India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, the G4 countries, for the first time held a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference 2026 in Germany. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted a photo of his meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Brazilian FM Mauro Vieira and Japanese FM Toshimitsu Motegi.&nbsp;"A G-4 meeting of India, Germany, Japan and Brazil to discuss reformed multilateralism. Held on the sidelines of the @MunSecConf for the first time," EAM Jaishankar wrote on X.<h2>Background and objective of G4</h2>The alliance, formalised in the lead-up to the 2005 World Summit, marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, aims to push for comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), specifically expanding its permanent and non-permanent members to include new members, reflecting 21st-century geopolitical realities. The core objectives of the group are to support each other's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and to reinforce the Council's legitimacy by including major powers from Asia (India and Japan), Europe (Germany), and South America (Brazil). The group aims to make the council more representative and effective in handling modern conflicts.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lok-sabha-speaker-om-birla-to-attend-tarique-rahman-s-swearing-in-as-bangladesh-prime-minister-1771145600722">Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to attend Tarique Rahman's swearing-in as Bangladesh Prime Minister</a>&nbsp;Following the meeting in Munich, the Group pointed at slow progress of intergovernmental negotiations, and called for formal text-based negotiation with defined timelines.&nbsp;It also urged meaningful reform in the world body ahead of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations to prevent it from becoming obsolete. The G4 expressed its continued support for the Common African Position aimed at ensuring permanent African representation to rectify historic imbalances.<h2>Where does G4 Nations stand</h2>The G4 nations challenge the 1945 status quo by highlighting the geopolitical realities of 2026. After the Second World War, the victorious powers, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China, became the P5, securing veto power in the UN Security Council.&nbsp;Today, the global balance of power has shifted significantly. India, the world’s most populous nation, and Brazil represent major regions that still lack permanent representation on the Council.&nbsp;Economically, Germany, India, and Japan rank among the world’s top five economies and contribute substantially to the United Nations. Militarily, India and Japan ranked fourth and seventh globally. India also contributes more peacekeepers to UN missions than all P5 members combined.

The core objectives of the group are to support each other's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and to reinforce the Council's legitimacy by including major powers.

India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, the G4 countries, for the first time held a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference 2026 in Germany. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted a photo of his meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Brazilian FM Mauro Vieira and Japanese FM Toshimitsu Motegi. "A G-4 meeting of India, Germany, Japan and Brazil to discuss reformed multilateralism. Held on the sidelines of the @MunSecConf for the first time," EAM Jaishankar wrote on X. Background and objective of G4 The alliance, formalised in the lead-up to the 2005 World Summit, marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, aims to push for comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), specifically expanding its permanent and non-permanent members to include new members, reflecting 21st-century geopolitical realities. The core objectives of the group are to support each other's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and to reinforce the Council's legitimacy by including major powers from Asia (India and Japan), Europe (Germany), and South America (Brazil). The group aims to make the council more representative and effective in handling modern conflicts. Also Read: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to attend Tarique Rahman's swearing-in as Bangladesh Prime Minister Following the meeting in Munich, the Group pointed at slow progress of intergovernmental negotiations, and called for formal text-based negotiation with defined timelines. It also urged meaningful reform in the world body ahead of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations to prevent it from becoming obsolete. The G4 expressed its continued support for the Common African Position aimed at ensuring permanent African representation to rectify historic imbalances. Where does G4 Nations stand The G4 nations challenge the 1945 status quo by highlighting the geopolitical realities of 2026. After the Second World War, the victorious powers, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China, became the P5, securing veto power in the UN Security Council. Today, the global balance of power has shifted significantly. India, the world’s most populous nation, and Brazil represent major regions that still lack permanent representation on the Council. Economically, Germany, India, and Japan rank among the world’s top five economies and contribute substantially to the United Nations. Militarily, India and Japan ranked fourth and seventh globally. India also contributes more peacekeepers to UN missions than all P5 members combined.

The core objectives of the group are to support each other's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and to reinforce the Council's legitimacy by including major powers.

India, Germany, Japan and Brazil convene G4 meeting: What is the grouping about?

India and the G4 nations voiced concern over the lack of substantive progress in the long-pending Security Council reform, saying it is time to finally initiate text-based negotiations to safeguard the legitimacy and credibility of the powerful UN organ.

