External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his counterparts from the G4 countries have reviewed the state of negotiations on reforming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), reiterating their commitment to the long-pending goal.
In a post on X after the meeting on Thursday, Jaishankar said the G4 reaffirmed its commitment to UN reforms, including expansion of the Security Council, and assessed the current state of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process.
The meeting was attended by Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Japan’s Takeshi Iwaya, and Germany’s Johann Wadephul. The G4 — comprising India, Brazil, Japan, and Germany — campaigns jointly for UNSC reform, seeking permanent membership for themselves on an expanded Council.
Progress in the negotiations has remained stalled for years, largely due to opposition from a small group of countries blocking the adoption of a negotiating text to set the agenda for discussions. As in previous years since 2009, the UN General Assembly last month once again rolled over the IGN process from the previous session to the current one without resolution.
The G4, however, noted a small sign of movement with the IGN cochairs presenting a revised “Elements Paper” — an updated record of countries’ positions that can help sustain talks.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also remarked on some progress, saying at a recent press conference: “Before, there was a committee that couldn’t even issue papers and the documents would not move from one year to another. Now there is a committee working seriously. So I see movement.”
Reforming the Security Council remains among India’s top diplomatic priorities, with New Delhi seeking a permanent seat. On Wednesday, Jaishankar also convened a joint meeting of the L.69 group — 42 Global South countries advocating UNSC reforms — and the C-10, a coalition of 10 African nations pressing for permanent representation.
–IANS
