Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly

A/RES/64/301No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 118Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, published in 2010.

What other versions does this mandate have?

20 versions · 1992–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/79/327

2025A/RES/79/327Revitalization of the work of the General AssemblyLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/77/335Revitalization of the work of the General AssemblyCompare with previous version
2021A/RES/75/325Revitalization of the work of the General AssemblyCompare with previous version
2020A/RES/74/303Revitalization of the work of the General AssemblyCompare with previous version
2019A/RES/73/341Revitalization of the work of the General AssemblyCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Appointment of Officials Documents Distribution Knowledge Management Mass Media Public Information

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2011.

2011A/65/712Report of the Secretary-General on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

23 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly;

Decides to establish, at its sixty-fifth session, an ad hoc working group on the revitalization of the General Assembly, open to all Member States:

To identify further ways to enhance the role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency of the Assembly, inter alia, by building on previous resolutions and evaluating the status of their implementation;

To submit a report thereon to the Assembly at its sixty-fifth session;

Also decides that the Ad Hoc Working Group, at the sixty-fifth session, shall undertake a comprehensive review of the inventory contained in the annex to the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group submitted at the sixty-third session, and requests the Secretary-General to submit an update of the provisions of the General Assembly resolutions on revitalization that have been addressed to the Secretariat for implementation that have not yet been implemented, with an indication of the constraints and reasons that are behind any lack of implementation, for further consideration by the Ad Hoc Working Group;

Role and authority of the General Assembly

Reaffirms the role and authority of the General Assembly, including on questions relating to international peace and security, as stipulated in Articles 10 to 14 and 35 of the Charter of the United Nations, where appropriate, using the procedures set forth in rules 7 to 10 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly which enable swift and urgent action by the Assembly, bearing in mind that the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with Article 24 of the Charter;

Welcomes the holding of thematic debates on current issues of critical importance to the international community, and invites the President of the General Assembly to continue with this practice in consultation with Member States;

Also welcomes the periodic informal briefings by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly on his priorities, travels and most recent activities, and encourages him to continue with this practice;

Stresses the importance of ensuring increased cooperation, coordination and exchange of information among the principal organs, and in this regard welcomes the holding of periodic meetings between the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council;

Welcomes the practice of the President of the General Assembly of informing Member States about the outcome of these informal meetings through letters on a regular basis, and encourages future Presidents to continue with this practice;

Also welcomes the improvements that have been made in the quality of the annual reports of the Security Council to the General Assembly, encourages the Council to make further improvements as necessary, and takes note of the holding of informal meetings of the President of the Council with all Member States before the preparation of the report;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit proposals in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013, to review the budget allocation to the Office of the President of the General Assembly in accordance with existing procedures;

Also requests the Secretary-General to endeavour to ensure, within existing resources, that the President of the General Assembly is provided with proper protocol and security services and adequate office space, with a view to enabling the President to carry out his or her functions in a manner commensurate with the dignity and stature of the Office;

Welcomes the establishment of the Trust Fund in support of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, and invites Member States to contribute to the Fund;

Invites the Presidents of the General Assembly to periodically brief Member States on their recent activities, including official travels;

Selection and appointment of the Secretary-General

Reaffirms its commitment to continuing, in the Ad Hoc Working Group at the sixty-fifth session, in accordance with the provisions of Article 97 of the Charter, its consideration of the revitalization of the role of the General Assembly in the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General, and calls for the full implementation of all relevant resolutions, including, 11 (I) of 24 January 1946, 51/241, and 60/286, in particular paragraphs 17 to 22 of the annex thereto, which read as follows:

“17. Recalls Article 97 of the Charter, as well as the provisions of General Assembly resolutions 11(I) of 24 January 1946 and 51/241, as relevant to the role of the Assembly in appointing the Secretary-General, upon the recommendation of the Security Council;

“18. Emphasizes, bearing in mind the provisions of Article 97 of the Charter, the need for the process of selection of the Secretary-General to be inclusive of all Member States and made more transparent and that, in the course of the identification and appointment of the best candidate for the post of Secretary-General, due regard should be given to regional rotation and gender equality, and invites the Security Council to regularly update the General Assembly on the steps it has taken in this regard;

“19. Encourages, without prejudice to the role of the principal organs as enshrined in Article 97 of the Charter, the President of the General Assembly to consult with Member States to identify potential candidates endorsed by a Member State and, upon informing all Member States of the results, to forward those results to the Security Council;

“20. Also encourages formal presentation of candidatures for the position of Secretary-General in a manner that allows sufficient time for interaction with Member States, and requests candidates to present their views to all States members of the General Assembly;

“21. Recalls paragraph 61 of its resolution 51/241, in which it is stated that, in order to ensure a smooth and efficient transition, the Secretary-General should be appointed as early as possible, preferably no later than one month before the date on which the term of the incumbent expires;

“22. Emphasizes the importance of candidates for the post of Secretary-General possessing and displaying, inter alia, commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, extensive leadership, and administrative and diplomatic experience;”

Strengthening the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly

Welcomes the submission by the President of the General Assembly to the Ad Hoc Working Group of his views on the strengthening of the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the Assembly, in accordance with paragraph 5 of resolution 63/309;

Takes note of the recommendations contained in the annex to the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group;

Requests the outgoing Presidents of the General Assembly to brief their successors on the lessons learned and best practices;

Working methods

Requests that the General Assembly and its Main Committees, at the sixty-fifth session, in consultation with Member States, make proposals for the further biennialization, triennialization, clustering and elimination of items on the agenda of the Assembly, taking into account the relevant recommendations of the Ad Hoc Working Group, including through the introduction of the sunset clause, with the clear consent of the sponsoring State or States;

Takes note of the briefing on documentation provided to the Ad Hoc Working Group, and encourages Member States to make full use of the e-services provided by the Secretariat, taking into account the cost savings and the reduced environmental impact that may accrue from this exercise, in order to improve the quality and distribution of documents;

Stresses the importance of further enhancing public and media awareness of the work and decisions of the General Assembly, and requests continued consideration of this issue in the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) at the sixty-fifth session under the item entitled “Questions relating to information”;

Decides that the Ad Hoc Working Group, during the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, shall consider options for more time-effective, efficient and secure balloting, reiterating the need to ascertain the credibility, reliability and confidentiality of the balloting process, and requests the Secretariat to submit an update on the latest developments.

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