L.69 Group

International Affairs United Nations

27-Sep-22

L.69 Group

Context: On recognising the weaknesses of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in dealing with global challenges, the L.69 group of countries have committed to instilling "new life" in their efforts towards achieving reform of the UNSC.

The L.69 group is of pro-reform member states, including primarily developing countries from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.
The Group is bound by the firm conviction that expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UNSC is imperative to better reflect contemporary world realities.
Members: The group currently has 42 countries as its members.
India is also the member of the group.

Razali Reform Plan

In 1997, the Razali plan was proposed by the then UN General Assembly president Ismail Razali.
It is a proposal to enlarge the United Nations Security Council from its present 15 members to 24 members.

Under the plan, the UNSC would have

Five new permanent members without veto powers, and
Four more non-permanent members.

Uniting for Consensus

The ‘Uniting for Consensus’ is an informal ‘coffee club’, comprising of 40-odd nations.
These nations together in 1997 to oppose the Razali plan.
It is a loose alliance that was mobilised, chiefly through the efforts of Italy's ambassador to the UN, Francesco Paolo Fulci, and was named "Fulci's coffee club".
It has since become the "coffee club" or the "cappuccino club".
The Coffee club comprises of mostly mid-sized states who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing permanent seats in the UNSC.

Italy and Spain are opposed to Germany's bid for Security Council's permanent membership,

Pakistan is opposed to India's bid,
Argentina is against Brazil's bid,
Australia opposes Japan's.
Canada and South Korea are opposed to developing countries, often dependent on their aid.