The Brazilian government is confident that the project proposed by the G4 (a group of countries formed by Brazil, Germany, Japan, and India) for reforming the UN Security Council will be approved.
“We are confident we will have a large majority in favor of this text,” said Ambassador José Vallim Guerreiro, of the Ministry of Foreign Relations’ Department of International Organs.
The G4 proposal calls for the inclusion of six additional countries as permanent members of the Council: two African countries (still to be determined) and the four members of the G4.
It also suggests expanding the number of temporary Council members from 10 to 14. The Council is currently composed of five permanent members (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China) and ten temporary members, for a total of 15 countries.
The chief task of the UN Security Council is to maintain world peace and security. Among its other powers, the Council can authorize the use of force to settle controversies between countries.
All of the Council’s decisions must be approved by at least 9 of its 15 members. A negative vote by just one of its permanent members, however, is sufficient to defeat a motion.
In the G4 proposal, the new permanent members would renounce this veto power for 15 years. At the end of this period, a new round of negotiations would be initiated to reconsider the question.
In order for the G4 proposal to be adopted, the text must first receive ayes from two-thirds of the 192 member countries of the UN General Assembly, that is, 128 votes in favor. This vote, according to Ambassador Guerreiro, should take place in July.
If the Assembly approves the new Security Council model, with its new members, the G4 proposal will be transformed into an amendment to the UN Charter.
But, for the Charter to be altered, the amendment must be approved by the parliaments of two-thirds of the member countries of the General Assembly and the parliaments of all the permanent members of the Security Council.
According to Ambassador Guerreiro, among the five permanent members of the Security Council, the G4 proposal has the support of France, and there are indications that the United Kingdom and Russia might back it.
ABr – www.radiobras.gov.br