United Nations General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. It is where all member countries come together to discuss important global issues and make decisions that affect the world. The General Assembly meets every year in New York City to talk about many topics, from peace and security to helping developing countries.

The General Assembly is responsible for important tasks such as deciding the United Nations budget, choosing members for the Security Council, and appointing the secretary-general of the United Nations. Every country has one vote, and most decisions are made by a simple majority. However, some important decisions, like those about peace and security or the UN budget, need a two-thirds majority to pass.

During the 1980s, the General Assembly became a place where industrialized nations and developing countries could discuss their differences and work together on international issues. As more countries joined the United Nations, developing countries gained more influence in the Assembly. Even though its decisions are not always binding, the General Assembly can still take action to help maintain peace if the Security Council cannot agree on what to do.

History

The first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly happened on January 10, 1946, in London, with representatives from 51 countries. Before moving to its permanent location in New York City in 1951, the Assembly met at a place in Flushing, New York, that was part of the 1939 New York World's Fair. In 1947, the Assembly made an important decision about the land called Palestine while meeting there.

During the years 1946 to 1951, the General Assembly, along with other United Nations groups, also met at a temporary office in Lake Success, New York. In 1949, television broadcasts showed these meetings. The Assembly moved to its permanent home in New York City in October 1952. Later, in 1988, it met in Geneva, Switzerland, to listen to a special speaker.

Membership

Main article: Member states of the United Nations

All 193 countries that are part of the United Nations are also members of the General Assembly. In addition to these countries, the Holy See, Palestine, and the European Union (since 1974) have a special status called "observer states." The General Assembly can also give observer status to other groups or organizations. These observers can take part in the Assembly's work, but there are some limits on what they can do.

Agenda

Each meeting of the United Nations General Assembly has a list of topics to discuss, called an agenda. This list is made up to seven months before the meeting starts. First, there is a simple list of topics. Then, it is changed into a better list 60 days before the meeting begins. Once the meeting starts, members agree on the final list and decide which groups will handle each topic. These groups later share their ideas with everyone.

The topics on the agenda are numbered. Usually, these meetings start in September and last for about three months. But sometimes they go longer because there is so much work to do. They often start on a Tuesday in the third week of September.

Resolutions

See also: United Nations General Assembly resolution and United Nations Document Codes

The General Assembly votes on many ideas brought up by different countries. These votes show what most of the world thinks about different problems. Most of these votes cannot be enforced as laws because the General Assembly does not have the power to make everyone follow them. However, the General Assembly can make final decisions about some things, like the budget for the United Nations.

The General Assembly can also send an issue to the Security Council if they want them to make a decision that must be followed.

Resolution numbering scheme

From the First to the Thirtieth General Assembly sessions, all resolutions were numbered one after another. The number was followed by the session number using Roman numbers (like XV for the fifteenth session). Starting from the Thirty-First Session, resolutions are numbered separately for each session. For example, Resolution 41/10 means it was the 10th resolution from the Forty-First Session.

Budget

The General Assembly approves the budget of the United Nations and decides how much money each member state must pay to run the organization.

The budget covers the costs of United Nations programmes in areas such as political affairs, international justice and law, international cooperation for development, public information, human rights, and humanitarian affairs. The main source of funds for the regular budget is the contributions of member states.

Elections

The United Nations General Assembly helps choose leaders for different groups within the United Nations. Some of the important jobs they help fill include the President of the General Assembly, members of the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council, the International Court of Justice, and judges for the United Nations Dispute Tribunal and United Nations Appeals Tribunal. Most of these elections happen every year, except for the judges of the International Court of Justice, who are chosen every three years.

Each year, the Assembly chooses five non-permanent members for the Security Council to serve for two years, 18 members for the Economic and Social Council for three years, and between 14 to 18 members for the Human Rights Council for three years. It also picks leaders for the next session of the General Assembly, including the next President, 21 vice presidents, and leaders for the six main committees.

Elections for the International Court of Justice happen every three years to keep the court running smoothly. Five judges are chosen each time to serve for nine years. These elections are done together with the Security Council, and candidates need to get most of the votes from both groups.

The Assembly also works with the Security Council to choose the next secretary-general of the United Nations. The main part of this choice happens in the Security Council, and the General Assembly then approves the candidate suggested by the Council.

