GA Revitalization Resolution Adopted
ReformtheUN.org e-Update, Issue #143 - GA Revitalization Resolution Adopted
New York, 6 September 2006 – The Ad Hoc Working Group for General Assembly Revitalization reached agreement on a draft resolution yesterday, 5 September, after twelve meetings since February 2006. The draft was recommended for adoption by the Assembly as a whole, and it was adopted in the Plenary yesterday afternoon.
The last item negotiated was how to continue the work of revitalizing the GA (based on Paragraphs 4 and 5 of the World Summit Outcome document). Delegations finally agreed to invite the GA President to “convene consultations among Member States to decide on the establishment of an ad hoc working group on revitalization of the General Assembly, open to all Member States”, and further agreed that such a working group would have two tasks: “to identify ways to further enhance the role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency of the General Assembly, inter alia, by building on relevant Assembly resolutions and reviewing the agenda and working methods of the Assembly; and to submit a report to the General Assembly at its sixty-first session.”
The adopted Resolution also includes clauses on the Secretary-General selection process, including:
- the need to increase inclusiveness and transparency in the identification and appointment processes;
- the importance of regional rotation and gender equity;
- a suggested procedure for candidates to be identified and nominated through the GA instead of the Security Council, and a request that candidates “present their views to all Member States of the General Assembly”;
- the need for sufficient time for Member States to interact with candidates before the final selection is made; and
- a reiteration that the Secretary-General should be appointed no later than one month before the beginning of his or her term.
In a previous drafting meeting, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) supported a clause (“Insert 20bis”) asking the Security Council to recommend more than one candidate for Secretary-General – which would give the General Assembly a much larger role in the selection. The proposal was very contentious and faced opposition from Canada, the European Union, and the United States, among others, and it did not appear in the Co-Chairs’ draft of 31 August or the text approved yesterday. It is unclear whether the NAM will continue to support this proposal in another forum.
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