JAISHANKAR ATTENDS G4 FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEET; MEMBERS CONCERNED OVER SLOW PACE OF UNSC REFORMS

Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met his German, Brazil and Japanese counterparts for a meeting between the foreign ministers of the Group of Four (G4) countries.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, her Brazilian counterpart Carlos Alberto Franco Franca and Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi attended the meeting with Jaishankar.

They met on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss issues related to reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The joint statement released by the four ministers also called for the expansion of the UN Security Council to ensure inclusivity and effectiveness.

“The G4 Ministers reiterated that expansion of the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership is essential to make the body more representative, legitimate and effective,” the ministers said in the joint statement.

They also said that developing countries should also have a say and there is a need for enhanced role and presence of those nations.

The minister expressed concern and highlighted the lack of meaningful progress in the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council (SC) reform.

They said they were determined towards commencing text-based negotiations without further delay in the IGN. They said the UNSC is unable to effectively address new challenges.

They also released a joint statement where they pointed out that UNSC reforms be undertaken urgently due to ongoing conflicts and also due to increasingly complex and interconnected global challenges.

The foreign ministers pointed out that the reforms should be implemented urgently so that the UNSC can better reflect contemporary geopolitical realities and appear more effective when it comes to solving global challenges.

“ The G4 Ministers assessed that today’s conflicts around the globe as well as increasingly complex and interconnected global challenges have brought to the forefront the urgency of reforming the United Nations and updating its main decision-making bodies,”

“They agreed that the inability of the Security Council to effectively address these challenges vividly demonstrates the urgent need for UN Security Council reform in order to better reflect contemporary geopolitical realities, and to enhance its effectiveness and the legitimacy and implementation of its decisions,” they further added.

The ministers also said that the IGN is ‘constrained by a lack of openness and transparency’. They said there were ‘concerted attempts to stall this process’.

They also batted for the Common African Position (CAP) and emphasized that African nations need representation in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of a reformed and expanded Security Council and called for dialogue with all pro-reform Member States.