Under which UN Charter article can the UNSC authorize collective action using force to maintain or restore international peace and security?

• A. Article 2(4)
• B. Article 42
• C. Article 7
• D. Article 51

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the Security Council can authorize using force only through the enforcement provisions of Chapter VII, specifically when non-forcible measures under Article 41 are deemed inadequate to maintain or restore international peace and security. This is the mechanism that explicitly allows collective action, including the use of armed force, to enforce peace.

In contrast, the general prohibition on force in Article 2(4) covers states from using force except in those specific exceptions, so it does not empower the Council to act on its own. The self-defense provision in Article 51 covers responses to an armed attack by a state, not a general Security Council authorization to act in all peacekeeping crises. And while Article 7 relates to the Security Council’s authority and functions, it does not itself grant the explicit power to use armed force; that power comes from the enforcement provisions of Chapter VII.