France's Envoy To UN Extends Support To India For Permanent G4 Candidacy

The Permanent Representative of France to the UN, Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere, extended support for the candidacy of the G4 countries -- India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, stressing that France is in favour of a reform of the UNSC.

Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere further supported the strengthened participation of African countries as permanent and non-permanent members of the UNSC.

"France is in favor of a reform of the UN Security Council to make it more representative of today's world. We support the candidacy of G4 as permanent members, and a strengthened participation of African countries as permanent and non-permanent members," Ambassador Riviere posted on social media X.

Earlier today, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while speaking at the Nikkei Forum in Japan, highlighted that if the most populous countries in the world and some of the biggest resource providers for the UN are kept out, it is not good for the United Nations Security Council.

He emphasised the need for the realization to give India and Japan the kind of seats or positions they deserve in the council.

"If the most populous countries in the world are kept out, or if some of the biggest resource providers for the UN are kept out, that's not good for the organization. So we want that realization to really grow," he said.

EAM Jaishankar stressed that most of us actually understand that there is a great need to reform the United Nations because, when the United Nations was founded, there were roughly 50 countries that were members. Meanwhile, today, there are almost 200 countries that are members.

He further said that today, on many of the key issues in the world, the UN is not playing the role that it should be playing.

He added that these discussions are going on. However, in many ways, the discussions have not progressed because those who are opposed to any change have found ways of delaying it.

In September last year, the Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries met on the margins of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and discussed the reformation of the UN Security Council.

The ministers underscored that multilateralism is under significant strain due to multiple and complex crises. Moreover, they concurred that the UN Security Council's inability to effectively and timely address contemporary global challenges reinforces the urgent need for its comprehensive reform so that it better reflects contemporary geopolitical realities.

They further reiterated that the expansion of the UNSC into both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership is essential to making the body more representative, legitimate, effective and efficient.