Joint statement by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan
at the informal plenary of the intergovernmental negotiations
13 March 2012

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

I have the honor of making a joint introductory statement on behalf of the G4.

Mr. Chairman, you had given us the opportunity in January to introduce in more detail the rational and the content of our initiative, which has come to be known as the “short resolution”. We were encouraged by the strong show of support that the short resolution initiative, and the principles for which it stands, has received during the previous two debates.

We are particularly grateful for the strong support that the initiative has received from the Member States of the L.69 Group. This also shows that the initiative enjoys strong support from a large, diverse, and cross regional group of Member States - big and small, from the developing and the developed world.

Mr. Chairman,

Like numerous other Member States, the members of the L.69 Group share with us the conviction that only a structural reform of the Security Council will ensure that the Council is adequately adapted to effectively meet the challenges of the 21st Century. This structural reform will include at its core the addition of new permanent members and new non-permanent members.

The G4 has always underlined that the Council should be expanded in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, taking into consideration the contributions made by countries to the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as the need for increased representation of developing countries in both categories. On numerous occasions, we have reconfirmed our view that Africa should be represented in the permanent membership in an enlarged Council.

Mr. Chairman,

Like numerous other Member States, the members of the L.69 Group agree with us that to move the reform process forward, we should acknowledge the wide support for two key principles: Firstly, that expansion in membership should be in both categories, permanent and nonpermanent, and secondly, that the working methods of the Council should be improved.

We are convinced that agreement on those two key principles would enable Member States to finally move forward towards real negotiations. We see the short resolution as a vehicle towards this outcome. Let us agree on these principles and then focus on the actual substance and modalities of how to implement this agreement in real negotiations. This is a realistic and resultsdriven approach.

The debates we had so far, and surely the debate of today, prove that a wide coalition of Member States supports expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories and improvement of its working methods.

This is a reality that needs to be acknowledged. It also needs to be adequately reflected in the intergovernmental negotiations. We share the view that such strong support should be considered as the basis for further discussion in the ongoing intergovernmental negotiations to create the momentum needed for real negotiations among Member States on this all-important matter.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman