G-4 countries call for more representative, effective UNSC

Permanent representatives of India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan to the United Nations on Friday called for a more representative, legitimate and effective Security Council which was reflective of the current geo-political realities.

Directors general on United Nations Affairs and permanent representatives met here and discussed the developments on the Security Council reform agenda at the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) in moving towards text-based negotiations.

A joint statement issued after the meeting said that the G-4 members reiterated their commitments as aspiring new permanent members of the reformed UN Security Council, as well as their support for each other's candidatures.

"They expressed full support to the chair of the IGN in the 70th General Assembly Session in her important role of facilitating a concrete outcome of the process," it said, adding that the meeting emphasised the G-4 resolve to work together with all member states, including within the IGN process, and to accelerate outreach towards achieving an early and meaningful reform of the council.

"The G-4 meeting emphasized the core message that a more representative, legitimate and effective Security Council which is reflective of the current geo-political realities is needed more than ever to better address global conflicts and crises," the statement said.

"They also reaffirmed their view of the importance of developing countries, in particular from Africa, to be represented in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of an enlarged council," the statement added.

The next meeting of the directors general will be held in Japan in June 2016. The previous such meeting had taken place in Brasilia on July 10, 2015.