What Is the General Assembly of the United Nations?
The United Nations, founded in 1945, comprises numerous committees and bodies, including the General Assembly. The General Assembly is the main decision-making body of the U.N. and includes all member states of the U.N. The General Assembly has the power to pass nonbinding resolutions that recommend certain courses of action. It provides a forum for discussion of international issues and works to promote international cooperation, peace and human rights.
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History
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As the Second World War was coming to an end, representatives from 50 countries came together at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to create a new international organization to replace the failed League of Nations. One of the goals of this organization was to prevent future wars. By the end of June, these representatives had come to an agreement and drafted the Charter of the United Nations. When the U.N. was initially formed, there were 51 members. Today, the General Assembly has representatives from all 192 members of the United Nations.
Purpose
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According to Articles 11 and 13 of the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly is a forum for the discussion of issues related to the maintenance of international peace and security, promoting international cooperation and advancing international human rights. The General Assembly can make peaceful recommendations, called resolutions, to member countries or to other United Nations organizations. The General Assembly is not authorized to pass any resolutions calling for the use of force except in extreme circumstances.
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Resolutions
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General Assembly resolutions are recommendations that reflect the general opinion of the international community on certain issues. While resolutions are nonbinding, they can still carry political weight. For example, a member's failure to comply with a resolution may hurt its diplomatic relations with other countries. Resolutions may be proposed by any member state.
Membership and Voting
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Each member nation of the United Nations is a member of the General Assembly, and each member nation is given one vote. Each member state can send a single delegation of up to five representatives. To pass, General Assembly resolutions on important matters must achieve at least two-thirds of the vote of all members. According to Article 18 of the Charter, these issues include, but are not limited to, admission and expulsion of members, and the election of members to the Security Council, which is another body of the U.N., or to other U.N. organizations such as UNESCO. Less important resolutions must achieve only a regular majority.
Sessions
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According to the Charter, the General Assembly must meet in regular sessions each year. If there is a situation that requires it, such as an international crisis, either the Security Council or a majority of the members may call for a special emergency session of the General Assembly. The General Assembly of the United Nations meets in the General Assembly building at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
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References
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