Foreign ministers from the G4 countries—Brazil, Germany, India and Japan—have expressed support for Africa’s demand for greater representation in the United Nations Security Council, including permanent membership.
The ministers made their position known in a joint statement following a meeting in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The G4 comprises Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu.
According to a statement issued by the German Embassy in Abuja, the ministers welcomed the African Group’s reform proposal presented during the 80th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform.
They reiterated their support for Africa’s call for enhanced representation, including permanent membership of the Council.
The G4 argued that the current 15-member Security Council, established about eight decades ago, no longer reflects today’s geopolitical realities.
They said the Council’s representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness were being questioned, adding that its existing structure had become an obstacle to addressing current and future threats to international peace and security.
The ministers called for the expansion of the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories, with particular attention to regions that are currently under-represented or not represented, including Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.
They also acknowledged what they described as historical imbalances in the representation of these regions and called for greater participation by countries that make significant contributions to maintaining international peace and security.
Africa currently has three non-permanent seats on the Security Council but no permanent seat.
The African Union’s Common African Position, based on the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, calls for at least two permanent seats for Africa with the same rights and privileges as existing permanent members, including veto power if it is retained, as well as five non-permanent seats.
The G4 ministers expressed concern over the lack of concrete progress in the Security Council reform negotiations after 18 years of discussions.
They criticised the presentation of what they described as a “bridging proposal” before formal text-based negotiations had begun, saying it did not reflect the position of a clear majority of UN member states supporting expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.
The ministers said the G4 would work with other groups supporting reform to develop a consolidated proposal reflecting the position of the majority of UN member states.
They also said starting text-based negotiations would be a priority in efforts to achieve substantive reform of the Security Council.
The African Union has repeatedly argued that Africa’s lack of permanent representation on the Security Council is a historical imbalance. In May 2026, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf reiterated the continent’s demand for at least two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats.
The G4 countries said they would continue coordinating closely during the 81st UN General Assembly session, with officials from their respective governments tasked with following up on the discussions.
Progress is expected to be reviewed at the next Director General-level meeting in New Delhi.
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