安保理改革に関する政府間交渉（IGN）ロールオーバーに係る国連総会決定に関する山﨑大使のG4ステートメント

Thank you, Madam President.
 
I deliver this statement on behalf of the G4 – Brazil, Germany, India, and my own country, Japan.
 
As has been repeatedly stated, reforming the Security Council is urgently needed to restore trust in the UN as the center of multilateralism.  In this regard, the G4 welcomes the submission of the African model in the current session and expresses its appreciation for the coordination of C10.  In spite of this significant step forward, this IGN did not yield any other substantial outcomes during this landmark 80^th session and has not met the widespread expectations for Security Council reform for yet another year.
 
While recalling that the Elements Paper by the Co-Chairs reflects their own view of the state of discussions in the IGN, is issued under their exclusive responsibility and does not bind delegations, the G4 expresses the following four specific and serious concerns among others.
 
First, with regard to Categories of Membership, it is deeply regrettable that the Elements Paper continues to fail to reflect the undeniable fact that a majority of Member States support the expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.  The G4’s count of the number of Member States that have explicitly expressed support for the expansion of both categories during this 80^th session has reached 119 Member States, which is well beyond the majority threshold of 97. 
 
Second, contrary to the view of the Co-Chairs, as Article 23 of the Charter and eighty years of uninterrupted and unchallenged practice clearly show, there exists no ambiguity surrounding the definition of “permanence”.  In this regard, the so-called “Fixed Regional Seats” cannot be considered as a new category of permanent seats.  Promoting a debate on this subject will not move the process forward, but rather create another contentious point causing additional delay to the start of text-based negotiations.
 
Third, it is misleading to refer to an idea as a “bridging proposal” when it does not account for the views of the majority and has not been officially proposed by any Member State or group.   Proposals by facilitators may serve their purpose during text-based negotiations, not now.
 
Fourth, while the IGN presently has a central role in discussions regarding Security Council reform, its description as an “exclusive” platform is not rooted in any decision taken by Member States.

Madam President,
 
The reformed Security Council must be a more legitimate, representative and effective body capable of addressing the growing perception by the wider public that the Council, a cornerstone of the UN, has been unable to fulfill its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
 
To truly move the reform process forward, the G4 expects that, in the next IGN session, the Co-Chairs will put all their efforts into the development of a consolidated model with accurate representation of the clear facts mentioned above, and finally pave the way for text-based negations.   It is with this sincere hope that the G4 approaches the rollover decision.
 
I thank you.