The United Nations Security Council is the UN body with the main responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Its decisions can include sanctions and authorising peacekeeping missions.
Photo credit: Jdforrester, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Who is on the council?
The council has 15 members. Five are permanent: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The other ten are non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.
The veto
Each of the five permanent members can veto a substantive resolution. A single veto is enough to block it, even if all the other members support it. This is the main reason why the council often struggles to act on disputes involving a permanent member.
Presidency
The presidency rotates every month among the 15 members in English alphabetical order of their names.
Where and since when?
The council is based at the UN headquarters in New York City. It was established in 1945 under the UN Charter and first met on 17 January 1946 in London.
Why is reform discussed?
The permanent membership reflects the world as it was after the Second World War. Several countries, including India, have called for the council to be expanded to better reflect today’s world.
Source: Wikipedia, “United Nations Security Council”. Written by The Popular Story desk.
