Interactive Session - India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fellows

PRIA hosted an interactive session on 10 November 2025 with two India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fellows based at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi. Each year, RIS selects a group of IBSA Fellows to undertake collaborative, cross-country research on global development issues.

This year’s fellows — Dr. Koyi Humphrey Mchunu from South Africa and Ms. Nicoli França Rocha from Brazil — conducted comparative studies on key development themes.

During the session, Dr. Mchunu presented on “Reimagining Urban Governance in the Global South: The Persisting Challenge of Eradicating Informal Settlements/Slums.” His research focuses on sustainable urbanisation and community engagement across IBSA countries. Dr. Mchunu is a Lecturer in Town and Regional Planning at the University of KwaZulu Natal, with over 30 years of research experience and publications on urban planning. His study, “Re-imagining the City Critically Towards a Politics of Meaningful Community Engagement,” examines slum rehabilitation frameworks in the Global South and calls for innovative, community-centred approaches to urban governance.

Ms. Rocha presented on “G3 in the G20: Opportunities for IBSA Cooperation in Food Security from the G20 Presidency.” A Master’s student in International Relations at the University of São Paulo, she is currently a Research Fellow at RIS, focusing on India’s South-South cooperation and IBSA’s role in shaping global food security agendas. Her presentation analysed the opportunities created by the consecutive G20 presidencies of India, Brazil, and South Africa (2023–2025), highlighting food security as a key area for deeper IBSA collaboration and enhanced engagement with the Global South.