. . The Security Council Under the UN Charter the Security Council has the responsibility to maintain international peace and security. Unlike the General Assembly which has regular meetings, the Security Council does not have such meetings and can be convened at any time whenever there is a threat to international peace.
Member States are obligated to carry out the decision of the Security Council which are legally binding. When a threat to peace is brought to the Council, it generally asks the conflicting parties to reach an agreement by peaceful means and if fighting breaks out, the council tries to secure a ceasefire through negotiations, economic sanctions or by authorizing the use of force which will be carried out by a willing member of the UN. The Council would also decide on peacekeeping operations to build lasting peace. The Security Council has fifteen members which includes five permanent members (P- ).
The other ten members are elected by the General Assembly on rotation basis for a period of two years. In order to pass a resolution in the Security Council nine out of fifteen votes is required. However, if any one of the P- Members votes ‘No’, often referred as Veto, the resolution does not pass. There are at present, proposals to include more permanent members into the Council and these proposals are under discussion by the Member States of the UN.