1. Different Phases in Implementing
Main Committee Work Plans
Presented by: Anne S.Y. Kwak
General Assembly Affairs Branch/GAEAD/DGACM
29 August 2012

2. Work cycle of the GA
1. Inclusion of the
item in the agenda
2. Opening of
the agenda item
5. Closing of
the item
4. Consideration
of draft proposals
Submission
of reports
Request
for reports
3. Debate

3. list of speakers
• Rule 68 [109] of the rules of procedure:
“No representative may address the General
Assembly without having previously obtained
the permission of the President. The President
shall call upon speakers in the order in which
they signify their desire to speak...”
• Opening the list of speakers
– Delegates wishing to deliver statements
should inscribe on the list of speakers
– Order of speakers: first-come-first-serve
subject to protocol

4. Requesting the floor
• Raise your name plate to request the floor;
• A point of order is usually signified as a T

5. • Closing the list of speakers
– Rule 73 [115] of the rules of procedure:
“During the course of a debate, the
President may announce the list of speakers,
and, with the consent of the General
Assembly, declare the list closed...”
• Time limit on speeches
– Rule 72 [114] of the rules of procedure:
“The General Assembly may limit the
time to be allowed to each speaker and the
number of times each representative may
speak on any question...”

6. Different types of statements
1. Statements in debate
2. Explanation of vote before the vote
3. Explanation of vote after the vote
4. Right of reply
5. Point of order

7. Explanations of vote (EoV)
• Limited to 10 minutes and is delivered
from the delegate’s seat;
• Can be made either before or after the
vote;
• Rule 88 [128] of the rules of procedure:
“The President shall not permit the
proposer of a proposal or of an
amendment to explain his vote on his own
proposal or amendment”.

8. ===========================
Explanations of vote before the vote
===========================
Before giving the floor to the speaker(s) in
explanation of vote before the vote, may I remind
delegations that explanations of vote are limited
to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations
from their seats.
[Explanations of vote]
We have heard the only/last speaker in
explanation of vote before the vote.

9. Right of reply
• A Member State can request to exercise its
right of reply to the statement of another
Member State;
• Only twice per agenda item – first
intervention is limited to 10 minutes and the
second intervention is limited to 5 minutes;
• Right of reply is exercised at the end of the
consideration of the item;
• No oral right of reply to a Head of State;

10. U n i t e d N a t i o n s A / 6 6 / 3 8 5
G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y D i s t r . : G e n e r a l
2 8 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 1
O r i g i n a l : E n g l i s h
S i x t y - s i x t h s e s s i o n
A g e n d a i t e m 8
G e n e r a l d e b a t e
Letter dated 22 September 2011 from the
Permanent Representative of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland to the U n i t e d N a t i o n s a d d r e s s e d t o
t h e P r e s i d e n t o f t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y
I h a v e t h e h o n o u r t o e n c l o s e h e r e w i t h t h e t e x t o f t h e
w r i t t e n s t a t e m e n t o f t h e d e l e g a t i o n o f t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m
i n e x e r c i s e o f t h e r i g h t o f r e p l y t o t h e r e m a r k s m a d e b y
H e r E x c e l l e n c y M s . C r i s t i n a F e r n á n d e z d e K i r c h n e r ,
P r e s i d e n t o f t h e A r g e n t i n e R e p u b l i c , o n 2 1 S e p t e m b e r
2 0 1 1 i n t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y ( s e e a n n e x ) .
I s h o u l d b e m o s t g r a t e f u l i f y o u c o u l d a r r a n g e t o h a v e
t h e t e x t o f t h e p r e s e n t l e t t e r a n d i t s a n n e x c i r c u l a t e d a s a
d o c u m e n t o f t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y , u n d e r a g e n d a i t e m 8 .
( S i g n e d ) M a r k L y a l l G r a n t
A m b a s s a d o r
P e r m a n e n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e

11. Point of order
• Rule 71 [113] of the rules of procedure:
“During the discussion of any matter, a
representative may rise to a point of order, and
the point of order shall be immediately decided
by the President in accordance with the rules of
procedure...
... A representative may appeal against the ruling
of the President. The appeal shall be
immediately put to the vote, and the President’s
ruling shall stand unless overruled by a majority
of the members present and voting.”

