What Is the UN Security Council? Members, the Veto and How It Works
The UN Security Council is the United Nations body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It is the only UN organ whose decisions member states are legally obligated to carry out, and it can impose sanctions, authorize peacekeeping missions and, in extreme cases, approve the use of force. This explainer covers how the UN Security Council works, who sits on it, how the veto operates, and why the Council so often makes headlines during wars and crises.
What Is the UN Security Council?
The Security Council was created by the UN Charter in 1945, alongside the General Assembly, the Secretariat, the International Court of Justice and other main organs. Under Article 24 of the Charter, UN members give the Council “primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
Under Article 25, UN member states agree to “accept and carry out” the Council’s decisions. That binding quality is what separates the Security Council from the 193-member General Assembly, whose resolutions are generally recommendations.
Who Sits on the Security Council?
The Council has 15 members: five permanent members and ten elected members who serve two-year terms. It was enlarged from 11 to 15 members by a Charter amendment that took effect in 1965.
The five permanent members (P5)
- China
- France
- Russia (which holds the seat originally assigned to the Soviet Union)
- United Kingdom
- United States
The ten elected members
The General Assembly elects five non-permanent members each year, by secret ballot, for two-year terms. A candidate needs a two-thirds majority of members present and voting, and seats are divided among regional groups (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe and Others). Retiring members cannot be immediately re-elected.
| Term | Elected members |
|---|---|
| 2025–2026 | Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, Somalia |
| 2026–2027 | Bahrain, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia, Liberia |
| 2027–2028 (elected June 2026) | Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Zimbabwe |
Sources: Anadolu Agency (2025 election); A News (June 3, 2026 election). The 2027–2028 members take their seats on Jan. 1, 2027, replacing Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia.
The Council presidency rotates every month among the 15 members in English alphabetical order. The president chairs meetings and helps set the monthly program of work.
How UN Security Council Voting Works
Each member has one vote. Under Article 27 of the Charter:
- Procedural matters (such as adopting an agenda) need nine “yes” votes out of 15. The veto does not apply.
- Substantive matters (such as sanctions or peacekeeping mandates) need nine “yes” votes and no “no” vote from any of the five permanent members.
What is the veto?
The “veto” is the term commonly used for a negative vote by a permanent member on a substantive resolution. A single P5 “no” blocks adoption, even if the other 14 members vote in favor. By long-standing Council practice, an abstention by a permanent member does not count as a veto, so a resolution can pass if a P5 member abstains.
Since 2022, a veto also triggers a response in the General Assembly. General Assembly resolution 76/262, adopted in April 2022 and often called the “veto initiative,” requires the Assembly’s president to convene a formal meeting within 10 working days of a veto so that all UN members can debate the situation.
What Powers Does the Security Council Have?
The Charter gives the Council a ladder of tools, laid out mainly in Chapters VI and VII:
| Charter section | What it covers | Examples of tools |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter VI — Pacific Settlement of Disputes | Disputes that could endanger peace | Calling on parties to negotiate, investigating disputes, recommending terms of settlement |
| Chapter VII — Threats to the Peace and Acts of Aggression | Situations the Council determines are threats to peace, breaches of peace or aggression | Article 41 measures not involving force (sanctions, arms embargoes, travel bans, cutting communications); Article 42 action by air, sea or land forces |
| Other Charter roles | Institutional decisions | Recommending the Secretary-General’s appointment to the General Assembly; recommending new UN members; electing International Court of Justice judges together with the Assembly |
The Council also creates and renews UN peacekeeping operations and sanctions regimes, typically with mandates that must be extended periodically. Article 51 of the Charter separately preserves a state’s “inherent right of individual or collective self-defence” if an armed attack occurs, until the Council has taken measures to maintain peace.
Why the Security Council Often Seems Deadlocked
Because any of the five permanent members can block a substantive resolution, the Council tends to act decisively only when the P5 broadly agree. When a conflict directly involves a permanent member or one of its close partners, draft resolutions are frequently vetoed or never put to a vote. That is why many high-profile crises end up in General Assembly debates, emergency sessions or regional organizations instead.
For background on how this plays out in practice, see our coverage of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports, the Black Sea drone attack off Bulgaria, and our explainer on the Strait of Hormuz.
The Debate Over Security Council Reform
Reform of the Council has been discussed at the UN for decades, including through intergovernmental negotiations in the General Assembly. Recurring proposals include:
- Adding permanent and/or elected seats to reflect today’s 193-member UN rather than the 51 founding members of 1945
- Greater representation for Africa, Latin America and Asia
- Limiting or voluntarily restraining use of the veto, especially in cases of mass atrocities
- Improving the Council’s working methods and transparency
Any change to the Council’s size or the veto requires amending the Charter, which under Article 108 needs approval by two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN members, including all five permanent members. That high bar is the main reason reform proposals have not advanced.
UN Security Council: Quick FAQ
How many members are on the UN Security Council?
Fifteen: five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US) and ten elected members serving two-year terms.
Are Security Council resolutions legally binding?
Decisions the Council takes are binding on UN member states under Article 25 of the Charter. Whether specific language in a resolution creates binding obligations depends on how it is worded; measures adopted under Chapter VII are generally treated as binding.
Can the General Assembly override a veto?
No. The General Assembly can debate a vetoed issue and pass its own resolutions, but those are generally recommendations and do not replace a Security Council decision.
Where does the Security Council meet?
Usually at UN Headquarters in New York. The Charter requires it to be organized so it can function continuously, so each member must always have a representative available.
Where can I follow the Council’s work?
The UN publishes meeting coverage at press.un.org, and the independent nonprofit Security Council Report publishes monthly forecasts of the Council’s agenda.
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This explainer is based on the text of the UN Charter and UN General Assembly records. Descriptions of reform proposals summarize positions discussed among UN member states and are not endorsements or forecasts.
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