UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
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UNITED NATIONS
Distr.
GENERAL
A/CONF.171/3
18 July 1994
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Item 6 of the provisional agenda*
ORGANIZATION OF WORK, INCLUDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
THE MAIN COMMITTEE OF THE CONFERENCE
Organizational and procedural matters
Note by the Secretariat
1. At its 34th meeting, on 22 April 1994, the Preparatory
Committee for the International Conference on Population and
Development approved the provisional agenda and proposed
organization of work for the Conference contained in document
A/CONF.171/PC/L.2, with the addition of an item entitled "Other
matters". At the same meeting, the Committee also decided to
transmit the provisional rules of procedure of the Conference
contained in document A/CONF.171/PC/8, as orally amended, to the
General Assembly for approval. The General Assembly approved the
provisional rules of procedure of the Conference in decision
48/490. The proposals contained herein have been prepared on the
basis of the above-mentioned documents.
I. PRE-CONFERENCE CONSULTATIONS
2. The Economic and Social Council, in resolution 1992/37, decided
to convene the Conference in Cairo from 5 to 13 September 1994. In
resolution 1993/76, the Council recommended that the Preparatory
Committee for the Conference become a subsidiary body of the
General Assembly and decided to convene two-day pre-Conference
consultations at the venue of the Conference. The General
Assembly, in resolution 48/186, endorsed fully Council resolution
1993/76. The pre-Conference consultations will take place on 3 and
4 September 1994. The purpose of the consultations, which will be
open to all participating States, is to reach final agreement on
recommendations to be made on all procedural and organizational
matters to be dealt with by the Conference at the opening meeting,
including the election of officers, the composition of the General
Committee, the distribution of posts in the General Committee among
regional
* A/CONF.171/1.
groups, the adoption of the rules of procedure, the adoption of the
agenda and organization of work, the appointment of the members of
the Credentials Committee and arrangements for the preparation of
the report of the Conference.
II. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
3. Rule 6 of the provisional rules of procedure for the
Conference (A/CONF.171/2) provides that the Conference shall elect
from among the representatives of participating States the
following officers: a President, 27 Vice-Presidents, an ex officio
Vice-President from the host country, a Rapporteur-General and a
Chairman for the Main Committee established in accordance with rule
46. Those officials shall be elected on the basis of ensuring the
representative character of the General Committee. The Conference
may also elect such other officers as it deems necessary for the
performance of its functions.
4. Rule 9 provides that the Conference will have a General
Committee composed of the President, the Vice-Presidents, the
Rapporteur-General and the Chairman of the Main Committee. In
accordance with standard practice, the Presidency of the Conference
would go to the host country. The 27 Vice-Presidents would be
distributed according to the following geographical pattern: seven
representatives from African States, six from Asian States, three
from Eastern European States, five from Latin American and
Caribbean States and six from Western European and other States.
5. Regional groups should endeavour to ensure that they will be
in a position to make known their nominations for the posts in the
General Committee at the pre-Conference consultations.
III. ADOPTION OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE
6. The Conference will have before it the provisional rules of
procedure approved by the General Assembly in decision 48/490. The
provisional rules of procedure are contained in document
A/CONF.171/2.
IV. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
7. The Preparatory Committee recommended for adoption by the
Conference the provisional agenda set out in document A/CONF.171/1.
V. ORGANIZATION OF WORK, INCLUDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
THE MAIN COMMITTEE OF THE CONFERENCE
A. Organization of work
8. In accordance with the proposed organization of work of the
Conference, which was approved by the Preparatory Committee, the
Conference will be composed of a plenary and one main committee.
B. Allocation of items
9. It is proposed that items 1-8, 10 and 11 of the provisional
agenda be considered in plenary meeting, and that item 9 (Programme
of Action of the Conference) be allocated to the Main Committee.
Negotiations on the Programme of Action will be carried out in the
Main Committee while the general debate on item 8 is taking place
in plenary meeting. Upon the conclusion of its work, the Main
Committee will submit a report to the Conference.
C. General debate
10. The general debate on item 8 (Experiences concerning
population and development strategies and programmes) will take
place from the afternoon of 5 September to 9 September. No
delegation will be allowed to speak more than once in the general
debate.
11. It is proposed that a time-limit of 10 minutes be established
for statements by representatives of Governments, 7 minutes for
statements by representatives of intergovernmental organizations
and United Nations programmes and specialized agencies, and 5
minutes for statements by representatives of non-governmental
organizations.
