Report on the 2nd and 3rd Thematic Meeting in the Ad Hoc Working Group on Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly
By Mie Hansen
On 30 April 2012 and 10 May 2012 the Ad Hoc Working Group (AHWG) on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly held its 2nd and 3rd thematic meetings, discussing respectively “Working methods of the General Assembly, implementation of GA resolutions and the agenda, as well as operational and technical issues” and “The role of the General Assembly in the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General of the UN, as well as in the selection of candidatures for other executive Heads of the UN system”. This report provides a summary of the two meetings
Meeting 30 April 2012: Working methods of the General Assembly, implementation of GA resolutions and the agenda, as well as operational and technical issues
At this meeting, in accordance with resolution 65/315 adopted on GA revitalization in September 2011, the Co-Chairs of the AHWG, Ambassador Waffa-Ogoo of the Gambia and Ambassador Lomaia of Georgia, had invited the Chairs of the six Main Committees of the GA to brief the Member States on discussions in the Committees on improving working methods. Member States were briefed by all of the Chairs of the Main Committees, except from the Chair of the 5th Committee who could not be present at the meeting.
The Chair of the 1st Committee stressed the need to avoid repetitions in resolutions and also said that it would be good if interventions in the Committee’s debates could be more condensed and less repetitive. The Chair of the 4th Committee explained the steps already taken to improve the working methods of the Committee and rationalize the agenda and added that at the moment the Committee had decided not to rationalize further. The Chair of the 2nd Committee stressed that the 2nd Committee was the only Committee to adopt a declaration on working methods during the 65th GA session. Further, the Chair said that focus should now be on the follow-up to the resolution adopted and that a holistic approach should be taken. The Chair of the 3rd Committee highlighted the efforts done to improve the working methods of the Committee as well as pointed out areas that needed further improvement and underlined that the Committee will continue, in consultation with Member States, to consider and make proposals for the further rationalization of items on its agenda. Finally, the Chair of the 6th Committee stressed that improvements had already been made in the working methods of the Committee, including meeting respecting the agreed calendar and the allotted time. Further, the Chair said that the agenda of the Committee could be further rationalized and he also stressed that open and inclusive consultations on all resolutions were needed.
Following the briefings, Member States raised a number of questions and commented on the presentations. Algeria, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) noted that the working methods of each Committee vary due to the different nature of the Committees and stressed in this regard, that while clustering, biennialization etc. make sense in some Committees, it does not in others. Pakistan asked if rationalization necessarily lead to promoting the effectiveness of the Committees – that is, if fewer resolutions really would result in a more effective GA. In response to this, the Chair of the 1st Committee said that, in his personal view, fewer agenda item would allow for a proper discussion of the most important issues.
Subsequently, the Director of the Meetings and Publishing Division of Department for General Assembly and Conference Management delivered a presentation on the successes and challenges in the process of improving documentation. The Director pointed out some of the improvements achieved as a result of decisions taken in the AHWG in this regard, and outlined the way forward. The Director stressed, among other things that the creation of new e-tools had been an important element in bringing down the number of document hard copies. The way forward, the Director said, was based on four pillars: 1) Web portals 2) E-publishing 3) E-tools 4) Print on demand - All helping increase sustainability, efficiency and accessibility. The Director described the portal developed for the Rio+20 Conference as an example of this, containing all relevant previous resolutions; information on previous meetings etc.; it has a print on demand button; and will webcast all the meetings in Rio. In response to the presentation, Member States raised a number of questions and comments. Cuba said that it supported reducing costs, but that this should be based on GA resolutions. Peru said that it would help a great deal if all six language websites were updated regularly, at least the general sections.
After the briefings, Member States delivered their prepared statements on “Working methods of the General Assembly, implementation of GA resolutions and the agenda, as well as operational and technical issues”.
A range of Member States aligned themselves with the statement made by Algeria on behalf of the NAM. Pakistan said that there are two equally important aspects in GA revitalization, namely efficiency and effectiveness. Discussion on improving the working methods of the GA and its Main Committees have taken place for many years and improvements have been made in the working methods, but the effectiveness and authority of the GA and its Main Committees have not been improved. Venezuela underscored its willingness to move ahead with improvements of the working methods of the GA but at the same time it would not accept anything that would diminish the role and authority of the GA. South Africa said, among other things, that there is a need to look at status of implementation of previously adopted resolutions. India said, in regard to the visibility of the GA, that Member States need to make the work of the GA relevant and for this political will is needed. Best practices of other international organization could be used to improve the GA, India said. Malaysia said that there was nothing undermining the work of the GA more than the lack of implementation of resolutions and stressed the urgent need to correct this lack. Belarus said that timely issuance of documents in all of the official languages was necessary. Cuba stressed that the interest of one State should never be seen as more important than the interest of another State. Cuba also said that some States just wanted to rationalize the agenda in order not to have to deal with certain issues. Nigeria said there was a need to take a look at the provisions in the UN Charter and relevant resolutions to make sure that these are interpreted correctly. Nigeria also stressed that the GA lacks an instrument to implement resolutions.