12. Challenging the ruling of the President
25 September 2009, 8th
plenary meeting, 64th
session of the
General Assembly:
Address by the President of the High Transitional Authority
of the Republic of Madagascar
• The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
made a statement on a point of order.
• The President of the General Assembly made a statement, in
the course of which he announced that he intended to proceed
in accordance with rule 29 of the rules of procedure.
• The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
made a statement, in the course of which he invoked rule 71 of
the rules of procedure.
• By 4 votes to 23, with 6 abstentions (recorded vote), the
General Assembly decided that the head of the delegation of
the Republic of Madagascar could not participate in the
general debate.

13. Work cycle of the GA
1. Inclusion of the
item in the agenda
2. Opening of
the agenda item
5. Closing of
the item
4. Consideration
of draft proposals
Submission
of reports
Request
for reports
3. Debate

14. Consideration of draft proposals
• Introduction of the draft proposal
– Usually introduced by the “main sponsor”,
summarizing the content and purpose of the
draft resolution.
– It is possible to orally correct or revise
the draft resolution at this stage. Note that
this is different from an amendment.

15. Taking action
• Member States can submit draft
resolutions and decisions under an agenda
item;
• “24-hour rule” requires the draft proposal
to be circulated to all Member States a day
prior to its consideration (rule 78 [120]).

16. to vote or not to vote?to vote or not to vote?

17. ===================
Action on draft resolution
===================
The Assembly will now take action on draft
resolution A/__/L.__ entitled “------”.
May I take it that the Assembly decides to
adopt draft resolution A/__/L.__?
It is so decided.

18. ===============
A vote is requested
===============
A recorded vote has been requested.
We shall now begin the voting process.
Those in favour of draft resolution A/__/L.__,
please signify. Those against. Abstentions.
[PAUSE for voting]
The result of the vote is as follows:
In favour ____; Against ____; Abstention____.
Draft resolution A/__/L.__ is/is not adopted.

19. Required majority:
how many votes?
• Simple majority of Member States
“present and voting”
– The phrase “members present and voting” means
members casting an affirmative or negative vote.
Members which abstain from voting are considered
not as voting: Rule 86 [126].
 A drastic example: a draft resolution is adopted if 2
vote in favour; 1 vote against; 190 abstain
• Rule 83: Decisions of the General Assembly on
important questions shall be made by a two-
thirds majority of the members present and
voting.

20. Tie vote?
• In plenary meeting, Rule 95 applies:
“...a second vote shall be taken at a
subsequent meeting which shall be held
within forty-eight hours of the first vote...”
• In the Main Committees, Rule 133
applies:
“If a vote is equally divided on matters
other than elections, the proposal shall be
regarded as rejected.”

21. Voting on parts of a
draft proposal
• Rule 89 [129] of the rules of procedure:
“A representative may move that parts of a
proposal or of an amendment be voted on
separately...
If objection is made to the request for
division, the motion for division shall be
voted upon...”

22. Amendments
– Rule 78 [120] of the rules of procedure:
“Proposals and amendments shall
normally be submitted in writing to the
Secretary-General, who shall circulate
copies to the delegations...”
- Can be proposed orally during the
meeting

23. Amendments
• What is an amendment?
Rule 90 [130] of the rules of procedure:
“A motion is considered an amendment
if it merely adds to, deletes from or
revises part of the proposal.
 Therefore, a proposal that would
completely change the sense of a
previous proposal is cannot be an
amendment but rather a separate
proposal.

24. Amendment is
proposed
No vote is
requested
on the amendment
A vote is
requested
on the amendment
Amendment
adopted
Amendment is
adopted
without vote
Proceed to
take action
on DR as amended
Amendment
rejected
Proceed to
take action
on DR as it was
FLOW CHART:
amendment
process

25. Adjournment of debate
• Also known as the “No action motion”;
• Rule 74 [116]:
“During the discussion of any matter, a
representative may move the adjournment of
the debate on the item under
consideration...”
 Established practice that the motion to
adjourn the debate includes the motion to
take no action on an item or on draft
proposals.

26. other procedural contingencies
• Postpone the consideration of the draft
proposal;
• Suspend the meeting for a set time to
allow for informal consultations;
• Proposer may withdraw the draft proposal

27. after taking action on draft
proposals ...
Return to the list of speakers to hear:
• Explanations of vote after the vote
• Rights of reply

28. Work cycle of the GA
1. Inclusion of the
item in the agenda
2. Opening of
the agenda item
5. Closing of
the item
4. Consideration
of draft proposals
Submission
of reports
Request
for reports
3. Debate

29. Thank you for listening!
For more information about the
General Assembly,
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www.un.org/ga