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The G4 member states are: |
The G4 is an alliance among Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan for the purpose of supporting each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. Unlike the G8 (formerly known as G7), where the common denominator is the economy and long-term political motives, the G4's primary aim is the permanent member seats on the UN Security Council. However, the G4's bid is often opposed by certain countries (see below).[1]
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The UN currently has five permanent members with veto powers in the Security Council: the People's Republic of China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The G4 nations are regularly elected to two-year terms on the Security Council by their respective groups: in the 24-year period from 1987 to 2010, Japan was elected for five terms, Brazil for five terms, Germany for four terms and India for two terms.[2]
According to the IMF, by 2015 all nine economies with the highest GDP in the world will be either members of G4 or the UN Permanent Council.
There has been discontent among the present permanent members regarding the inclusion of controversial nations or countries not supported by them. For instance, Japan's bid is heavily opposed by the People's Republic of China, who believes that Japan needs to atone further for its war crimes in World War II. At the same time Japan finds strong support from the United States[3] and the United Kingdom.[4]
Countries that strongly oppose the G4 countries' bids have formed the Uniting for Consensus movement, or the Coffee Club. The leaders of this group are Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Argentina and Pakistan.[5] In East Asia, both China and South Korea heavily oppose Japan's bid. In Latin America, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico are opposing a seat for Brazil. In South Asia, Pakistan is opposing India's bid. Also important are historical political animosities toward Japan and Germany whose governments were implicated in several crimes against humanity during the Second World War.
The G4 suggested that two African nations, in addition to themselves, be included in the enlarged UNSC. In several conferences during the summer of 2005, the African Union was unable to agree on two nominees: Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa all lay claim to a permanent African UNSC seat.[6][7]
A UN General Assembly in September 2005 marked the 60th anniversary of the UN and the members were to decide on a number of necessary reforms—including the enlarged SC. However the unwillingness to find a negotiable position stopped even the most urgent reforms; the September 2005 General Assembly was a setback for the UN.
The G4 retain their goal of permanent UNSC membership for all four nations (plus two African nations). In January 2006, Japan announced it would not support putting the G4 resolution back on the table, not to interfere with any effort by the African Union to unite behind a single plan. And meanwhile, Japan's continuing relations with the G4 were not mutually exclusive.[8][9]
G4 issued joint statement in Feb 12 2011, in which their foreign ministers agreed to seek concrete outcome in the current session of the UN General Assembly.[10]
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