What is the UN General Assembly, and how does it work?
The United Nations was launched after WWII in a bid to build a better world. But its General Assembly is often criticised as a venue where discussion rarely bears fruit. What can we expect from the 72nd meeting of the body this week?
The general debate takes place in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
What is the UN General Assembly for?
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations, set up after World War II, as its Charter states, to end “the scourge of war” and regain “faith in fundamental human rights.”
The UNGA provides world leaders from the current 193 member states with a forum where they can discuss, debate and make recommendations on subjects pertaining to international peace and security, including development, disarmament, human rights and international law.
In principle, the UN is a perfect democracy. Every member nation, small or large, rich or poor, has an equal voice in the Assembly. And each country has one vote, of equal value.
Resolutions adopted in the General Assembly carry political weight, but they are not binding, unlike Security Council resolutions, which is where the real power resides at the United Nations.
The UNGA was established in 1945 as a founding institution of the UN under the Charter of the United Nations.
Is the General Assembly different than the Security Council?
Yes, it is. The UN Security Council (UNSC) is more powerful than the General Assembly, the UN’s most representative organ.
The General Assembly consists of 193 members, each of whom has one vote. The UNSC has 15 members, five of which are permanent members. Those five were key allies and victors in World War II, out of the ashes of which the UN was born.
The five permanent members are Britain, China, France, Russia (originally the Soviet Union), and the USA. Although all fifteen members each have a vote, the five permanent members have veto power. A veto by any one of the five kills any resolution brought before the council.
Since 1990, the US has vetoed 16 UNSC resolutions, especially on issues relating to Israeli-Palestinian relations. Russia has vetoed 17 resolutions, including eight resolutions concerning Syria.
What sort of decisions does UNGA make?
The General Assembly discusses any subject tabled by a member state, including social, humanitarian and cultural issues.
Leaders often talk about international cooperation, threats to peace and economic development.
The forum also has a range of vital decisions to make within the UN system such as appointing the secretary general, electing the non-permanent members of the Security Council and approving the UN regular budget.
The general debate and the General Assembly are not open to the public. Due to the large number of VIPs attending, additional security measures are taken in and around the UN premises.
What is the theme of the general debate this year? And how is it selected?
The 2017 theme is "Focusing on People — Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet."
The president-elect of the General Assembly suggests a topic/theme of global concern for the upcoming general debate, based on informal discussions with member states, the current president of the General Assembly, and the secretary-general.
Shortly after his/her election, the president-elect sends a letter to all member states announcing the theme for the upcoming general debate and inviting them to focus their speeches on the proposed theme.
Who is and who isn't attending this year?
With wars and conflict ongoing in several parts of the world, including in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, the General Assembly Hall may not be full this year.
Facing pressure over the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in her country, Myanmar's de facto leader State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi has scrapped plans to attend.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that he is skipping the forum because he is “very busy.” Venezuela is suffering a ravaging economic crisis, with hyperinflation and critical shortages of food and medicine.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is not taking part this year. But it has been his habit to miss the General Assembly meetings.
Putin attended the 70th session of the General Assembly in 2015. His previous appearance was in 2005.
Other expected no-shows in 2017 will be Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, India's President Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping.
The absence of the leaders of the world's two biggest countries, and of Security Council members China and Russia indicates something of the status of the General Assembly in some quarters.
However, this year’s event will also see many new faces.
The event will mark the debut of the new UN chief, Antonio Guterres, the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Guterres will preside over the Assembly's general debate for the first time.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump are among other new faces.
Trump will speak on September 19, sharing the early session. He will also speak on September 18, before the world leaders debate begins.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will attend, as will Iran's President Hassan Rouhani.
Other heads of state or government confirmed to attend include Brazil, Britain, Egypt, Slovakia, Nigeria, Jordan, Colombia, Mali, Monaco, Qatar, Afghanistan, South Korea, Bolivia, Poland, Dominican Republic, Iraq, Burundi and South Sudan. A noticeable no-show is expected to be North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, whose recent missile and nuclear tests have aroused the ire of the world body.
What is on agenda?
Despite Kim's absence, the Korean Peninsula crisis will be on the agenda.
The Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, which the UN has branded as "ethnic cleansing," is also expected to be discussed, as will be ongoing conflicts or crises in Central African Republic, Iraq, Mali, Libya, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
What is the length of the speeches in general debate?
A voluntary 15-minute time limit for statements is observed in the general debate. But it has not always been adhered to.
Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (L) delivered a speech that ran 90 minutes instead of the allotted 15 during the 64th General Assembly in 2009. It was his first appearance at the forum despite decades in power.
Why is Brazil always the first country to speak at the general debate?
Brazil, as history has it, always speaks first. In the early years of the organisation, Brazil was the first country willing to speak at the General Assembly meetings. So it became a tradition, and Brazil has sort of earned a name for itself in the General Assembly.
In 1947, Brazilian foreign minister Osvaldo Aranha chaired the First Special Session of the General Assembly and the Second Session of the General Assembly. Since 1947, Brazil has been the first country to speak at the general debate.
The United States, as the host country, is the second member state to speak, regardless of the level of representation.
The speaking order for all other member states is based on the level of representation, preference and other criteria such as geographic balance.
Seating in the grand hall of the General Assembly is arranged by lottery.
Do speakers have to speak English?
No, they do not.
The official working languages of the UN are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. But any representative may make a speech in a language other than the languages of the General Assembly.
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