The G4 nations, India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, have been calling for the reform of the UN Security Council, and support each others' bids for the permanent seats in the top UN body.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hosted her counterparts Aloysio Nunes Ferreira of Brazil, Heiko Maas of Germany and Taro Kono of Japan at a meeting of the G4 nations held Tuesday at India's Permanent Mission to the UN on the margins of the 73rd session of the General Assembly.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the four nations reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism.

"It was time to finally initiate text-based negotiations during the 73rd session of the General Assembly" in line with the standard operating procedures of the UN General Assembly, the ministers said.

They 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," the statement said.

The G4 Ministers reaffirmed the need for an early reform of the Council including the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership to enhance its legitimacy, effectiveness and representativeness.

They said that the current composition of the 15-nation Council does not reflect the changed global realities and stressed that the UNSC reform is essential to address today's complex challenges.

The ministers reiterated their support for Africa's representation in both categories of membership in a reformed and expanded Security Council.

"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," it said.

Reviewing progress on the UNSC reform at the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN), they said substantial progress had not yet been achieved even though 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.

"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 statement said adding that the ministers emphasised the need to revitalise process of the Security Council reform.

The four leaders welcomed the commitment of President of the 73rd session of the General Assembly Mar?a Fernanda Espinosa Garces to the reform process and expressed their readiness to extend full support to her with a view to launching negotiations based on a text comprising all positions and proposals by the member states.

The ministers agreed that all aspects of the comprehensive reform had been thoroughly discussed several times in the IGN and the General Assembly.

They reiterated their commitment to working with other member states to realise the shared vision of the overwhelming majority supporting the initiation of text-based negotiations in a democratic and transparent manner.

The G4 will intensify dialogue with other member states, especially like-minded countries and groups to achieve meaningful progress in the upcoming IGN session, the four ministers said, adding that they are determined to redouble their efforts towards securing concrete outcomes on the UNSC reform during the current session of the General Assembly.

India and the G4 nations voiced concern over the lack of substantive progress in the long-pending Security Council reform, saying it is time to finally initiate text-based negotiations to safeguard the legitimacy and credibility of the powerful UN organ.

India and the G4 nations voiced concern over the lack of substantive progress in the long-pending Security Council reform, saying it is time to finally initiate text-based negotiations to safeguard the legitimacy and credibility of the powerful UN organ. The G4 nations, India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, have been calling for the reform of the UN Security Council, and support each others' bids for the permanent seats in the top UN body. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hosted her counterparts Aloysio Nunes Ferreira of Brazil, Heiko Maas of Germany and Taro Kono of Japan at a meeting of the G4 nations held Tuesday at India's Permanent Mission to the UN on the margins of the 73rd session of the General Assembly. In a joint statement after the meeting, the four nations reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism. "It was time to finally initiate text-based negotiations during the 73rd session of the General Assembly" in line with the standard operating procedures of the UN General Assembly, the ministers said. They 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," the statement said. The G4 Ministers reaffirmed the need for an early reform of the Council including the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership to enhance its legitimacy, effectiveness and representativeness. They said that the current composition of the 15-nation Council does not reflect the changed global realities and stressed that the UNSC reform is essential to address today's complex challenges. The ministers reiterated their support for Africa's representation in both categories of membership in a reformed and expanded Security Council. "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," it said. Reviewing progress on the UNSC reform at the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN), they said substantial progress had not yet been achieved even though 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. "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 statement said adding that the ministers emphasised the need to revitalise process of the Security Council reform. The four leaders welcomed the commitment of President of the 73rd session of the General Assembly Mar?a Fernanda Espinosa Garces to the reform process and expressed their readiness to extend full support to her with a view to launching negotiations based on a text comprising all positions and proposals by the member states. The ministers agreed that all aspects of the comprehensive reform had been thoroughly discussed several times in the IGN and the General Assembly. They reiterated their commitment to working with other member states to realise the shared vision of the overwhelming majority supporting the initiation of text-based negotiations in a democratic and transparent manner. The G4 will intensify dialogue with other member states, especially like-minded countries and groups to achieve meaningful progress in the upcoming IGN session, the four ministers said, adding that they are determined to redouble their efforts towards securing concrete outcomes on the UNSC reform during the current session of the General Assembly.

India, G4 nations voice concern over lack of progress in long-pending UN Security Council reform

India and other G4 members -- Brazil, Germany, and Japan -- have offered to forgo veto powers initially if they are made permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The G4 group -- formed to support each other&rsquo;s bids for permanent seats on the UNSC -- has made the offer as a bargaining chip to get the reform process moving, agencies reported.

