Statement by H.E. Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa

Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations

On behalf of the G4 Countries

On Agenda Item 119:

The Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Related Matters

 

14 September 2015

 

Thank you Mr. President.

 

I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the G4 countries – Brazil, Germany, India and Japan.

 

We are very satisfied to be here to witness this important landmark decision by consensus. This is not another “business-as-usual” decision.  The Member States have decided to identify the basis of the Intergovernmental Negotiations as the text and its annexes which you, Mr. President, circulated on 31 July this year. It also carries forward the text to the next session of the General Assembly in the 70th anniversary year of the United Nations. It is the first decision in an official United Nations document, as symbolized by the document number “A/69/L.92”. What is most important is the consensus by which the decision is adopted. We would like to first thank all Member States present here to join this membership-driven decision.

 

Mr. President,

 

We are very much aware that none of this could have happened without your strong and consistent leadership to guide the Member States. Let us express our sincere gratitude and respect to you. You have fulfilled your commitment to move forward to text-based negotiations. Our gratitude also goes to the Chair of the IGN, H.E. Ambassador Courtenay Rattray of Jamaica. Under the leadership of the President, the Chair has guided us, in a most transparent and inclusive manner, to the text to which more than 120 Member States contributed. I personally thank him for his patience.

 

 

Mr. President,

 

You have emphasized throughout the current session that an early resumption of the Intergovernmental Negotiation process is necessary and you encouraged us to move the process to text based negotiations. Unfortunately, we have failed to move the process to the text based negotiations. But now that we have set the IGN on an irreversible path, this is what we should in the 70th session.

 

I wish to close my statement by repeating our appreciation for your tireless efforts. Thank you, Mr. President.