Improving the Effectiveness of the Methods of Work of the 1st Committee

Invites Member States to consider the biennialization or triennialization of the agenda items discussed in the First Committee, on a voluntary basis, and particularly when no specific action is required for the implementation of relevant resolutions;

Also invites Member States to continue to hold interactive debates based on a programme and format elaborated through informal consultations between the Bureau and Member States in advance of each First Committee session;

Further invites Member States to submit draft resolutions in a more concise, focused and action-oriented manner and, where practical, to consider the possibility of submitting draft decisions;

Recommends that the respective sponsors of draft resolutions hold informal consultations, both before and during First Committee meetings, with the participation of all interested Member States for furthering discussions on draft resolutions already submitted or yet to be submitted to the Committee;

Encourages Member States to introduce draft resolutions on related or complementary issues to find commonalities in the language and purpose of those draft resolutions, and invites Member States to consider pursuing mergers of such texts through consultations with all sponsors;

Also encourages Member States, in particular those that present any draft resolution, to follow up on the agreed resolution in order to contribute to the achievement of the objective of such resolution;

Encourages the First Committee to introduce presentations of, and focus discussions on, reports on the work of expert groups, the United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters initiated by the Committee;

Requests the First Committee, in the light of the growing interconnectedness of issues before the General Assembly, to explore the forms of mutual cooperation with other Main Committees;