Tezzbuzz Desk – A meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan was held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In this meeting of G4 countries, the discussions held under the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) regarding reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) were reviewed. Besides, the possibilities of reform and the current situation in the Security Council were also discussed.
The meeting was attended by Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Germany's Foreign Minister Dr. Johann David Wadefull, India's Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu attended. The G4 countries pushed for increasing membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories in the Security Council.
The G4 said that given the current challenging geopolitical circumstances, UN Security Council reform is more urgent than ever. According to the G4 ministers, the UNSC is not able to effectively discharge its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. Questions were also raised regarding the representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness of the council.
The G4 countries termed the current Security Council system as 80 years old and said it does not adequately reflect today's geopolitical realities. According to him, the current system is also becoming a hindrance in dealing with the present and future challenges related to peace and security. The G4 called for early implementation of Security Council reforms.
According to the G4, expansion of membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories is of utmost importance under UNSC reform. The four countries said that the majority of UN member states support this stance.
The G4 called for increased participation in the Security Council by under-represented or unrepresented regions such as Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Apart from this, emphasis was also laid on increasing the participation of member countries who contribute significantly in maintaining international peace and security.
The G4 welcomed the UNSC reform model presented by the African Group at the IGN during the 80th UNGA session. Also, questions were raised on the speed and progress of the IGN process that has been going on for about 18 years. The G4 also expressed concern over the lack of progress made at the last IGN meeting.
Citing the mandate of the UN Charter and the IGN, the G4 countries said that consensus has not been made a mandatory standard for taking decisions on reform in the Security Council. The G4 also said that negotiations on UNSC reform need not be limited to the IGN process alone.
The four countries said they are democracies and have the willingness and proven capacity to contribute to the UNSC's primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. After the discussion in New York, the next review meeting will now be held in New Delhi, where issues related to UNSC reform will be discussed further.