The United Nations Security Council is the UN body with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
It has 15 members. Five are permanent: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ten other members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
The council can discuss conflicts, call for ceasefires, impose sanctions, establish peacekeeping operations, authorise certain uses of force and create investigative or monitoring mechanisms.
One feature makes it especially powerful and controversial: the veto. On substantive decisions, any one of the five permanent members can block adoption by casting a negative vote. This means a proposal can have broad support and still fail.
Not every Security Council meeting produces a binding decision. Members may hold debates, hear briefings or issue statements without adopting a resolution.
When the council does adopt a binding decision under the UN Charter, member states agree to carry it out. This distinguishes the council from many other UN bodies whose resolutions are often recommendations rather than enforceable obligations.
The veto also means geopolitical rivalry can prevent action, especially when a permanent member or close ally is directly involved in a dispute.
A useful way to read Security Council news is to separate four things: a meeting, a statement, a resolution and an enforcement measure. They are not the same.
A briefing by a government, company or UN official may influence debate, but it does not itself create international law. The legal and political effect depends on what the council actually adopts.