Updated: 1 September 2026
UN Security Council: Members, Selection, Veto, Powers and Functions
The United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. Under Article 24 of the UN Charter, Member States confer on it primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Security Council membership in 2026
| Category | Members | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent members | China; France; Russian Federation; United Kingdom; United States | Permanent |
| Elected members ending 2026 | Denmark; Greece; Pakistan; Panama; Somalia | 1 Jan 2025-31 Dec 2026 |
| Elected members ending 2027 | Bahrain; Colombia; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Latvia; Liberia | 1 Jan 2026-31 Dec 2027 |
Five newly elected members - Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe - were elected by the General Assembly in June 2026 to serve during 2027-2028. They will replace the five elected members whose terms expire at the end of 2026.
How non-permanent members are elected
Article 23 provides for ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly. In choosing them, due regard is paid specially to their contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the United Nations, as well as to equitable geographical distribution.
Each elected member serves a two-year term. A retiring member is not eligible for immediate re-election. Election in the General Assembly requires the applicable two-thirds majority.
Voting, veto and abstention
Under Article 27, each Security Council member has one vote. Procedural decisions require nine affirmative votes. Decisions on other matters require nine affirmative votes including the concurring votes of the permanent members, subject to the Charter's provisions.
Procedural matters
Require nine affirmative votes. The permanent-member veto does not apply to procedural decisions.
Substantive matters
Require nine affirmative votes and no negative vote by a permanent member. A permanent member's negative vote blocks adoption.
Abstention
A permanent member's abstention is not treated as a veto. A draft may still be adopted if it receives nine affirmative votes.
Party to a dispute
Article 27(3) provides that, in decisions under Chapter VI and Article 52(3), a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting.
The expression "veto" is not itself used in the Charter. It is the practical name given to the effect of a permanent member casting a negative vote on a non-procedural draft decision.
Main powers and functions of the Security Council
International peace and security
Has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security and acts on behalf of UN Members in carrying out that responsibility.
Investigation and peaceful settlement
May investigate disputes or situations, recommend procedures or methods of adjustment and encourage peaceful settlement.
Sanctions and enforcement
May impose sanctions and other non-force measures and, where Charter conditions are met, authorize measures involving armed force.
Peace operations
Establishes and mandates peacekeeping and political operations through Security Council decisions within the UN Charter framework.
Membership and Secretary-General
Recommends admission of new UN Members and recommends to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-General.
International Court of Justice
Together with the General Assembly, independently elects judges of the International Court of Justice.
Article 25 is particularly important: UN Member States agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the Charter.
Chapter VI: Pacific settlement of disputes
Chapter VI, principally Articles 33-38, concerns peaceful settlement. Parties to disputes that may endanger international peace and security are expected first to seek solutions through negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, regional arrangements or other peaceful means.
The Security Council may investigate a dispute or situation, call on parties to settle peacefully and recommend appropriate procedures, methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. Chapter VI is primarily recommendation-oriented and should not be confused with the coercive enforcement powers in Chapter VII.
Chapter VII: Threats to peace, breaches of peace and aggression
Under Article 39, the Security Council determines the existence of a threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression and decides or recommends what measures should be taken to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Article 40
The Council may call upon parties to comply with provisional measures before making recommendations or deciding on measures.
Article 41
Allows measures not involving armed force, including economic and diplomatic measures and other sanctions specified by the Council.
Article 42
If Article 41 measures would be inadequate or have proved inadequate, the Council may take action by air, sea or land forces as necessary to maintain or restore peace and security.
Member cooperation
Member States have Charter obligations concerning implementation of Council decisions and may be called upon to contribute to measures adopted by the Council.
It is therefore inaccurate to describe military action as an automatic "last step" in a fixed statutory sequence. The Council's response depends on its Charter authority, the resolution adopted and the circumstances before it.
Security Council subsidiary bodies
Under Article 29, the Security Council may establish subsidiary organs as it considers necessary. These have included sanctions committees, counter-terrorism bodies, working groups, peacekeeping operations, political missions and international criminal tribunals.
Historically, the Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). These tribunals have completed their principal mandates, with residual functions handled through the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. The ICTR should not be described as an "International Criminal Court for Rwanda."
Security Council presidency
The presidency rotates each calendar month among Council members in the English alphabetical order of their names. The President presides over formal meetings and carries out functions under the Council's Provisional Rules of Procedure and established practice. The presidency does not give the presiding State an additional vote or an independent power to override the Council.
Official United Nations sources
For authoritative current information refer to Current Members, Functions and Powers, Voting System, Security Council Presidency and UN Charter Chapter V.
Note: elected membership and the monthly presidency change over time. This page reflects official United Nations information available as of 1 September 2026.