1. Foreign Ministers of G4 countries - Mr. Mauro Vieira, Foreign Minister of Brazil, Dr. Johann David Wadephul, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India and Mr. Motegi Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan –met in New York on 22 September 2026, on the margins of the 81^st session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

2. The G4 Ministers reviewed the discussions in the Inter-governmental Negotiations (IGN) framework with regard to reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) during the 80^th session of the UN General Assembly. They further discussed the overall state of play in the UN regarding the prospects of UNSC reform. They underlined that, given the increasingly challenging geopolitical environment, UNSC reform is more necessary than ever before.

3. The G4 Ministers noted that the UNSC is currently unable to effectively discharge its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. The representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and efficacy of the UNSC are in question. They assessed that a key underlying reason is an anachronistic eight-decades old architecture, which is not reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities and an impediment to appropriately dealing with contemporary and future challenges that humanity faces with respect to peace and security.

4. Against this backdrop, the G4 Ministers emphasized that it is crucial to implement UNSC reform at the earliest so that the Council is fit-for-purpose, truly reflecting contemporary geopolitical realities. They underscored that expansion of the UNSC in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership is central to such reform and that this position is supported by a majority of Member States. In this context, they reiterated the importance of improving the representation of the underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups, such as Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, in both these categories. They further underlined the importance of increasing participation of under-represented and unrepresented groups and regions, such as Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean, recognizing historical injustices with regard to representation in the Security Council, as well as of enhancing participation of Member States that are contributing significantly to maintaining international peace and security and to the other purposes of the United Nations.

5. The G4 Ministers welcomed the presentation of the reform model of the African Group in the IGN during the 80^th session. They underscored their continuing support for Africa’s compelling case for enhanced representation in the UNSC, including in the permanent category of membership.

6. The G4 Ministers noted that the IGN framework has been largely ineffective in forging any concrete outcomes towards real UNSC reform despite 18 years of activities. They expressed strong concern at the lack of progress during the previous IGN session as well. Specifically, they conveyed their serious reservations against the presentation of a so-called bridging proposal even prior to commencement of text-based negotiations. They regretted that the proposal does not take into account the views of a clear majority of Member States in favour of expansion in both categories of membership. They also recalled that, in accordance with the UN Charter and as reflected in the IGN mandate, consensus is not the benchmark for decision-making on Security Council reform.

7. Moving forward, the G4 will further collaborate and identify synergies with other reform-oriented groups with a view to developing a consolidated model that properly reflects the voice of a majority of Member States and commencing text-based negotiations as a high priority, which is the key to realizing the vision of real and impactful UNSC reform. This is essential to restoring the representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and efficacy of a principal organ of the UN and to strengthening the multilateral system, with the UN at its heart, as a whole. They reiterated that discussions on reform need not be confined to the IGN and expressed their willingness to engage with the wider UN membership on this issue in other forums, including the UN General Assembly.

8. As representatives of democracies that share common political values including a deep and unwavering commitment to multilateralism, to the rule of law and to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and possess the willingness and attested capability to shoulder the UNSC’s primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, the G4 Ministers will continue to coordinate closely in the 81^st session of the UN General Assembly. They entrusted officials on their respective sides to follow up on these discussions and take stock during the next Director General-level meeting in New Delhi.