Template for UN Security Council could reflect G20: Lavrov

By Arul Louis
United Nations, April 26 A template for reforming the UN Security Council to meet the new global realities could be something that reflects the G20, says Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

In the multipolar world that is emerging, "there will be a need to initiate Security Council reform", he said on Tuesday at a news conference.

"And possibly, ultimately, this could be something having to do with reflecting the composition of the G20 or something reminiscent of G20," he said.

G20 is the group of developed and emerging economies with 19 countries and the European Union.

Lavrov said that "definitely" the under-representation of the African and Latin American countries in the Security Council has to be "eradicated".

India, Brazil, Japan and Germany, which together form the G4 group that is at the forefront of campaigning for Council reforms while mutually supporting each other for permanent seats, are members of the G20 that is currently headed by India.

Russia backs India and Brazil for permanent seats on a reformed Council.

There are no Latin American or African countries in the ranks of the permanent members of the Security Council, while the only Asian country to enjoy that status is China.

When he suggested a G20 type of format, Lavrov also said that in developing a governing mechanism for a multipolar world "it's wiser to base ourselves on the UN Charter with the understanding that in order to reflect new trends to reflect the realities, there will be a need to initiate Security Council reform".

Lavrov said that the US and the West were against a multipolar world and wanted their dominance to continue.

Although he did not know what shape it would ultimately take, he said that a sign of the emergence of the multipolar world is the recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China.

A joint statement issued during Macron's China visit this month endorsed the idea of a multipolar world and in interviews, he has suggested developing "strategic autonomy" for Europe.