September 25, 2024
NEW DELHI – The ”Group of Four” countries, which includes India, Germany, Japan, and Brazil, have again called for an urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council through text-based negotiations.
The four countries, which are all claimants for permanent seats in the UNSC, stressed a comprehensive reform of the Security Council as an essential part of any endeavour to make the UN better reflect contemporary geopolitical realities and thus fit for the present and future.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Minister of Germany Annalena Baerbock, Japan Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, and Brazil Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira met Monday on the margins of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the prospects for a reform of the UNSC.
”Glad to join the traditional #G4 Foreign Ministers Meeting along with colleagues@ABaerbock, @Kamikawa_Yoko, and Mauro Vieira in New York today. G4 reaffirmed its commitment for an urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council through Text Based Negotiations,” Mr Jaishankar wrote on X.
The G4 ministers reiterated their call for the expansion of the UN Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, which has been supported by a significant number of member states throughout the negotiation process, in order to increase the Council’s legitimacy and ensure its effectiveness, a statement issued by the four ministers said.
They agreed on the need to enhance the role and participation of developing countries, and those significantly contributing to international peace and security, in the Security Council, in both membership categories. In this vein, they also stressed the importance of an improved representation of under-represented and unrepresented groups and regions, such as Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and the Caribbean, in both membership categories.
The G4 ministers reiterated their support for each other’s candidatures as aspiring new permanent members in a reformed Security Council.