Brazil and the UNSC reform

In 1945, when the world reached the end of a conflict that claimed the lives of over 50 million people, the international community created the United Nations, conceiving a multilateral system that has the Security Council as its central body in the treatment of issues related to peace and security.

At the time, there were only 51 UN members. Today, there are 193. In 1945, the UNSC, made up of 11 members, represented 22% of the Organization's composition. Currently, its 15 members represent 7.7% of the total. This outdated governance structure compromises its legitimacy and, consequently, its effectiveness.

Despite the important transformations the world has undergone since then, the structure of the Security Council was changed only once: in 1965, with the increase of non-permanent seats from six to ten. Regions such as Africa and Latin America continue to be excluded from permanent participation in what is the most important body of international community for the issues of peace and security.

In 1963, a large number of African and Asian countries proposed the inclusion of the subject “Question of Equitable Representation on the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council” on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly. An agreement between African, Asian and Latin American countries made it possible to submit a reform proposal for the expansion of the Security Council which should include ten non-permanent members. The permanent members did not view the proposal favorably, arguing that any expansion of the Council should be more modest.

The weight of the African-Asian bloc in the Assembly allowed for the approval of the proposed amendment to the Charter: on December 17, 1963, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 1991 (XVIII), creating four new non-permanent seats. The resolution received 97 votes in favor (Taiwan), 11 against (France and Soviet Union) and 4 abstentions (United States and United Kingdom).

The high political cost of preventing the entry into force of an amendment that had been approved by the majority of Member States of the United Nations and was intended to increase the legitimacy of the Council resulted in its ratification, by the five permanent member, in 1965.

Brazil is of the view that the world cannot forgo a Security Council that is capable of dealing with serious threats to peace in a transparent, efficient, legitimate and effective way. A reformed Security Council must reflect the emergence of new actors, particularly from the developing world, who are able to contribute to overcoming the challenges of the international agenda. The admission of new permanent and non-permanent members, in the context of UNSC expansion, will help to guarantee decisions that effectively respond to contemporary threats and challenges.

The UNSC reform is urgent and must be widely debated, not only by Member States but also by universities, by press, by parliaments and by society in general.

G4

In 2004, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan established the so-called G4. The group advocates for the expansion in the categories of permanent and non-permanent members, including a greater number of developing countries in both categories, in order to better reflect today’s geopolitical realities. Based on the firmly shared recognition that they are legitimate candidates for permanent membership in an expanded Security Council, the four countries support each other's candidatures.

In 2005, the G4 presented to the United Nations a specific Security Council reform draft resolution (A/59/L.64), which would result in a Council expanded to a total of 25 members, with 6 new permanent seats assigned to Africa (2), Asia (2), Western Europe (1), Latin America and the Caribbean (1) and 4 new non-permanent seats to Africa (1), Asia (1), Eastern Europe (1) and Latin America and the Caribbean (1). The G4's proposal also scheduled a review of the reform after 15 years, when it would be considered, inter alia, the question of the veto. Until then, new permanent members would be committed not to make use of the veto in their deliberations in the UNSC.

It is worth mentioning that Brazil is also part of the L.69 Group, which advocates for the expansion of the Security Council in both categories of membership and for the improvement of the body's working methods. The group is comprised of developing countries from various regions, including least-developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States, IBSA member countries (India, Brazil and South Africa), among others.

The expansion in both categories has the support of the large majority of UN Member States and should be reflected in future negotiations. In this context, Brazil has sought to work with its partners to add greater political momentum to the reform process.

Currently, discussions on the subject are focused on the so-called intergovernmental negotiations (IGN). Brazil, together with the G4 and the L69, defends, in this context, the consideration of only one negotiating text, which will explain the positions of countries and groups, and formal records of the sessions held. In 2021, when renewing the mandate of the IGN, an oral decision by the President of the General Assembly reiterated the call of the heads of state and government, during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the UN, to “instil new life” into the reform process.

The role that has been played by Brazil in the international scenario has consolidated the image of a country not only willing, but also able, to perform greater responsibilities in the field of international peace and security. In January 2022, Brazil will begin, for the eleventh time, a two-year mandate as a non-permanent member in the Security Council. It will represent another opportunity to contribute to the strengthening of the body's role in building a world free from the scourge of war, in which peace and international law prevail.