The United States has reiterated its "longstanding support" for India, Japan, and Germany to become permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
This comes amid new proposals by Washington to reform the influential UN body, just days before world leaders converge in New York for the Summit of the Future and the UN General Assembly high-level week.
US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, made the announcement at the Council on Foreign Relations during a talk on the "Future of Multilateralism and UN Reform."
She highlighted that Washington also supports the creation of two permanent seats for African nations on the Security Council, in addition to non-permanent membership for African countries.
Thomas-Greenfield further announced that the US supports the establishment of a new elected seat for Small Island Developing States and is pushing for text-based negotiations to discuss the reforms.
Clarity on support for India, Germany, and Japan
Responding to a question on what this announcement means for Washington's existing support for permanent seats for India, Germany, and Japan, Thomas-Greenfield said: "On the G4, we have expressed our support for Japan and Germany and India. We have not explicitly expressed support for Brazil."
The G4 nations—comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan—support each other's bids for permanent seats on the UNSC.
Emphasising India’s suitability for a permanent seat, she added, “India has the largest population in the world, and we really, really strongly support their being on the Council. And I think there are just no grounds for denying India that, but there will be people who will be opposed to various countries for various reasons. And that’s all going to be part of our negotiation moving forward.”
A senior US administration official, briefing reporters about the new proposals, emphasised that Washington is "not backing away at all" from its support for India, Japan, and Germany for a permanent seat.
"No, not at all. We are not backing away at all from the positions that we’ve staked out publicly," the official said.
The official added that the US President has affirmed that a reformed Council should also include permanent representation for Latin America and the Caribbean, along with other countries the US has long supported, such as Germany, India, and Japan.
“That also, as you stated, does include Germany,” the official confirmed.
However, the official clarified that the US is not proposing a specific number of seats for a reformed Security Council at this time.
“The announcement we’re making today helps to put some meat around the bones of our vision for a reformed Security Council,” the official said, referring to the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on UNSC reform.
"But there are many questions that will need to be addressed between and among Member States, and that ultimately will be fodder for the text-based negotiations that we are calling to start in the context of the IGN process," the official added.
Expanding veto powers not supported
The US official reiterated that Washington does not support expanding veto power to new permanent members, stating: "That position has not changed. We believe that… expanding the veto would lead to only greater deadlock in the Council."
The official acknowledged that while a perfect Security Council may never be achieved, efforts should still be made towards reforms that are "more representative, more credible, and ultimately more effective in addressing the challenges and opportunities that the world faces today."
India has been at the forefront of advocating for the reform of the UNSC, arguing that the 15-member Council, established in 1945, is no longer fit for purpose in the 21st century and fails to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
A divided Security Council has often been ineffective in addressing current peace and security challenges, with member states sharply divided over conflicts such as the Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be among the world leaders attending the "Summit of the Future" at the UN headquarters in New York on September 22-23.
The summit will culminate in the adoption of the "Pact of the Future," aimed at charting a path towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing emerging challenges.
As the UN approaches its 80th anniversary next year, the "Pact of the Future" seeks to reform multilateral institutions to make them more representative and responsive to global challenges.
New US proposals for UNSC reform
The US proposals include not only new permanent seats for African countries but also an elected seat for Small Island Developing States, reflecting a push for a more inclusive Council.
"We’re also standing by the longstanding positions that we’ve had supportive of Germany, India, and Japan, and also supportive of permanent representation for Latin America and the Caribbean," the US official said.
The official underscored that the new proposals are part of Washington's broader vision to make the UNSC more effective and representative, even if it means making concessions to avoid a deadlock in negotiations.
"We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good," the official remarked, stressing the importance of finding a balance that addresses the diverse interests of member states while maintaining the Council's effectiveness.
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