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The Group of Four (G4) countries have reiterated their strong support for the ‘Common African Position (CAP)’ as reflected in the ‘Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration’.
A Common African Position (CAP) is the African Union’s (AU) united strategy framework and collective voice for dealing with global challenges, advocating for Africa’s interests, and influencing international discussions.
This position, known as the Ezulwini Consensus, emphasizes Africa’s exclusion from the UN’s permanent membership and advocates for at least two permanent seats on the Security Council.
On September 25, the G4 nations, including India, Brazil, Japan, and Germany, reaffirmed their strong support for the CAP on the fringes of the UN General Assembly session.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and his counterparts from the G4 countries, Mauro Vieira of Brazil, Johann Wadephul of Germany, and Iwaya Takeshi of Japan, held discussions to review the progress and discuss prospects for reform of the UN Security Council.
“A comprehensive reform of the Security Council is in the best interest of all. The G4 Ministers reaffirmed the willingness and capability of the G4 countries, as democracies sharing common political values including respect for the rule of law, full adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and commitment to multilateralism, to shoulder the Security Council’s primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security,” the G4 joint statement added.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session in New York, they also reaffirmed their mutual support for each other’s candidacy for permanent membership in a reformed United Nations (UN) Security Council.
According to the G4 Ministerial joint statement, the Foreign Ministers highlighted the importance of reforming the Security Council as soon as possible, given the increasing instability in the international order and the UN, the center of multilateralism, being increasingly incapable of performing its mandate.
Such reform, it stated, should accurately reflect current geopolitical realities, so increasing its representativeness, legitimacy, efficacy, and efficiency.
“The G4 Ministers underscored that the expansion of the UN Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership is essential to Security Council reform, and that this position is supported by a majority of Member States,” it said.
“The G4 Ministers concurred on the need to enhance the role and participation of developing countries, and those significantly contributing to international peace and security, in the Security Council, in both membership categories,” read the statement
The G4 ministers emphasized the “importance of improving the representation of underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups,” including Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean, in both membership categories.
The G4 ministers urged the international community to fully participate in efforts during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, while also committing to further outreach and working in good faith with the larger UN membership to advance UN Security Council reform as part of a comprehensive UN reform agenda.
Source: IANS