&quot;The issue of veto is important, but we should not allow it to have a veto over the process of Council reform itself,&quot; said India&#39;s Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin on behalf of the G4 at the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Council reforms.

Akbaruddin said that in principle, the new permanent members would have veto powers that the current five have but they would not exercise them &quot;until a decision on the matter had been has been taken during a review&quot;.

The G4 nations are regularly elected to two-year terms as non-permanent members on the UNSC by their respective regional groups.

The G4 said the allocation of non-permanent seats had outlived their relevance since the UN was formed and its subsequent reform in 1965 when the number of non-permanent members was increased from six to 10.

Italy&#39;s Permanent Representative Sebastiano Cardi opposed the addition of permanent members and instead suggested creating a new category of elected membership with longer terms than the current two years.

G4, which lobbies for Council reforms on an expanded body, rejected the suggestions as a ploy to block adding new permanent members.

Syed Akbaruddin said expanding the non-permanent categories would only worsen the imbalance of influence in the Council and reinforce an outdated set-up.

Cardi made the proposal on behalf of Uniting for Consensus (UfC), a 13-member group that includes Pakistan and has been blocking the reform process since decades.

The UfC had suggested adding 11 seats to the Council, with nine of them having longer terms.

Deriding the UfC proposal as &quot;old hat&quot;, Akbaruddin cited the the 1944 Dumbarton Oaks conference in Washington which had rejected suggestions for the longer-term Council membership.

He said any proposal for reforms without expanding the number of permanent membership would do injustice to Africa&#39;s aspirations for equality.

The five permanent members with veto powers at the UNSC are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.&nbsp;

Akbaruddin said that the 53 members of the Asia-Pacific group had only two elected seats on the UNSC while the 26-member Western Europe group also had the same number. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

India and other G4 countries have made the offer as a bargaining chip to get the reform process moving

India and other G4 members -- Brazil, Germany, and Japan -- have offered to forgo veto powers initially if they are made permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The G4 group -- formed to support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the UNSC -- has made the offer as a bargaining chip to get the reform process moving, agencies reported. "The issue of veto is important, but we should not allow it to have a veto over the process of Council reform itself," said India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin on behalf of the G4 at the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Council reforms. Akbaruddin said that in principle, the new permanent members would have veto powers that the current five have but they would not exercise them "until a decision on the matter had been has been taken during a review". The G4 nations are regularly elected to two-year terms as non-permanent members on the UNSC by their respective regional groups. The G4 said the allocation of non-permanent seats had outlived their relevance since the UN was formed and its subsequent reform in 1965 when the number of non-permanent members was increased from six to 10. Italy's Permanent Representative Sebastiano Cardi opposed the addition of permanent members and instead suggested creating a new category of elected membership with longer terms than the current two years. G4, which lobbies for Council reforms on an expanded body, rejected the suggestions as a ploy to block adding new permanent members. Syed Akbaruddin said expanding the non-permanent categories would only worsen the imbalance of influence in the Council and reinforce an outdated set-up. Cardi made the proposal on behalf of Uniting for Consensus (UfC), a 13-member group that includes Pakistan and has been blocking the reform process since decades. The UfC had suggested adding 11 seats to the Council, with nine of them having longer terms. Deriding the UfC proposal as "old hat", Akbaruddin cited the the 1944 Dumbarton Oaks conference in Washington which had rejected suggestions for the longer-term Council membership. He said any proposal for reforms without expanding the number of permanent membership would do injustice to Africa's aspirations for equality. The five permanent members with veto powers at the UNSC are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Akbaruddin said that the 53 members of the Asia-Pacific group had only two elected seats on the UNSC while the 26-member Western Europe group also had the same number. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India offers to forego veto powers initially to become permanent member of UNSC

India, along with other G-4 countries, has called for reflecting the convergences that have emerged so far on issues, including Veto, in the inter-governmental parleys on Security Council reform. 
 
In a statement on behalf of the G4 countries, India&#39;s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, said that a large number of member-states, including the G4, called for incorporation of elements of convergence achieved so far on all five key issues, including the question of Veto, categories of membership and regional representation in a consolidated and streamlined text. 
 
Other G-4 nations are Brazil,Germany and Japan. 
 
