The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (also known as the Permanent Five, Big Five, or P5) are the five sovereign states to whom the UN Charter of 1945 grants a permanent seat on the UN Security Council: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States.[1][2]
The permanent members were all Allies in World War II (and the victors of that war), and are the five states with the first and most nuclear weapons.[3] All have the power of veto which enables any one of them to prevent the adoption of any "substantive" draft Council resolution, regardless of its level of international support.[4]
The remaining 10 members of the UN Security Council are elected by the General Assembly, giving a total of 15 UN member states on the Security Council, which convenes meetings at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City.
- ^ "United Nations Charter (full text)". United Nations. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ "Security Council Members". United Nations Security Council. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "Table 10.1. World nuclear forces, January 2020", page 326, Chapter 10: "World nuclear forces", Military Spending and Armaments, 2019, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), retrieved March 18, 2023
- ^ [1] WHAT WE DO: THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL Archived 20 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine