At its thirtieth session, in 1975, the General Assembly decided to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-first session an item entitled "Financial emergency of the United Nations" (resolution 3538 (XXX)). The Assembly considered this question at its thirty-first to thirty-ninth sessions (resolutions 31/191, 32/104, 33/430, 35/113, 36/116 A & B, 37/13, 38/228 A & B and 39/239 A & B and decision 34/435).

An item entitled "Current financial crisis of the United Nations" was included in the agenda of the fortieth session as an additional item, at the request of the Secretary-General (A/40/247). The Assembly considered this item at its fortieth and forty-second to forty-fifth sessions (resolutions 42/212, 43/215, 44/195 A & B and 45/236 A & B and decisions 40/471, 40/472 & 42/460).

At its forty-seventh session, the General Assembly decided to consider in future the items entitled "Current financial crisis of the United Nations" and "Financial emergency of the United Nations" under one item entitled "Improving the financial situation of the United Nations" (resolution 47/215).

The General Assembly continued its consideration of the item at its forty-eighth to fifty-second sessions (resolution 48/220 and decisions 49/474, 50/496, 51/462 & 52/496).

At its fifty-third to fifty-seventh sessions, the General Assembly decided to include the item in the draft agenda of the following session (decisions 53/494, 54/495, 55/493, 56/482 and 57/598).