphasised access to income, education, land, credit, and technology as critical for societal progress. Examples included Ugandan women improving food production, Fijian women adopting health technologies, and female Liberian legislators strengthening governance. The IBSA Fund demonstrates that women-led development is both socially powerful and strategically effective.