UN Security Council


To this day, the UN Security Council (UNSC) power structure reflects the political dynamics of 1945. The five principal nations that were victorious in World War II – the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and France – remain the only ‘permanent’ members of the Security Council, and the only ones to have the power to ‘veto’ any Council decision.


Although member states agreed to increase the number of elected members in 1965 from six to ten, there is a growing clamour to further increase the number of seats in the Council. Countries, such as Japan (who is the second largest contributor to the UN budget), Germany (the third largest contributor) and India (the world’s most populous democracy) have sought permanent seats on the council. However, although there is a general consensus on the need for additional Security Council members, there are deep divisions over how best to achieve this.