Key Points

A Common African Position (CAP) is the African Union's (AU) unified strategic framework and collective voice for addressing global issues, advocating for Africa's priorities, and influencing international negotiations.

This position, known as the Ezulwini Consensus, highlights Africa's exclusion from the UN's permanent membership, advocating for at least two permanent seats for Africa on the Security Council.

The G4 members, including India, Brazil, Japan, and Germany, reaffirmed their strong support for the CAP on September 25 on the sidelines of the UNGA session.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and his counterparts from the G4 countries, Mauro Vieira of Brazil, Johann Wadephul of Germany, and Iwaya Takeshi of Japan, held discussions to review the progress and discuss prospects for reform of the UN Security Council.

"A comprehensive reform of the Security Council is in the best interest of all. The G4 Ministers reaffirmed the willingness and capability of the G4 countries, as democracies sharing common political values including respect for the rule of law, full adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and commitment to multilateralism, to shoulder the Security Council's primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security," the G4 joint statement added.

They also reiterated their mutual support for each other's bid to permanent membership in a reformed United Nations (UN) Security Council during a meeting on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

According to the G4 Ministerial joint statement, the Foreign Ministers emphasised that, amid increasing instability in the international order and with the UN, the centre of multilateralism, increasingly incapable of fulfilling its role, it is crucial to reform the Security Council at the earliest.

Such reform, it said, should truly reflect the contemporary geopolitical realities, thereby enhancing its representativeness, legitimacy, effectiveness, and efficiency.

"The G4 Ministers underscored that the expansion of the UN Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership is essential to Security Council reform, and that this position is supported by a majority of Member States," it said.

"The G4 Ministers concurred on the need to enhance the role and participation of developing countries, and those significantly contributing to international peace and security, in the Security Council, in both membership categories," read the statement

The G4 ministers reiterated the "importance of improving the representation of the underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups," such as Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, in both membership categories.

The G4 ministers urged the international community to engage wholeheartedly in efforts during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, while committing themselves to further outreach and working in good faith with the wider UN membership to advance UN Security Council reform, as part of a comprehensive UN reform.

- IANS