D. Establishment of the Main Committee of the Conference
12. The Main Committee of the Conference will meet from the
afternoon of 5 September to 9 September. Its Chairman will be
elected by the Conference in accordance with the provisions of rule
6 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Conference. In
accordance with the provisions of rule 50, the Main Committee will
elect its own officers. It is proposed that, in accordance with
rule 46 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Conference,
the Main Committee elect three Vice-Chairmen and a Rapporteur on
the basis of equitable geographical distribution. It is
recommended that agreement be reached on the slate of candidates
for posts falling within the ambit of the Main Committee before the
opening of the Conference, thus permitting elections by acclamation
and dispensing with the requirement of a secret ballot.
E. Timetable for the work of the Conference
13. The proposed timetable for the work of the Conference is
contained in the annex to the present note. It is understood that
the Main Committee will adjust its organization of work as
required.
F. Organization of meetings
14. The resources available to the Conference allow for a maximum
of two simultaneous meetings in the morning and two in the
afternoon, with interpretation facilities, including committees,
subcommittees, working groups and informal consultations.
Interpretation facilities can be provided to regional or interest
group meetings only when these are held in place of formal
meetings.
15. In accordance with the provisions of rule 48 of the
provisional rules of procedure, the Conference may establish such
committees and working groups as it deems necessary for the
performance of its functions. Subject to the decision of the
Plenary of the Conference, the Main Committee may also set up
subcommittees and working groups. It should be noted, however,
that committees, subcommittees and working groups can be
established only to the extent permitted by the conference service
facilities available at the Conference site.
16. Meetings will normally be scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and
from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. In order to ensure the most efficient use of
available resources, it is essential that all meetings start
promptly at the time scheduled.
VI. CREDENTIALS OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CONFERENCE:
APPOINTMENT OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE
17. Rule 4 of the provisional rules of procedure provides that a
Credentials Committee of nine members shall be appointed at the
beginning of the Conference and that its composition shall be based
on that of the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly of the
United Nations at its forty-eighth session.
18. At the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly, the
Credentials Committee was composed of Austria, the Bahamas, China,
C“te d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Mauritius, the Russian Federation, Thailand
and the United States of America.
VII. REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE
19. In accordance with the practice followed at previous United
Nations conferences, it is recommended that the report of the
Conference consist of the decisions of the Conference, a brief
account of the proceedings and a repertorial account of the work of
the Main Committee and of the action taken in plenary meeting on
its recommendations.
20. As has also been the practice, it is recommended that each
regional group be requested to designate, before the opening of the
Conference, two persons to serve as friends of the
Rapporteur-General to assist in preparing the draft report of the
Conference.
=================================================================
Annex
PROPOSED TIMETABLE FOR THE WORK OF THE CONFERENCE
First week (3-9 September)
Saturday, 3 September and
Sunday, 4 September Pre-Conference consultations
PLENARY
Monday, 5 September
10 a.m. Item 1 Opening of the Conference
Item 2 Election of the President
Item 3 Adoption of the rules of
procedure
Item 4 Adoption of the agenda
Item 5 Election of officers other
than the President
Item 6 Organization of work,
including the establishment of
the Main Committee of the
Conference
Item 7 a/ Credentials of representatives
to the Conference:
(a) Appointment of the
members of the
Credentials Committee
3 p.m. Item 8 Experiences concerning
population and
development strategies and
programmes
General debate
Item 8 General debate (continued)
Tuesday, 6 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Item 8 General debate (continued)
a/ Item 7 (b), "Report of the Credentials Committee", will
be scheduled for consideration in plenary meeting at a date to be
determined.
Wednesday, 7 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Item 8 General debate (continued)
12 noon Closure of the list of speakers on item 8
Thursday, 8 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Item 8 General debate (continued)
Friday, 9 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Item 8 General debate (concluded)
Second week (12 and 13 September)
Monday, 12 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Recommendations of the Main
Committee on the Programme of
Action of the Conference
(item 9 of the provisional
agenda)
Tuesday, 13 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Recommendations of the Main
Committee
(continued)
Item 10 Other matters
Item 11 Adoption of the report of the
Conference
Closure of the Conference
=================================================================
MAIN COMMITTEE
First week (5-9 September)
Monday, 5 September
3 p.m. Election of officers
Organization of work
Item 9 Programme of Action of the
Conference
Tuesday, 6 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Item 9 Programme of Action
(continued)
Wednesday, 7 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Item 9 Programme of Action
(continued)
6 p.m. Deadline for submission of draft
proposals under item 9
Thursday, 8 September
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Item 9 Programme of Action
(continued)
Friday, 9 September
10 a.m. Item 9 Programme of Action
(concluded)
3 p.m. Action on all outstanding
matters
Completion of the work of the Committee