Group of Four (G4) countries

Topic: Multilateral Groupings

Why in the news?

• With the United Nations (UN) approaching its 80th anniversary next year, the Group of Four (G4) countries called for urgent reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC). Other plurilateral groupings, such as the L69 and C-10 also echoed these calls. 
• The G4 meeting, held on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the Foreign Minister level, reviewed progress made on these reforms. In a joint statement , the External Affairs Minister and his G4 counterparts noted the “significant challenges” to the multilateral system, centered around the UN, as they welcomed the urgent call for reform at the UN’s ‘Summit of the Future’ held earlier this week. 

Source: The Hindu 

About Group of Four (G4) countries:

• It is a coalition of four nations: India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan seeking permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council. 
• It was formed in 2005.
• The G4 countries are economically influential and significantly contribute to international peace and security, which they believe justifies their inclusion as permanent members of the UNSC.
• Key objectives of the G4 include:
  • Expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories of UNSC membership, allowing for more equitable representation.
  • Securing permanent membership for themselves, while supporting reforms that would also enhance the representation of Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America in the Council.
  • Addressing the stagnation in the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process on Security Council reform and pushing for the start of text-based negotiations to expedite the reform process.