Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN)
Context: India seeks a permanent seat in group. It reinstate that Inclusive reforms must for UNSC to be effective
- India has said that the UN Security Council is finding itself unable to act effectively to address increasingly complex issues of international peace and security as it lacked inclusivity of those who need to be members of the powerful organ of the world body.
- India, along with Brazil, Japan and Germany (G4 nations) are pressing for urgent reform of the UN Security Council and for a permanent seat in the reformed 15-member top organ of the world body.
Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN)
- It has been nearly 13 years since the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) started.
- The Intergovernmental Negotiations framework or 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:
- The African Union;
- The G4 nations;
- The Uniting for Consensus Group (UfC), also known as the "Coffee Club"
- The L.69 Group of Developing Countries;
- The Arab League; and
- The Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Uniting for Consensus (UfC)
- Uniting for Consensus (UfC) is a movement, nicknamed the Coffee Club, that developed in the 1990s in opposition to the possible expansion of permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council.
- Under the leadership of Italy, it aims to counter the bids for permanent seats proposed by G4 nations (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan).
- An informal "coffee club", comprising 40-odd members states, mostly middle-sized states who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing permanent seats, has been instrumental in holding back reforms to the United Nations Security Council over the past six years.
- 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.
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