What
is the UNSC?
Under
the United Nations (UN) Charter, the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the
six principal organs of the UN and it has primary responsibility
for the maintenance of international peace and security.
A
total of 15 member states serve on the UNSC, five of which are
permanent members while the remaining 10 members are non-permanent
and are elected to serve two-year terms.
The
UN
Charter tasks the Security Council with the responsibility
to:
-
to
maintain international peace and security;
-
to
investigate any dispute or situation which might lead to international
friction;
-
to
recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms
of settlement;
-
to
determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of
aggression and to recommend what action should be taken;
-
to
call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures
not involving the use of force to prevent or stop aggression;
-
to
take military action against an aggressor.
Chapter
V of the UN
Charter specifically addresses the establishment, functions,
powers
and composition
of the UNSC.
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RELEVANT
UN CHARTER ARTICLES |
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Article 23:
"The Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members
of the United Nations. The Republic of China, France, the Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America shall be
permanent members of the Security Council. The General Assembly
shall elect ten other Members of the United Nations to be non-permanent
members of the Security Council, due regard being specially paid,
in the first instance to the contribution of Members of the United
Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security
and to the other purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable
geographical distribution. The non-permanent members of the Security
Council shall be elected for a term of two years. […] Each
member of the Security Council shall have one representative."
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Article 24:
"In order to ensure prompt and effective action by the
United Nations, its Members confer on the Security Council primary
responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and
security, and agree that in carrying out its duties under this
responsibility the Security Council acts on their behalf. In discharging
these duties the Security Council shall act in accordance with
the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. The specific
powers granted to the Security Council for the discharge of these
duties are laid down in Chapters VI, VII, VIII, and XII. The Security
Council shall submit annual and, when necessary, special reports
to the General Assembly for its consideration."
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