By Ankit Panda
The leaders of the G4 will be back together for the first time in more than 10 years.
What do Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan have in common? Though geographically disparate, each of these states seeks permanent membership on the United Nations Security Council and has the economic and political heft to make its bid not entirely unrealistic. Additionally, each member of this so-called G4 group of states supports each other’s bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council. This week, on the sidelines of the 70th United Nations General Assembly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will convene the group for the first time in more than ten years at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will be in attendance.
Security Council reform has been a tricky topic for the United Nations. Though most member states agree that the UNSC is anachronistic in its representation, to a degree, there is no consensus about how to proceed with adding new members. Each of the members of the G4 have a wide range of support, with a few notable exceptions. For example, India’s permanent seat bid is opposed by Pakistan and China has appeared lukewarm to the idea at best. Japan’s bid is opposed by China. Germany’s bid encounters some opposition from within the European Union itself, where member states have argued for common EU representation on the UNSC. Brazil’s bid, while it would grant Latin America representation at the UNSC, faces opposition from its neighbors, who don’t trust Brasilia to represent the best interests of the entire region.
Read the full story at The Diplomat