UFC and G-4 CLUB

UFC and G-4 CLUB

Subject : International Relations

Context : US President Joe Biden’s pick for the ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on Wednesday did not explicitly commit the support of the new administration for India to be a permanent member of the Security Council.

Concept :

Coffee Club/Uniting for Consensus

• An informal “coffee club”, comprising 40-odd members states, has been instrumental in holding back reforms to the United Nations Security Council.
• Most members of the club are middle-sized states who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing permanent seats in the UN Security Council.
• The prime movers of the club include Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Argentina and Pakistan.
• While Italy and Spain are opposed to Germany’s bid for Security Council’s permanent membership, Pakistan is opposed to India’s bid.
• Similarly, Argentina is against Brazil’s bid and Australia opposes Japan’s.
• Canada and South Korea are opposed to developing countries, often dependent on their aid, wielding more power than them at the UN.

G4 Nations

• The G4 nations comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
• Basis for these demands:
• Each of these four countries have figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN’s establishment.
• Their economic and political influence has grown significantly in the last decades, reaching a scope comparable to the permanent members (P5).

Additional Information

Intergovernmental Negotiations

• IGN is a group of nation-states working within the United Nations to further reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
• The IGN is composed of several different international organizations, namely:

African Union

G4 nations

Uniting for Consensus Group (UfC)

L.69 Group of Developing Countries

Arab League

Caribbean Community (CARICOM).