(From left) Brazil Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira; German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas; Sushma Swaraj; and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.PTI  

India and other Group-4 (G-4) countries reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and called for the early reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday.

Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump pilloried multilateralism in this address to the UN General Assembly, Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Japan and Germany — Aloysio Nunes Ferreira, Taro Kono and Heiko Maas, respectively — were hosted by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for the G-4 meeting. “The G-4 Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism. G-4 Ministers stressed that adapting the UN to the contemporary needs of the 21st century necessarily required reforming the Security Council,” the group said in a statement.

American disinterest

Given the American disinterest in the UN and other multilateral bodies, China, one of the five permanent members of the UNSC, has slowed down the move to expand the body, according to diplomats tracking the process. The U.S. has no active opposition to the demand of these four countries to be included as permanent members of the UNSC, but the Trump administration has taken a benign approach to the proposed reform.

In his speech, Mr. Trump attacked the UN Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court.

“America is governed by Americans. We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism,” Mr. Trump said in the speech that made sweeping accusations against multilateral institutions.

G-4 Ministers noted that despite an overwhelming majority of UN member states supporting Security Council reform, the negotiations launched in 2009 have not produced substantive progress over the 10 years.

“The G-4 Ministers emphasised the need to revitalise process of the Security Council reform, and they tasked their respective officials to consider the way forward to advance the reform,” the statement said.

While there is no active American support for reform, Mr. Trump’s call for other countries to step up and share the responsibility of managing the UN might support the reform, even in the face of active Chinese opposition, according to an official.

Germany and Japan contribute one-fifth of the UN budget while the four countries together have one-fifth of the world population.

Changed realities

The Ministers agreed that the “current composition of the UNSC does not reflect the changed global realities and they stressed that Security Council reform is essential to address today’s complex challenges.”

They “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”, the statement said.

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