For the 17th time, the UN General Assembly has deferred discussions on Security Council reforms to the next session, after failing once again to agree on a negotiating text. The Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday to roll over talks on adding new permanent members and restructuring the Council.

Speaking on behalf of the G4 nations – India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan – Japan’s UN representative Iriya Takayuki warned that the UN’s credibility is at risk. “Reform of the Council is urgently needed, not only to strengthen the UN but also to preserve international order,” he said.

The G4 supports expanding permanent membership and has long demanded text-based negotiations. However, the process, known as Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN), has been stalled since 2009 by the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group led by Italy, which includes Pakistan.

General Assembly President Philomen Yang’s spokesperson, Sharon Birch, said the IGN made “real progress” this session, citing momentum from the Pact of the Future adopted last year. Despite this, the Council remains locked in a post-World War II structure, with five permanent members – the US, UK, France, Russia, and China – holding veto powers.

The Security Council last expanded in 1968, when four non-permanent seats were added, raising its membership to 15. Since then, the UN has grown to 193 members, yet permanent representation has remained unchanged.