India and G4 members seek permanent seats in reformed Security Council

India and other members of the G4 i.e. Brazil, Germany and Japan which which lobbies for Council reforms have decided to mutually support each other’s candidatures for permanent seats on an expanded body. Accordingly they have offered to initially forgo veto powers as permanent members in a reformed Security Council as a bargaining chip to get the reform process moving.

The group rejected suggestions to create a category of longer-term elected members of the Council as a ploy to block adding new permanent members. However, Uniting for Consensus (UfC), a 13-member group that includes Pakistan, opposed expanding permanent membership and suggested instead the creation of a new category of elected membership with longer terms than the current two years.

The G4 also pointed out that the number and allocation of non-permanent seats have outlived their relevance since the UN was formed and the reform in 1965 when the number of non-permanent members was increased from six to 10.