Summit
11 September 2006
Brasilia - South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will on
Tuesday, 12 September 2006 join her counterparts from Brazil and India, Foreign
Ministers Celso Amorim and Manmoham Singh respectively, in the
India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Foreign Ministers meeting in Brasilia.
The Foreign Ministers' meeting forms part of preparations for the
forthcoming IBSA Summit which will be attended by President Thabo Mbeki,
President Lula da Silva and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, scheduled for
Wednesday, 13 September.
This historic Summit is the culmination of three Ministerial Trilateral
Joint Commission meetings that have taken place in New Delhi (2004), Cape Town
(2005) and Rio de Janeiro (2006), respectively under the leadership of the
respective Foreign Ministers including Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
Minister Dlamini Zuma is part of President Mbeki's delegation which includes
Ministers Mandisi Mpahlwa, Buyelwa Sonjica and Jeff Radebe, Foreign Affairs
Director-General Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba and a large business delegation. Since its
formation in 2003, IBSA has become instrumental in promoting closer
coordination on global issues between South Africa, India and Brazil as three
large economies with a distinct cultures, non-racial, democratic yet developing
countries.
The main objectives of the IBSA Summit are:
* to deepen South-South dialogue and cooperation within the IBSA context
* to intensify and enhance coordinated positions on issues of international
importance
* to promote the combination of the collective strengths of the three IBSA
countries into complimentary synergies to the benefit of all three
regions
* to further consolidate the three continents' Southern regions on all
levels
* to further promote trade and investment opportunities and the development of
new markets
* to take stock of achievements so far in terms of the broad range of IBSA
cooperation areas that would lead to technology, information and skills
transfers, social development, poverty alleviation, job creation etc
* to conclude Trilateral Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding on Transport,
Agriculture, Energy, ICT and Trade Facilitation
* to issue a Joint Declaration between the three IBSA Heads of State/Government
after concluding the Summit.
IBSA Business Summit
An important South African Business Delegation will also participate in an
IBSA Business Summit scheduled for Tuesday 12 September 2006.
The Business Summit will focus their discussions on:
* an overview of Trade and Investment Opportunities in IBSA countries
* a Comparative Study of the Investment Climate in IBSA countries
* focus areas: Innovation and Technological Development; infrastructure;
energy; agricultural industry, transportation; information and communications
technology (ICT); banking and finance.
IBSA Academic Seminar
Prominent South African academics will participate in a parallel IBSA
Academic Seminar on 12 September 2006 during which they will discuss:
* science/technology/innovation and economic co-operation
* public policies and social development
* democracy and cultural diversity.
A number of agreements are expected to be signed including Trilateral
Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding on:
* Renewable Energies (bio-fuels)
* Trade Facilitation for Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity
Assessment
* Maritime Transportation
* Co-operation in Agriculture and Allied Fields
* Co-operation in the Information Society
Areas of trilateral co-operation that would receive special prominence
during the IBSA Summit discussions are:
* energy
* transport
* climate change
IBSA has a number of Sectoral Working Groups in other areas such as:
agriculture; culture; defence, education; health; the information society;
science and technology; social development; trade and investment and tourism
while other specialised sectoral working groups are under consideration.
The following IBSA funded projects - as part of poverty alleviation and
enhancing South-South cooperation - are currently underway via the IBSA
Facility Fund that is administered by the United Nations Development Fund's
(UNDP) South-South Unit in New York:
* Africa: Guinea-Bissau (development of agriculture and cattle farming)
* Latin-America: Haiti (collection of solid waste: a tool to reduce violence
and conflicts in Carrefour Feuilles)
* Asia: Laos (The proposed project has not reached implementation stage)
* A project of possible support to the Palestine National Authority is also
under consideration.
Bilateral trade statistics:
South Africa - Brazil (SA Rand)
2003
SA Exports to: 1 338 188 000
SA imports from: 5 343 996 000
Total trade: 6 682 184 000
2004
SA Exports to: 1 562 499 000
SA imports from: 6 413 675 000
Total trade: 7 976 174 000
2005
SA Exports to: 2 034 310 000
SA imports from: 8 341 326 000
Total trade: 10 375 636 000
2006
SA Exports to: 1 228 673 000
SA imports from: 3 984 405 000
Total trade: 5 213 078 000
South Africa - India (SA Rand)
2003
SA Exports to: 3 350 322 000
SA imports from: 3 126 148 000
Total trade: 6 476 470 000
2004
SA Exports to: 3 713 043 000
SA imports from: 4 547 261 000
Total trade: 8 260 304 000
2005
SA Exports to: 7 393 783 000
SA imports from: 7 029 784 000
Total trade: 14 423 567 000
2006
SA Exports to: 2 344 718 000
SA imports from: 3 899 165 000
Total trade: 6 243 883 000
2006: Period January to June 2006
Source: Department of Trade and Industry
Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
11 September 2006