The United Nations Regional Groups help make sure that seats in United Nations groups are shared fairly among member countries. The General Assembly decided that the makeup of these groups should show the different parts of the world. Because of this, member states are split into five regions, and most United Nations groups have a certain number of seats for each region. The leaders of most groups also change between these regions, like the President of the General Assembly and the leaders of the six main committees.

The regional groups choose candidates by agreement. When they support a candidate, that person is usually elected by the General Assembly in later elections.

Sessions

Regular sessions

See also: List of UN General Assembly sessions

The General Assembly meets once a year in a regular session. It usually starts on the third Tuesday of September and continues until the next September. These meetings happen at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, unless the Assembly decides otherwise.

The regular session has two parts. The main part runs from the start of the session until December and is when most of the work happens. This includes important discussions and the work of six main committees. The second part runs from January until the new session starts and includes more focused discussions and meetings.

General debate

See also: List of General debates of the United Nations General Assembly

The general debate happens one week after the session starts, usually on the following Tuesday. It lasts for nine days without a break. This is a big event where leaders from many countries speak. During the debate, countries can talk about issues they think are important. There are also many other important meetings and events during this week. Over many years, there have been thousands of speeches during these debates, with many given by leaders of countries.

Special sessions

Main article: Special session of the United Nations General Assembly

Special sessions can be called in three ways: by the Security Council, by most United Nations member states, or by one member if most agree. These sessions focus on one topic and end with documents that give plans or strategies to address that topic. Leaders and government ministers often attend these sessions. There have been 32 special sessions in the history of the United Nations.

Emergency special sessions

Main article: Emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly

If the Security Council cannot make a decision about a threat to peace, emergency special sessions can be called. This can happen if the Security Council agrees with at least seven members, or if most United Nations members agree. When this happens, the Assembly must meet within 24 hours. There have been 11 emergency special sessions in the history of the United Nations.

Subsidiary organs

The United Nations General Assembly has many smaller groups that help it do its work. These groups are called subsidiary organs and they fall into five categories: committees, commissions, boards, councils, and working groups.

Committees

The main committees are numbered from 1 to 6, and each one focuses on different topics. The First Committee deals with keeping peace and security. The Second Committee works on economic issues. The Third Committee handles social and humanitarian topics. The Fourth Committee looks at political issues and helping countries become independent. The Fifth Committee manages the United Nations' budget and administration. The Sixth Committee deals with legal matters. Each of these committees includes all members of the General Assembly and they each choose a chairman, three vice chairmen, and a rapporteur at the start of each meeting.

Commissions

There are six commissions that support the General Assembly. These include groups focused on disarming weapons, helping international laws, and supporting peacebuilding efforts.

Boards

There are seven boards that assist the General Assembly. Some of these boards oversee important programs like the United Nations Children's Fund and others help with financial and administrative tasks.

Councils and panels

The General Assembly also has several councils and one panel that help with specific tasks. The newest council is the United Nations Human Rights Council, which started in 2006.

Working Groups and other

Finally, there are many working groups and other smaller bodies that help the General Assembly with various tasks.

Seating

In the General Assembly, countries sit in rows based on the English spelling of their names, going from A to Z. Each year, the secretary-general holds a small lottery to decide which country gets the very first seat on the left side in the front row. After that spot is taken, all the other countries sit in order from A to Z.

Reform and UNPA

Main article: Reform of the United Nations

See also: United Nations Parliamentary Assembly

In 2005, the Secretary-General of the United Nations suggested changes to make the General Assembly work better. He thought it spent too much time trying to please everyone and should focus more on important issues like global movement of people and agreements about terrorism. He suggested making the agenda simpler, giving the president more power, and letting citizens have more say.

Later meetings agreed that the General Assembly should stay important but work better with other United Nations groups. Some people think the United Nations needs big changes to work well in the future. Recently, the General Assembly agreed on a plan to tackle big problems like climate change and unfairness, and to include more young people and women in making decisions.

Sidelines of the General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly holds an annual meeting, and during this time, world leaders also have separate meetings. These are often called "sidelines" meetings. This week also draws many important and wealthy people from around the world to New York City. They discuss many topics, including helping others, taking care of the environment, business matters, and politics.