G4 Foreign Ministers express strong concern over stalled UN Security Council reforms after 18 years, calling for wider engagement with UN member states and reform-oriented groups to advance text-based negotiations and improve representation in the Council.
The Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries—India, Brazil, Germany and Japan—have expressed strong concern over the prolonged lack of progress in negotiations aimed at reforming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Meeting in New York on September 22 on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, the ministers said the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process had failed to deliver concrete outcomes despite nearly two decades of discussions. Japan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the four ministers issued a joint ministerial statement following their meeting.
The G4 ministers said the IGN framework had been largely ineffective in producing tangible progress towards comprehensive UNSC reform after 18 years of activity. They also expressed concern over the lack of advancement during the latest IGN session, according to the joint statement.
In response to the prolonged deadlock, the G4 said discussions on Security Council reform should not remain confined exclusively to the IGN framework. The ministers expressed their willingness to broaden engagement with the wider UN membership and take up the issue through other forums and platforms.
The four countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation with other reform-oriented groups. According to their statement, the G4 will work to identify areas of convergence with such groups with the objective of developing a consolidated reform model that reflects the views of a majority of UN member states. The group also called for text-based negotiations to begin as a high priority.
Expansion of the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories remains a central element of the G4 position. The ministers reiterated that representation should be improved for regions and groups that remain underrepresented or unrepresented, including Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
The G4’s position is significant because India, Brazil, Germany and Japan jointly support an expansion of permanent membership and back each other’s aspirations for permanent seats. Their latest meeting therefore focused not only on the stalled negotiating process but also on ways to build broader support for a more representative Council.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar chaired the meeting, which was attended by Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the meeting was held for approximately 45 minutes in New York on September 22 local time.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar said the G4 ministers discussed the need for reformed multilateralism and a Security Council that is more representative, responsive and effective and reflects contemporary global realities. He also said the four countries would continue working together towards the shared objective.
The ministers also raised serious reservations about the emergence of a proposed “bridging proposal” before the commencement of text-based negotiations. The G4 has consistently advocated for the adoption of a negotiating text through the IGN process so that proposals can be discussed systematically and progress can be measured.
The latest G4 position builds on its longstanding advocacy for comprehensive UNSC reform. During earlier UN discussions, the group has repeatedly called for negotiations to move beyond repeated exchanges of national positions and towards a consolidated model and text-based negotiations. UN records show that the G4 has also stressed that expansion should cover both permanent and non-permanent categories.
The ministers additionally welcomed the reform model presented by the African Group during the current UN session and reaffirmed their support for enhanced African representation, including in the permanent category. The G4 has previously coordinated with other reform-oriented groupings, including the L.69 group, on advancing Security Council reform. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has described text-based negotiations and expansion in both membership categories as key elements of its approach to the issue.
The question of African representation has received renewed attention during the UN General Assembly’s high-level discussions. The G4 statement said that greater representation for Africa and other underrepresented regions is necessary to address what it described as historical imbalances in the Council.
The ministers further argued that the Security Council’s difficulties in responding effectively to contemporary international crises demonstrate the need to examine its existing structure. In their view, the Council’s architecture, established eight decades ago, does not adequately reflect current geopolitical realities.
Japan has also reiterated the need for timely reform. Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae told leaders gathered for the high-level General Assembly meeting that the Council needs to be transformed into a structure reflecting present-day realities, according to the statement provided.
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The G4 ministers’ latest decision to expand outreach beyond the traditional IGN process marks another effort by the four countries to build wider support for reform. Their emphasis remains on broader representation, expansion in both membership categories, cooperation with reform-oriented groups and the eventual commencement of text-based negotiations.
