G4 renews push for UN Security Council reform, calls for early text-based negotiations

New York, Sep 24. India, Brazil, Germany and Japan have renewed their call for an early and comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council, arguing that the 15-member body’s eight-decade-old structure no longer reflects contemporary geopolitical realities.

The foreign ministers of the four G4 countries met in New York on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on September 22 to review negotiations on Security Council reform and discuss the prospects for taking the process forward.

The meeting was attended by Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

According to a joint statement issued following the meeting, the ministers reviewed discussions held under the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) framework during the 80th UN General Assembly session and took stock of the broader state of play on Security Council reform.

Against the backdrop of what they described as an increasingly challenging geopolitical environment, the G4 ministers said reform of the Security Council had become more necessary than ever.

They argued that the Council was currently unable to effectively discharge its primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, with questions being raised over its representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness.

According to the G4, a key reason for these shortcomings is the Council’s “anachronistic” structure, which was established eight decades ago and does not adequately reflect present-day geopolitical realities or the challenges facing the international community.

The four countries stressed that reform should be implemented at the earliest to make the Security Council fit for purpose. They reiterated that expansion of the Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories should form the core of the reform process.

The G4 also called for greater representation of regions and groups that remain under-represented or unrepresented, particularly Africa, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean.

They also highlighted the need to recognise historical inequities in Security Council representation and provide greater participation to countries that make significant contributions to maintaining international peace and security and advancing the objectives of the United Nations.

The ministers welcomed the African Group’s presentation of its reform model during the 80th session of the IGN and reiterated their support for Africa’s demand for enhanced representation on the Security Council, including in the permanent category.

The G4 expressed concern over what they described as the limited results achieved through the IGN process despite nearly 18 years of discussions. They also voiced reservations over the lack of progress during the latest round of negotiations and criticised the presentation of a proposed “bridging proposal” before the start of text-based negotiations.

According to the G4, the proposal did not adequately reflect the position of the clear majority of UN member states supporting expansion in both categories of Security Council membership.

The ministers also stressed that consensus should not be treated as the benchmark for decision-making on Security Council reform, citing the UN Charter and the mandate governing the IGN process.

Looking ahead, the G4 said they would work more closely with other groups supporting Security Council reform to identify areas of convergence and develop a consolidated model reflecting the views of the majority of UN member states.

They said launching text-based negotiations should be accorded high priority, describing them as essential for achieving substantive and meaningful reform of the Security Council.

The four countries also said discussions on reform should not be restricted to the IGN framework and expressed their readiness to engage with the wider UN membership through other platforms, including the General Assembly.

The G4 ministers said their countries, as democracies committed to multilateralism, the rule of law and the principles of the UN Charter, would continue coordinating closely during the 81st General Assembly session.

They also entrusted their respective officials to follow up on the discussions, with the progress to be reviewed at the next Director General-level meeting in New Delhi.