Stories
G4 Nations Demand Urgent UNSC Reform, Push for Permanent Seats for More Countries
- •India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan (G4) call for an early overhaul of the UN Security Council, stating its current structure is anachronistic and hinders effective response to global conflicts.
- •The G4 ministers met in New York on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session, chaired by India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
- •They argue the UNSC's "representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and efficacy" are in question, demanding expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories to reflect current international order.
- •The G4 criticized the 18-year-long Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) framework as "largely ineffective" and called for text-based negotiations to commence as a high priority.
- •The grouping reiterated support for Africa's demand for enhanced representation on the Security Council, including in the permanent category, and plans to work towards a consolidated reform model.
Key Questions Answered
The G4 grouping, consisting of India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan, has called for an urgent overhaul of the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities, demanding the expansion of the Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories. They argue that the current eight-decade-old structure is anachronistic and harms the body's ability to maintain international peace and security.
The foreign ministers criticized the Intergovernmental Negotiations framework for being largely ineffective after 18 years of discussions without producing concrete outcomes. They also expressed concerns over a bridging proposal introduced before text-based negotiations began, stating it failed to reflect the clear majority of member states supporting expansion in both categories.
Four Central European countries comprising the Visegrad Group (V4)—Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—expressed collective support for India's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. During their first V4-India meeting in New York, the group backed India as an upcoming superpower of the Global South and the Indo-Pacific.
