New York, August 01 (QNA) - Panama assumes today the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of August, succeeding Pakistan.

Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba, Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations and President of the Council for August, is scheduled to hold a press conference this evening to present the Council's program of work, which was adopted earlier during a morning session.

The Security Council comprises 15 member states, each with one vote.

These include five permanent members with veto power -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.

The Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, alongside the General Assembly, Secretariat, International Court of Justice, Economic and Social Council, and the Trusteeship Council. (QNA)