Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly
70th session (2015-2016)
Mandate
By resolution 69/321 of 11 September 2015, the General Assembly decided to establish at its 70th session an ad hoc working group on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly (AHWG), open to all Member States, “to identify further ways to enhance the role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency of the Assembly, inter alia, by building on the progress achieved in past sessions of the Assembly as well as on previous resolutions, including evaluating the status of their implementation” and to submit a report thereon to the Assembly at its 70th session.
By the same resolution, the General Assembly also decided that the AHWG shall continue its review of the inventory (see p.29 of document A/69/1007) of General Assembly resolutions on revitalization annexed to its report submitted at the 69th session of the Assembly.
Among specific mandates for the 70th session, the Assembly:
- Requested each Main Committee to further discuss its working methods at the beginning of every session, and in this regard invited the Chairs of the Main Committees to brief the AHWG at the 70th session, as appropriate.
- Requested the AHWG to prepare long-term arrangements concerning the election of Chairs and Rapporteurs of the Main Committees of the General Assembly with the aim of establishing a predictable, transparent and fair mechanism for the elections and that it submits them to the Assembly no later than the 72nd session. In this context, see also the interim arrangement on the pattern for the rotation of the chairs of the Main Committees adopted by the General Assembly in its decision 68/505 of 1 October 2013.
- Requested the Presidents of the General Assembly and of the Security Council to start the process of soliciting candidates for the position of Secretary-General through a joint letter; to jointly circulate on an ongoing basis the names of individuals that have been submitted for consideration as candidates; and decided to conduct informal dialogues or meetings with candidates, without prejudice to any candidate who does not participate.
- Requested the President of the General Assembly, in cooperation with the Secretariat, to report to the AHWG on the role, mandate and activities of the President.
- Requested the Secretary-General to report on sources of the funding and staffing of the Office of the President of the Assembly, including on any technical, logistical, protocol-related or financial questions, and for more clarification on the budgetary basis for the provision of such support by the Secretariat.
Letters
- Tentative programme of work of the AHWG (13 January 2016)
- Appointment of Co-Chairs of the AHWG on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly (19 October 2015)
Draft updated inventory chart
Selection process for the post of Secretary-General