The representative of the European Union (EU) delivered a statement on behalf of the Union and aligned States. The EU said it attached particular importance to improving the working methods of the GA because this issue had the biggest potential to make real change and contribute to revitalization, along with the implementation of existing GA resolutions. In regard to the agenda of the GA and its Main Committees, the EU said that there was a need for further streamlining. The EU commended the achievements of the 2nd Committee in regard to improving its working methods and felt confident that other Committees would follow soon. The EU attached great value to the High-Level Meetings held during the General Debate, but also said that organizational and procedural aspects should be look into. Further, the EU reiterated the importance of improving the existing balloting system and the need to adapt it to modern technologies. The EU also stressed the need to improve the quality and accuracy of GA documents in all six official languages, as well as ensuring that documents were concise, relevant and issued on time. The EU welcomed the efforts made by the Secretariat to reduce the distribution of documents in hard copies, and supported a wider use of internet in order to timely distribute documents and information.
Among the permanent members of the Security Council the United States said that streamlining the GA agenda should be high priority for the working group, in order for the GA to focus on the most important issues. It deteriorates the role and authority of the GA when it deals with outdated issues, the US said. China said that revitalization of the GA went through implementation of resolutions and stressed that it is the job of the Member States to ensure implementation. China also underlined the need to strengthen the relationship between the GA and the Security Council, especially in regard to issues related to peace and security. The Russian Federation said that it had many times heard States say that discussions should focus on political not technical issues, but Russia stressed that it was not worth dealing with political issues if the technical aspects were not in order.
Among the other Member States speaking at the meeting, the Republic of Korea said that rationalization of GA agenda items would lead to better focus on important issues, while continued implementation of existing resolutions would lead to a more effective GA. Further, the Republic of Korea stressed the importance of enhancing public and media awareness through timely issuance of documents, electronic resources etc. Japan said that it found it appropriate to consider further streamlining and prioritizing the agenda of the GA and the Main Committees, as well as undertaking substantial discussion aimed at improving the working methods of each of the six Committees. In this regard, Japan welcomed the initiative of the President of the GA (PGA) to arrange a retreat on the working methods of the 5th Committee. Mexico stressed the need to identify concrete measures to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the GA. Mexico further stressed the need for a mechanism to follow-up on resolutions to ensure implementation of resolutions. Finally, Mexico noted that many Member States show much less interest in revitalization of the GA than in reform of the Security Council.
Algeria speaking on behalf of the NAM emphasized the need for making the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General more transparent and inclusive of all Member States and for the participation of the GA in the process to be more active, effective and efficient. The NAM said that the Security Council had assumed too large a role in this matter over the years, encroaching on the role of the GA, largely due to the interpretation made of Article 97 of the Charter by resolution 11(I) of 1946, in favor of the Security Council. In order to strengthen the role of the GA, the NAM suggested for the PGA to consult with Member States in order to identify and endorse candidates to the post of Secretary-General, and then have the outcome forwarded to the Council. Also, a formal presentation of candidatures before the GA would allow for an effective and useful interaction with Member States, the NAM said. The NAM emphasized the need for more specific timelines for the selection process and encouraged formal presentation of candidatures for the position in a manner that allowed sufficient time for interaction with Member States. The NAM noticed with regret that most of the provisions regarding the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General had not been implemented yet and therefore stressed the importance of fully implementing all resolution on this issue.
A range of States aligned themselves with the statement made by Algeria on behalf of the NAM. Among them India said that the GA must have a greater say in the process of selecting the Secretary-General and that resolutions on the process need to be implemented. India also said that there was a need to strengthen the process of selecting other executive heads of the UN. Belarus expressed concern that none of the previous resolutions on the issue had been implemented. It supported the proposal of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) in its report JIU/REP/2009/8 in regard to the process of appointing executive heads of the UN. Nicaragua said that there was a need for greater participation of Member States in the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General and a need to comply with the provisions of the Charter in this regard. Indonesia said that regional representation and other aspects needed to be taken into consideration in the process, and also welcomed the report of the JIU. Cuba said that the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General was a clear example of the failure to implement GA resolutions - the issue had been discussed for many years and several resolutions had been adopted but still none of them had been implemented.
The representative of the EU spoke on behalf of the Union and aligned States. The EU said the process of selecting the Secretary-General needed to be transparent and inclusive of all Member States and said that it believed that the PGA could play a constructive role in the process, in particular by informally consulting with Member States. This could be facilitated by the presentation of candidatures for the position in a manner that allowed sufficient time for interaction with Member States. The EU took note of the recommendations contained in the report of the JIU in regard to enhancing transparency and credibility in the selection process of executive Heads in the UN.
Among the permanent members of the Security Council the United States said that it did not see the need to change the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General because the process already worked well with the respective roles of the GA and the Security Council in the process clearly defined in Article 97 of the Charter. The US further said that just as the Security Council would not interfere with the GA’s role in the process likewise should the GA abstain from trying to interfere with the role of the Council. The Russian Federation declared itself open to discussing how to optimize the existing procedures of selecting the Secretary-General but at the same time stressed that any initiative should be based on the prerogatives of the UN Charter.
Among the other States delivering statements Japan said that it highly appreciated the smooth process last year by which H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon was appointed for a second term as Secretary-General. Further, Japan said it would be useful to continue to review the experiences in the implementation of the relevant GA resolutions in anticipation of the next selection process, taking place in less than five years. The Republic of Korea stressed that gaining the widest possible support in the process of selecting the Secretary-General was of utmost importance. The process should be transparent and inclusive, the Republic of Korea said, and expressed its readiness to consider any creative ideas in this regard. Mexico said that the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General should be more transparent and include all Member States, and Mexico stressed the importance of respecting all provisions related to the issue.