&quot;The G-4 would like to reiterate its call for reflecting the convergences that have emerged so far and also to include in the elements paper the divergent positions in the other three key areas,&quot; Akbaruddin said at the Informal Meeting of the General Assembly on the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform here yesterday. 
 
He said the elements paper could complement the framework document and its annex in forming a concrete basis for text based negotiations in the next session of the IGN. 
 
The G-4 has also called for submission of proposals and positions to the framework document and its annex circulated by the letter of President of the 69th session of the General Assembly dated July 2015 by those Groups/Member- States who have not yet submitted their proposals. 
 
&quot;We would like to encourage them again to do so and make positive contributions to the process. Our Group remains open to discuss all options,&quot; he said. 
 
During the last informal IGN meeting in May, Akbaruddin on behalf of the G4 had decried the &quot;out of date&quot; structure of the UN Security Council, saying the problem of &quot;imbalance of influence&quot; in the Council cannot be corrected if only non-permanent members are added to the powerful UN body as part of its reform. Expansion in both categories is essential to achieve equilibrium that reflects current global realities, he said. 
 
The G-4 had called for a consolidated and shortened negotiating text reflecting the convergences and delineated divergent positions that had emerged so far. 
 
On the key issue of regional representation, the G-4 had said it is &quot;untenable&quot; that entire continents such as Africa are not represented or under-represented in the permanent category of the Security Council. 
 
Outlining the G-4&#39;s position on the issue of categories of membership, Akbaruddin had said in the May meeting that it is evident from the positions submitted in the text circulated by former UNGA President in July 2015 that an overwhelming majority of member states support expansion in both categories. 
 
In all, 129 member states out of a total 152 or about around 85 per cent support expansion in both categories. 
 
He had urged the IGN chair to consolidate the names of those in favour of the expansion as well as those proposing additions of 5-6 countries in the permanent category. 
 
(PTI)

India, along with other G-4 countries, has called for reflecting convergences on UN reforms

India, along with other G-4 countries, has called for reflecting the convergences that have emerged so far on issues, including Veto, in the inter-governmental parleys on Security Council reform. In a statement on behalf of the G4 countries, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, said that a large number of member-states, including the G4, called for incorporation of elements of convergence achieved so far on all five key issues, including the question of Veto, categories of membership and regional representation in a consolidated and streamlined text. Other G-4 nations are Brazil,Germany and Japan. "The G-4 would like to reiterate its call for reflecting the convergences that have emerged so far and also to include in the elements paper the divergent positions in the other three key areas," Akbaruddin said at the Informal Meeting of the General Assembly on the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform here yesterday. He said the elements paper could complement the framework document and its annex in forming a concrete basis for text based negotiations in the next session of the IGN. The G-4 has also called for submission of proposals and positions to the framework document and its annex circulated by the letter of President of the 69th session of the General Assembly dated July 2015 by those Groups/Member- States who have not yet submitted their proposals. "We would like to encourage them again to do so and make positive contributions to the process. Our Group remains open to discuss all options," he said. During the last informal IGN meeting in May, Akbaruddin on behalf of the G4 had decried the "out of date" structure of the UN Security Council, saying the problem of "imbalance of influence" in the Council cannot be corrected if only non-permanent members are added to the powerful UN body as part of its reform. Expansion in both categories is essential to achieve equilibrium that reflects current global realities, he said. The G-4 had called for a consolidated and shortened negotiating text reflecting the convergences and delineated divergent positions that had emerged so far. On the key issue of regional representation, the G-4 had said it is "untenable" that entire continents such as Africa are not represented or under-represented in the permanent category of the Security Council. Outlining the G-4's position on the issue of categories of membership, Akbaruddin had said in the May meeting that it is evident from the positions submitted in the text circulated by former UNGA President in July 2015 that an overwhelming majority of member states support expansion in both categories. In all, 129 member states out of a total 152 or about around 85 per cent support expansion in both categories. He had urged the IGN chair to consolidate the names of those in favour of the expansion as well as those proposing additions of 5-6 countries in the permanent category. (PTI)

G4 nations call for reflecting convergences on UN reforms

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India, Germany, Japan and Brazil convene G4 meeting: What is the grouping about?

India, G4 nations voice concern over lack of progress in long-pending UN Security Council reform

India offers to forego veto powers initially to become permanent member of UNSC

G4 nations call for reflecting convergences on UN reforms