United Nations Security Council

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was established in 1946 as one of the six principal organs of the UN. It is generally viewed as the apex of the UN system.
It is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions.
It is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.

UNSC consists of 15 Members.
The council has five permanent members (P-5) United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom and France.
These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolutions, including those on the admission of new member states.
The Security Council also has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis as follows:
- five for African and Asian States;
- one for Eastern European States;
- two for the Latin American and Caribbean States; and
- two for Western European and other States.
Each year the 193-member UN General Assembly (UNGA) elects five non-permanent members for a two-year term.
The body’s presidency rotates monthly among its members.

Each member of the Security Council shall have one vote.
Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members.
Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members.
However, any member, whether permanent or nonpermanent, must abstain from voting in any decision concerning the peaceful settlement of a dispute to which it is a party.

India officially began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council along with Norway, Mexico, Ireland and Kenya.
On 17 June, 2020, India was elected to the UN Security Council with 184 of the total 192 votes.
A member country needs a two-third majority of votes in the General Assembly to become a non-permanent member. This is the eighth time India has been elected as a non-permanent member.
India will be the UNSC President in August 2021 and will preside over the Council again for a month in 2022. The presidency of the Council is held by each of the members in turn for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the member states’ names.

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