Joint Press Statement on Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries -Brazil, Germany, India and Japan – on United Nations Security Council Reform (New York, September 25, 2018)

1. On 25 September 2018, H.E. Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs of India hosted H.E. Mr. Aloysio Nunes Ferreira, Foreign Minister of Brazil, H.E. Mr. Heiko Maas, Federal Foreign Minister of Germany, and H.E. Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan at a meeting of the G-4 countries, during the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

2. The G-4 Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism. G-4 Ministers stressed that adapting the United Nations to the contemporary needs of the 21st century necessarily required reforming the Security Council. They stressed the need to safeguard the legitimacy and credibility of this UN organ which deals with international peace and security. 

3. The G-4 Ministers reviewed progress towards this goal at the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) and discussed pathways to reform of the United Nations Security Council. In this context, they noted with concern that next year would mark 40 years since the inscription of the item "Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council” on the agenda of the General Assembly in 1979 and yet substantial progress had not yet been achieved. They recalled the 2005 World Summit where all the Heads of State and Government had unanimously supported the "early reform” of the Security Council as an essential element of the overall effort to reform the United Nations. Despite an overwhelming majority of UN member states supporting Security Council reform, the IGN has not produced substantive progress over the 10 years since its launch in 2009. The G4 Ministers emphasized the need to revitalize process of the Security Council reform, and they tasked their respective officials to consider the way forward to advance the reform. 

4. The G4 Ministers reaffirmed the need for an early reform of the Council including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership to enhance its legitimacy, effectiveness and representativeness. The Ministers agreed that the current composition of the Council does not reflect the changed global realities and they stressed that Security Council reform is essential to address today’s complex challenges. As aspiring new permanent members of a reformed Council, the Ministers reiterated their commitment to work to strengthen the functioning of the UN and the global multilateral order as well as their support for each other’s candidatures. 

5. The Ministers expressed their appreciation for the efforts by H.E. Dr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd session of the General Assembly towards enhancing continuity and credibility of the IGN process. In this regard they appreciated the work of the Co-Chairs of the Intergovernmental Negotiations of the 72nd session of the General Assembly, including the finalization of the "Revised Elements of Commonality and Issues for Further Consideration” paper as an outcome of the work done by all Member States in the last IGN session. 

6. The G 4 welcomed the commitment of H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd session of the General Assembly, to the ongoing reform process and expressed their readiness to extend full support for H.E. Ms Espinosa with a view to launching negotiations based on a text comprising all positions and proposals by Member States. 

7. The Ministers welcomed the compendium published by the L.69 compiling 25 years of deliberations on the issue of Security Council Reform. They agreed that all aspects of comprehensive reform had been thoroughly discussed several times in the IGN and General Assembly. Therefore, the Ministers stressed that it was time to finally initiate text-based negotiations during the 73rd session of the General Assembly, in line with standard operating procedures of the UN General Assembly. 

8. They reiterated their commitment to working with other Member States to realize the shared vision of the overwhelming majority supporting the initiation of text-based negotiations in a democratic and transparent manner. In this regard, the Ministers recalled the rules and procedures of the General Assembly and reiterated that the General Assembly takes its decisions in a spirit of compromise and through the methods laid out in the UN Charter. 

9. The Ministers emphasized that the G 4 will intensify dialogue with other Member States, especially the like-minded countries and groups to achieve meaningful progress in the upcoming IGN session. In this regard, they expressed support for reflecting the African Common Position as contained in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration in text-based negotiations on Security Council reform in the 73rd session. The Ministers reiterated their support for Africa’s representation in both the permanent and non-permanent membership of a reformed and expanded Security Council. 

10. The Ministers expressed determination to redouble their efforts towards securing concrete outcomes during the 73rd session of the General Assembly. 

New York
September 25, 2018