Without reforms, UNSC 'ill-equipped' to address global challenges: G4 nations

G4 countries advocate for UN Security Council reform to address lack of representation and enhance global peace.

A reform of the U.N. Security Council that does not address the lack of representation, particularly in the permanent category, would only “exacerbate” the current imbalances in its composition and render it “ill-equipped” to address current global challenges, India has said on behalf of the G4 countries.

“Recent global geopolitical events have clearly shown that the U.N. Security Council is unable to deliver on its primary responsibilities to safeguard international peace and security when the world needs it the most,” Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the U.N. Ambassador R. Ravindra said on Monday (August 12, 2024).

He was delivering a statement on behalf of the G4 countries – Brazil, Germany, Japan and India – at the UNSC High-Level Debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Addressing the Historical Injustice and enhancing Africa’s effective representation in the UNSC’.

The realities of 1945, when the Council was established, have long been superseded by current geopolitical realities, with the need for change being felt across the board, Mr. Ravindra said ahead of next month’s annual high-level U.N. General Assembly session which world leaders will attend.

He noted that for the G4, the primary reason for the underperformance of the critical U.N. Security Council remains the non-representation of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the under-representation of Asia Pacific in the permanent category.

“It is the G4’s firm belief, shared we believe by Africa and other groups, that any reform of the Council that does not address the lack of representation, particularly in the permanent category, would only exacerbate the current imbalances in the Council’s composition and render it ill-equipped to address Monday‘s (August 12, 2024) international challenges,” he said.

The 15-nation UNSC comprises five permanent, veto-wielding members – China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. – and 10 non-permanent members, without veto powers, who are elected for two-year terms.