India, Brazil, Germany, Japan seek UNSC expansion

UNITED NATIONS - India, Brazil, Germany and Japan (collectively known as G4 nations) have reiterated the need for urgent reform of the Security Council, including expansion of permanent and non-permanent membership, to make it more responsive to 21st century realities.

The call was made after a meeting Friday of the foreign ministers of G4 countries, including Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, on the margins of the UN General Assembly, to exchange views on Security Council reform.

The ministers also sought an “improvement in the Council’s working methods, in order to render the body more representative, legitimate, effective and responsive to the realities of the international community in the 21st century,” the group said in a joint press statement.

The group noted with satisfaction the overwhelming support among member states for expansion of both categories of

membership in the Security Council, including developing and developed countries.

While reiterating their support for each other’s candidatures as aspiring new permanent members, they reconfirmed their view of the importance of Africa to be represented in permanent membership, in an enlarged Council. They also reconfirmed the need for additional non-permanent members.

The Ministers welcomed the commencement of negotiations based on the text requested by more than 140 Member States in the 64th session of the General Assembly, the statement said.

They also expressed satisfaction with General Assembly decision 64/568 to immediately continue intergovernmental negotiations on the basis of the second revision of the universally requested negotiation text, in the informal plenary of the 65th session of General Assembly.

They also committed themselves to continue to participate actively in these negotiations, with a view to achieving concrete results on Security Council reform during the current session.

The G4 countries reaffirmed their readiness to reach out to other countries and to work in close cooperation with them towards this goal, the joint statement said.