Committee on Conferences
The Committee on Conferences was established by the General Assembly on 18 December 1974, pursuant to resolution 3351 (XXIX). On 21 December 1988, by resolution 43/222B, the General Assembly decided to retain the Committee on Conferences as a permanent subsidiary organ. The Committee advises the General Assembly on all matters pertaining to the organization of United Nations conferences and is composed of 21 members:
- six from African States;
- five from Asian States;
- four from Latin American and Caribbean States;
- two from Eastern European States; and
- four from Western European and other States.
2012 Session
The Committee held its organizational session for 2012 on Wednesday, 25 April. This year, the organizational session and the meeting to review the strategic framework were combined into one meeting to ensure the optimal utilization of conference resources and to take into account the delegates' busy schedules.
The Committee adopted its agenda, as contained in document A/AC.172/2012/L.1*. The Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, Mr. Shaaban M. Shaaban, introduced the proposed strategic framework of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management for the period 2014-2015, as contained in document A/67/6 (Prog. 1).
On behalf of the current and past members of the Committee, the Chair thanked Mr. Shaaban for his guidance to, and support of, the work of the Committee, and his leadership as Head of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, during his tenure with the United Nations.
The Committee elected the following officers to serve in 2012:
- Chair: Ms. Carolina Popovici (Republic of Moldova)
- Vice-Chairs: Ms. Carmen Avila (Panama), Ms. Maria Holzmann (Austria)
- Rapporteur: Mr. Felix Datuowei (Nigeria)
Secretariat of the Committee on Conferences
The Meetings Management Section of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management serves as the technical and substantive Secretariat of the Committee on Conferences. It assists the Committee to carry out its mandate contained in paragraph four of General Assembly resolution 43/222B.
The staff of the Section draft procedural reports which include the agenda and the report of the Committee, and prepare reports for consideration by the Committee on the utilization of conference servicing resources at New York, Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi to guide it in its recommendations to the Assembly on the best utilization of those resources.
It also compiles statistics and consolidates inputs to give the Committee as complete and accurate a picture as possible of the Department's work programme and capacity. When the General Assembly examines the question of the pattern of conferences, based on the report of the Committee on Conferences, the staff of the Section provide all additional information to assist the Assembly in its deliberations.
It also provides support to the Fifth Committee in informal consultations when the draft resolution on pattern of conferences is being discussed.
- Secretary of the Committee: Ms. Mildred Fernandes, Chief, Meetings Management Section of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management
- Deputy Secretary: Ms. Cristina Schulz-Langendorf, Conference Affairs Officer