Agenda, Workplan, Documents and Rules of Procedure

Agenda, Work Plan, Documents, and Rules of Procedure

Adopting an Agenda

The adoption of the agenda in the plenary meeting of the GA is usually a formality. The agenda should confirm the outcome of long preparations and consultations undertaken ahead of the conference. All participants who want a successful conference want the agenda adopted with as little discussion or division as possible.

The steps for adopting an agenda for each GA session are as follows:

1. A “Preliminary list of items to be included in the provisional agenda of the GA” is issued early in the year (usually February).
2. An “Annotated version of the preliminary list of items to be included in the provisional agenda of the GA” is circulated in mid-June. This gives the history of each item proposed for inclusion on the agenda. It also lists selected documents from the previous sessions and projects major documents (reports, etc.) to be submitted for discussion under the individual items.
3. A “Provisional agenda of the xxth annual session of the GA” is issued in July. It lists all new items that have been proposed up to 60 days before the opening of the session.
4. A “Supplementary list of items proposed for inclusion in the agenda” comes out in mid-August. It includes all new items that have been proposed after the issuance of the provisional agenda and up to 30 days before the opening of the session.
5. In mid-September, a draft agenda is published that is submitted to a body called the General Committee, which will serve as the basis for the deliberations. Some items that were previously listed can be deleted or put off to a later date. This draft is included in a document called “Memorandum of the Secretary-General on the Organization of the xxth regular session of the General Assembly adoption of the agenda and allocation of items.”
6. The “Report of the General Committee” (based on the “Memorandum of the Secretary-General on the Organization of the xxth regular session of the General Assembly adoption of the agenda and allocation of items”) includes recommendations on the items to be included in the agenda. It also includes the allocation of items to the plenary or the Main Committees, as well as on organizational aspects of the GA session.
7. The “Agenda of the xxth session of the GA” is adopted by the plenary and becomes the basis for the work of the GA session. Additions made after the adoption are issued as Addenda to the Agenda.
8. The “Allocation of agenda items for the xxth session of the GA” details the final allocation of items to the plenary or one of the Main Committees based on the recommendations of the General Committee. Changes or additions made after the adoption are issued as Corrigenda or Addenda to the Agenda.

The Programme of Work and Agenda page on the UN GA website lists all the documents that are to be considered. The number of items included in the GA agenda varies from session to session.

Drafting During an Model UN Conference

Normally, the GA and ECOSOC Affairs Division (GAEAD) drafts the GA agenda on behalf of the Secretary-General. Within the context of a Model UN conference, the Model UN Secretariat should draft the agenda under the leadership of the Secretary-General and then submit it to the Model UN GA General Committee.

After reviewing the draft agenda, the General Committee offers its recommendations as to which items it thinks the GA should adopt, which items should be allocated to each committee, and the order in which they should be addressed. These recommendations are included in a “Report of the General Committee” for adoption during the opening plenary of the GA.

Defining a Programme of Work

Once the items have been allocated to the plenary and GA Main Committees, a Programme of Work must be prepared. The organization of work essentially consists of a timetable in which the work will have to be performed (e.g., how much time should be spent debating each item on the agenda, how long should speakers be allowed to speak, how much time should be scheduled to take action on resolutions that have been tabled). This timetable should include the scheduling of any special events (e.g., when substantive experts should be invited to speak to the delegates) While the General Committee puts together the Programme of Work for plenary meetings of the GA, the bureaus do the same for work carried out within each Committee with the assistance of the UN Secretariat and in consultation with delegations.

Once the Programme of Work has been informally agreed, it will be submitted to the delegates at the opening session. Thereafter, it is an important reference for all delegates.

How It Might Be Done at a Model UN Conference

Normally, the GA and the GAEAD draft the Programme of Work for each Committee. Within the context of a Model UN conference, the Secretary of each Committee can draft the Programme of Work with assistance from other members of the bureau.

Preparing Documents

In order to carry out the Programme of Work, delegates need to access documents related to each agenda item. These documents might include:

1. Secretary-General reports on the agenda items being discussed
2. Letters submitted by Member States on the agenda item in question
3. Substantive reports written by UN experts
4. The Programme of Work itself, etc.

All such documents need to be available for ready reference by delegates.

How It Might Be Done at a Model UN Conference

First, the General Committee should discuss the provisional agenda and determine recommendations. Next, the Model UN Secretariat (i.e., the Secretary-General and the Under-Secretaries-General (USGs)) should prepare Secretary-General reports on each agenda item. These reports should provide a detailed history of the agenda item, including actions the UN has already taken. These reports will be used by the delegates as a resource to assist them in preparing their Position Papers.

In many cases, the UN Secretariat maintains a website from which documents can be downloaded. The website needs to be monitored regularly as new documents are posted there.

UN Document Symbols

Documents issued by the UN Secretariat are identified by symbols that delegates will have to learn. The system for identifying documents should mirror what is used at the UN.

The first component of a symbol indicates the organ to which the document is submitted, or the organ that is issuing the document. For example:

A number of document symbols include sessional or year components following the body elements. For example

The symbol’s final component is the sequential number assigned to the document in the series.

For example, the GA’s 67th session agenda would be labelled as follows:

A/67/251

“A” signifies that it is a GA document. “67” signifies which GA session it belongs to “251” signifies the number assigned to the document.

For more information, see the page on UN Document Symbols. A Model UN conference should use the same format for its documents and modify it accordingly.

Choosing the Appropriate Rules of Procedure

The recommended Rules of Procedure for use by Model UN conferences simulating the GA can be found here: www.un.org/mun. They are based on the actual Rules of Procedure used at the UN. Almost all the GA simulations organized around the world use parliamentary rules of procedure that are very different from what is used at the UN. It is strongly recommended that the UN Rules of Procedure included in this guide be used instead of any other.

The Rules of Procedure play a critical role in making sure that the deliberations that take place during formal meetings be carried in the most efficient way possible. Inadequate Rules of Procedure used at some Model UN conferences are unnecessarily complex and do not properly reflect those used at the UN. In the UN, the rules are simpler and invoked less frequently. Incorrect rules detract from the work that needs to be carried out and are a waste of time. Adopting the Rules of Procedure suggested in this manual should make it easier to manage meetings. It should also help complete the Programme of Work in a more efficient manner.