Reforms would enable the Security Council to better deal with the ever-complex and evolving challenges, they said

The Foreign Ministers of G4 nations have underlined the urgency of reforming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in order to make it more legitimate, effective and representative.

Meeting during the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries - Brazil, Germany, India and Japan - reaffirmed that it is indispensable to reform the Security Council through an expansion of both categories - permanent and non-permanent seats.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister of Brazil Carlos Alberto Franco França, Federal Foreign Minister of Germany Heiko Maas, Minister for External Affairs of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Motegi Toshimitsu.

Reforms would enable the Security Council to better deal with the ever-complex and evolving challenges to the maintenance of international peace and security, and thereby to carry out its duties more effectively, they said, according to a press release issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

In this context, the Ministers expressed their strong support to the Common African Position (CAP) as enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.

The G4 Ministers reiterated their support for each other’s candidatures as aspiring new permanent members in a reformed Security Council, the MEA said.

Reviewing the work of the 75th session of the UNGA, the G4 Ministers welcomed that the Assembly reflected in its Decision 75/569 the commitment of all Heads of State and Government to "instil new life in the discussions on the reform of the Security Council”, as mentioned in the Declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (A/RES/75/1).

In this context, the Ministers also welcomed the readiness of the UN Secretary-General to provide necessary support, as expressed in his report "Our Common Agenda” of 10th September 2021.

The Ministers further welcomed that the Elements Paper prepared by the Co-Chairs of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) has evolved, with partial attributions of the positions and proposals of Member States, the MEA release said.

The G4 Ministers also expressed their strong determination to work towards launching text-based negotiations without further delay in the IGN, on the basis of a single document, with a view to its adoption in the General Assembly.

The Ministers instructed, to this end, their delegations to the United Nations to support the efforts of the President of the 76th General Assembly and the Chair(s) of the IGN, and to identify ways to develop a single consolidated text as a basis for a draft resolution.

According to the MEA, the Ministers decided to intensify dialogue with all interested Member States, including other reform-minded countries and groups, in order to seek concrete outcomes in a definite time-frame.