The document discusses the role and functions of the UN General Assembly's General Committee. It is comprised of the President and 21 Vice Presidents of the General Assembly, as well as the chairs of the six main committees. The General Committee assists the President in establishing the agenda, determining item priorities, and coordinating committee proceedings. It also reviews session progress and makes recommendations. Vice Presidents often facilitate complex negotiations and informal meetings on behalf of the President. The General Committee aims to representatively and efficiently manage General Assembly business.

1. By
Jean-Francis R. ZINSOU
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of
Benin
to the United Nations
Vice President of the General Assembly
New York, 27 August 2012

2. •The President of the General Assembly
•The 21 Vice –Presidents
•The Chairs of the Six main Committees.
They are usually elected three months before the
beginning of the Session with due regard to equitable
geographical rotation of these offices among the regions

3. The General Committee is so constituted as to ensure its
representative character:
• Six (6) representatives from African States;
• Five (5) representatives from Asian States;
• One (1) representative from an Eastern European State;
• Three (3) representatives from Latin American States;
• Two (2) representatives from Western European or other
States;
• Five (5) representatives from the permanent members of
the Security Council.
No two members of the General Committee shall be members of
the same delegation

4. Functions
It shall assist the
President and the General Assembly in drawing up the agenda for each
plenary meeting, in determining the priority of its items and in
coordinating the proceedings of all committees of the AssemblyRevision of the
form of resolutions
Rule 38-44
Rule 42: The General Committee shall meet periodically throughout each
session to review the progress of the General Assembly and its
committees and to make recommendations for furthering such progress.
It shall also meet at such other times as the President deems necessary or
upon the request of any other of its members.

5. The General Committee :
•considers the provisional agenda, at the beginning of
each session, together with the supplementary list;
•makes recommendations to the General Assembly,
with regard to each item proposed:

6. The items on the agenda comprise various issues inscribed on the
Agenda by the General Assembly through its previous
resolutions: (annual, biannual triennial consideration)
[Decides to consider during its sixty-seventh session developments
on the review of civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict,
under the agenda item entitled “Strengthening of the United
Nations system” and other items as appropriate.]
[Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-eighth
session the item entitled “Global road safety crisis”, and requests
the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at that
session on the progress made in improving global road safety.]

7. The elaboration of the provisional Agenda is ruled
according to the following options:
•the inclusion in the agenda,
•the rejection of the request for inclusion or
•the inclusion of the item in the provisional agenda of
a future session.

8. Consideration of requests for inclusion of new
items
The General Committee:
•examine requests for the inclusion of additional
items in the agenda and
•makes recommendations thereon to the General
Assembly.

9. The General Committee :
•does not discuss the substance of any item,
•except insofar as this bears upon the determination of the
recommendation to be made ; and also on
•what priority should be accorded to an item in case its
inclusion has been recommended.
The options are as follows:
-the inclusion of the item in the agenda,
-the rejection of the request for inclusion,
-the inclusion of the item in the provisional agenda of a future
session.
This consideration should assess related circumstances to be able
to make the meaningful determination. (Any Member State can
propose a postponement).

10. The General Committee:
•make recommendations to the General Assembly
concerning the closing date of the session.
•assist the President and the General Assembly in
drawing up the agenda for each plenary meeting, in
determining the priority of its items and in
coordinating the proceedings of all committees of the
Assembly ;
•assist the President in the general conduct of the work
of the General Assembly which falls within the
competence of the President;
•does not decide any political question.

11. The General Committee :
•meets periodically throughout each session to review the
progress of the General Assembly and its committees and
to make recommendations for furthering such progress;
•meets also at such other times as the President deems
necessary or upon the request of any other of its members.

12. The General Committee may revise the
resolutions adopted by the General Assembly,
changing their form but not their substance.
Any such changes shall be reported to the General
Assembly for its consideration.

13. Acting President
The Vice-Presidents replace the president in New York,
when he is absent, as Acting President.
The Acting President has the same powers and duties as
the President.
During a meeting, the President can call a Vice President
to replace him to conduct the meeting.

14. In the exercise of his functions, Vice –Presidents
performing as Acting President, remain under the
authority of the General Assembly, as the President.
The Acting Presidents don’t not vote.
if need be, the Acting President has to designate another
member of his delegation to vote in his place.

15. The Vice -Presidents are frequently tasked by the
PGA with the facilitation of complex negotiations.
“It shall
assist the President in the general conduct of the work
of the General Assembly which falls within the
competence of the President.”
In this capacity, the Vice -President:
-conduct consultations on specific assignment;
-convene and chairs informal meetings of the plenary
at ambassadors and experts level.

16. This task can also be assigned to Permanent
Representatives that are not members of the
General Committee.
Facilitation implies actions of different natures to
pave the way for a consensual decision making,
on specific issues or in the process of negotiations
on specific items where clash of interests
impedes progress.

17. The major tasks of the Facilitator is to:
-ensure a constructive and visionary leadership on the
issue. Study the issues in question and develop a
visionary approach to them) ;
-Raise the right points and stage a discussion on them;
-Understand what is at stake for each group of
stakeholders by exchanging in bilateral consultations
with them to get them express in a confidential setting
what are their constraints, their fears and their red lines

18. Bridge between diverging positions:
•By working out proposals on which to engage the
involved delegates after having identified their red
lines;
•By bringing the majority of members to lower their
expectations to make consensus possible if there is a
value added in having a consensual decision rather than
a decision made by vote.

19. For facilitation of difficult issues or complex negotiation
processes implying the elaboration of outcome
documents, the appointment of two Co-Facilitators
allows to engage in an anticipation exercise with the
Secretariat to work out more consensual formulations.
The appointment of two Co-facilitators has been useful
to bridge the North South divide.
(the ambition of reaching best possible outcome with
far-reaching prospects – born by the south and the
concerns about cost implications are usually voiced by
the North)

20. Usually an outcome is reached.
If the issue turns to be too controversial, the Facilitators
can work out a fall back formula, by singling out the
unresolved issues to be addressed in a specific ad hoc
setting, by Member states or by the secretariat.
This gives the possibility of having an outcome document
without exhausting all issues examined.
If there are strategic interests at stake, it is not possible to
adopt any document. Many a UN negotiations ended
without a tangible result.
I

21. The General committee are very useful tools to support
the PGA to discharge his mandate.
The Vice Presidents brings their negotiation skills to
support the Work of the PGA