By Phoebe Shambaugh, 30 August 2016

On 27 July, 2016, the General Assembly held a plenary meeting on agenda item 121, or the “Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council.” The oral decision under consideration was the result of the President of the General Assembly’s consultations with Member States regarding the “elements of convergence” text circulated on 12 July, which arose from the Intergovernmental Negotiations during the current session.

by Alex Maresca, 27 June 2016

On 22 March, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly (AHWG) held its official debate on the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General. In contrast to February’s “informal brainstorming session,” Member States were encouraged to address any and all issues pertaining to this subject. While some speakers emphasized the two issues featured during the informal meeting—the single term proposal and the recommendation of multiple candidates—others took the opportunity to voice other concerns.

By Alex Maresca, 15 March 2016

On 29 February 2016, the co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly (AHWG) convened an “informal brainstorming session” on the selection and appointment of the UN Secretary-General. In particular, the meeting was intended to address two proposals: the appointment of the Secretary-General to a single, non-renewable term and the recommendation of more than one candidate by the Security Council to the General Assembly.

by Alex Maresca, 14 March 2016

As Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations for the 70th session (IGN), Ambassador Sylvie Lucas (Luxembourg) convened the first meeting of the IGN for the 70th session on 3 February 2016. The meeting was intended to address the relationship between the General Assembly and the Security Council, in order to identify “areas of convergence between the positions and proposals of Member States.”

By Alex Maresca, 21 January 2016

On 19 January 2016, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly (AHWG) officially began its work for the 70th session. As in previous years, the session formally opened with a general debate, to be followed by thematic debates on the four thematic clusters addressed within the AHWG.