United Nations Security Council resolution A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council ; the UN body charged with " primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security " . The UN Charter specifies ( in Article 27 ) that a draft resolution on non - procedural matters is adopted if nine or more of the fifteen Council members vote for the resolution , and if it is not vetoed by any of the five permanent members . Draft resolutions on " procedural matters " can be adopted on the basis of an affirmative vote by any nine Council members . The five permanent members are the People ' s Republic of China ( which replaced the Republic of China in 1971 ) , France , the Russian Federation ( which replaced the defunct Soviet Union in 1991 ) , the United Kingdom , and the United States . Terms and functions mentioned in the UN Charter . The term " resolution " does not appear in the text of the United Nations Charter . It contains numerous formulations , such as " decision " or " recommendation " , which imply the adoption of resolutions which do not specify the method to be used . The UN Charter is a multilateral treaty . It is the constitutional document that distributes powers and functions among the various UN organs . It authorizes the Security Council to take action on behalf of the members , and to make decisions and recommendations . The Charter mentions neither binding nor non - binding resolutions . The International Court of Justice ( ICJ ) advisory opinion in the 1949 " Reparations " case indicated that the United Nations Organization had both explicit and implied powers . The Court cited Articles 104 and 2 ( 5 ) of the Charter , and noted that the members had granted the Organization the necessary legal authority to exercise its functions and fulfill its purposes as specified " or implied " in the Charter , and that they had agreed to give the United Nations every assistance in any action taken in accordance with the Charter . Article 25 of the Charter says that " The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter " . The " Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs " , a UN legal publication , says that during the United Nations Conference on International Organization which met in San Francisco in 1945 , attempts to limit obligations of Members under Article 25 of the Charter to those decisions taken by the Council in the exercise of its specific powers under Chapters VI , VII and VIII of the Charter failed . It was stated at the time that those obligations also flowed from the authority conferred on the Council under Article 24 ( 1 ) to act on the behalf of the members while exercising its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security . Article 24 , interpreted in this sense , becomes a source of authority which can be drawn upon to meet situations which are not covered by the more detailed provisions in the succeeding articles . The Repertory on Article 24 says : " The question whether Article 24 confers general powers on the Security Council ceased to be a subject of discussion following the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice rendered on 21 June 1971 in connection with the question of Namibia ( ICJ Reports , 1971 , page 16 ) " . In exercising its powers the Security Council seldom bothers to cite the particular article or articles of the UN Charter that its decisions are based upon . In cases where none are mentioned , a constitutional interpretation is required . This sometimes presents ambiguities as to what amounts to a decision as opposed to a recommendation , and also the relevance and interpretation of the phrase " in accordance with the present Charter " . Resolutions by the Security Council are legally binding if they are made under Chapter VII ( " Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace , Breaches of the Peace , and Acts of Aggression " ) of the Charter . If the council cannot reach consensus or a passing vote on a resolution , they may choose to produce a non - binding presidential statement instead of a Resolution . These are adopted by consensus . They are meant to apply political pressure — a warning that the Council is paying attention and further action may follow . Press statements typically accompany both resolutions and presidential statements , carrying the text of the document adopted by the body and also some explanatory text . They may also be released independently , after a significant meeting .