| IV. The General Conference |
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A. Composition |
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1. |
The General Conference shall
consist of the representatives of the States Members of the Organization. The Government
of each Member State shall appoint not more than five delegates, who shall be selected
after consultation with the National Commission, if established, or with educational,
scientific and cultural bodies. |
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B. Functions |
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2. |
The General Conference shall
determine the policies and the main lines of work of the Organization. It shall take
decisions on programmes submitted to it by the Executive Board. |
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3. |
The General Conference shall,
when it deems desirable and in accordance with the regulations to be made by it, summon
international conferences of States on education, the sciences and humanities or the
dissemination of knowledge; non-governmental conferences on the same subjects may be
summoned by the General Conference or by the Executive Board in accordance with such
regulations. |
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4. |
The General Conference shall,
in adopting proposals for submission to the Member States, distinguish between
recommendations and international conventions submitted for their approval. In the former
case a majority vote shall suffice; in the latter case a two-thirds majority shall be
required. Each of the Member States shall submit recommendations or conventions to its
competent authorities within a period of one year from the close of the session of the
General Conference at which they were adopted. |
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5. |
Subject to the provisions of
Article V, paragraph 6(c), the General Conference shall advise the United Nations
Organization on the educational, scientific and cultural aspects of matters of concern to
the latter, in accordance with the terms and procedure agreed upon between the appropriate
authorities of the two Organizations. |
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6. |
The General Conference shall
receive and consider the reports sent to the Organization by Member States on the action
taken upon the recommendations and conventions referred to in paragraph 4 above or, if it
so decides, analytical summaries of these reports. |
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7. |
The General Conference shall
elect the Members of the Executive Board and, on the recommendation of the Board, shall
appoint the Director-General. |
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C. Voting |
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8. |
(a) Each Member State shall have one
vote in the General Conference. Decisions shall be made by a simple majority except in
cases in which a two-thirds majority is required by the provisions of this Constitution,
or the Rules of Procedure of the General Conference. A majority shall be a majority of the
Members present and voting.
(b) A Member State shall have no vote in the General Conference if the total amount
of contributions due from it exceeds the total amount of contributions payable by it for
the current year and the immediately preceding calendar year.
(c) The General Conference may nevertheless permit such a Member State to vote, if
it is satisfied that failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member
State. |
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D. Procedure |
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9. |
(a) The General Conference shall meet in
ordinary session every two years. It may meet in extraordinary session if it decides to do
so itself or if summoned by the Executive Board, or on the demand of at least one third of
the Member States.
(b) At each session the location of its next ordinary session shall be designated by
the General Conference. The location of an extraordinary session shall be decided by the
General Conference if the session is summoned by it, or otherwise by the Executive Board. |
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10. |
The General Conference shall adopt its own
rules of procedure. It shall at each session elect a President and other officers. |
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11. |
The General Conference shall set up special
and technical committees and such other subsidiary organs as may be necessary for its
purposes. |
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12. |
The General Conference shall cause
arrangements to be made for public access to meetings, subject to such regulations as it
shall prescribe. |
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E. Observers |
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13. |
The General Conference, on the recommendation
of the Executive Board and by a two-thirds majority may, subject to its rules of
procedure, invite as observers at specified sessions of the Conference or of its
commissions representatives of international organizations, such as those referred to in
Article XI, paragraph 4. |
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14. |
When consultative arrangements
have been approved by the Executive Board for such international non-governmental or
semi-governmental organizations in the manner provided in Article XI, paragraph 4, those
organizations shall be invited to send observers to sessions of the General Conference and
its commissions. |
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