G-4 for UN Security Council reform, multilateralism

G-4 for UN Security Council reform, multilateralism

News

1. G-4 countries have reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and called for the early reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Important Facts

2. About G-4:

• The group consists of four countries India, Brazil, Germany and Japan.
• These countries support each other’s bid for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

3. About UNSC:

• It consists of five permanent members and 10 non permanent members.
• Permanent Members: U.S., China, Russia, France, United Kingdom.
• The permanent members have veto power.

4. The G-4 foreign ministers met at the sidelines of 73^rd session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
5. Outcome of the meeting of G-4 members:

• They stressed on the importance of reforms at the UNSC according to the contemporary needs of 21^st
• They called to initiate text-based negotiations to safeguard the legitimacy and credibility of the UNSC.
• The ministers reiterated their support for Africa’s representation in a reformed and expanded Security Council.
• They stressed that substantial progress has not yet been achieved at the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) for the reforms.

6. Germany and Japan contribute one fifth of the UN budget while the four countries together have one fifth of the world population.
7. S. and China have not been very keen on reforms at the UNSC and hence the reform process is lingering.
8. Despite majority of UN member states supporting UNSC reform, the negotiations launched in 2009 have not produced substantive progress over the 10 years.