The 15 member body has five permanent members and ten rotating seats elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term.
Each country holds the Presidency of the Council for one month, alternating in an alphabetical order.
Each Council member has one vote. Decisions on procedural matters are made by an affirmative vote of at least nine of the 15 members. Decisions on substantive matters require nine votes, including the concurring votes of all five permanent members. This is the rule of "great Power unanimity", often referred to as the "veto" power.
Under the Charter, all Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council. While other organs of the United Nations make recommendations to Governments, the Council alone has the power to take decisions which Member States are obligated under the Charter to carry out.
The Council is composed of five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, and ten non-permament members, elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
The current non-permanent members are:
2006-2008: Belgium, Indonesia, South Africa, Burkina Faso and Panama
2007-2009: Italy, Viet Nam, Costa Rica, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Croatia
Norway was among the elected members who served from January 2001 to December 2002.