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Composition
The General Conference consists of the representatives of
the States Members of the Organization. It meets every two years,
and is attended by Member
States and Associate
Members, together with observers for non-Member-States, intergovernmental
organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Functions
The General Conference determines the policies and the main
lines of work of the Organization (article
IV of the Constitution) :
- discussing all the issues concerning the general policy of the
Organization, and occasionally by focusing on certain major themes;
- adopting for the next two years a programme and budget, the
draft of which is submitted to the General Conference and is the
outcome of a consultation process between the Member States and
the Secretariat;
- electing the Members of the Executive Board;
- appointing, every four years, the Director-General;
- adopting the (six-year) Medium-Term Strategy of the Organization.
Frequency
The General Conference meets every two years in ordinary session.
If required, it may also hold extraordinary sessions. Since the founding
of UNESCO, the General Conference has met 31 times in ordinary session
and 4 times in extraordinary session. The most recent session was
held in Paris, at UNESCO Headquarters, from 15 October to 3 November
2001.
Stages
of the General Conference
The General Conference begins with an opening ceremony in
plenary, temporarily presided over by the head of the delegation whose
country was President at the previous session. It approves its agenda,
prepared by the Executive Board, then elects its President and Vice-Presidents,
on the proposal of the Nominations Commitee. Next, the Director-General
introduces the general policy debate by presenting the draft medium-term
strategy programme and budget. During the last three days of the session,
the Plenary resumes its work in order to consider and adopt the reports
of the Commissions and the budget by the Commissions become decisions
(called Resolutions) of the General Conference.
Structure
and functioning
Plenary meeting
The general assembly of the Member States, or plenary meeting, examines
the recommendations submitted to it and takes all decisions. Heads
of delegations attend the plenary meeting and take part in the general
policy debate.
General Committee
The General Committee of the General Conference consists of the President
and Vice-Presidents of the General Conference, and the Chairpersons
of its subsidiary bodies. The General Committee steers the work of
the session and coordinates the work of the commissions. It sets the
agenda of the plenary meetings, draws up the list of speakers in the
general policy debate, and examines requests for the inclusion of
new items in the agenda. Each commission chairperson makes a regular
report to the General Committee on the progress of the work.
Subsidiary bodies
The General Conference may set up, at each session, whatever subsidiary
bodies it deems necessary for the conduct of its work. In view of
the many topics to be addressed, the plenary meeting refers a large
part of the agenda items to the commissions and committees. The elected
bureau of each commission consists of a Chairperson, four Vice-Chairpersons
and a Rapporteur, who are assisted by a secretariat composed of staff
members specially seconded to the commission for the duration of the
session. The agendas of the commissions are organized around one of
the main themes of UNESCO’s programme, but each commission considers
a great variety of topics connected with the central one.
There are also four statutory committees :
the Credentials Committee is made up of nine members elected at
the first plenary meeting on the proposal of the Temporary President;
it checks the credentials of participants. the Legal Committee consists
of 21 members elected at the previous session; it is responsible
for considering draft amendments to the Constitution or Rules of
Procedure of the General Conference, and legal matters which are
submitted to it. the Nominations Committee consists of the heads
of all the delegations with voting rights at the General Conference;
it examines and submits to the General Conference proposals concerning
the composition of commissions and committees and other bodies whose
members must be elected by the General Conference. the Headquarters
Committee consists of 24 members elected at the previous session;
it advises the Director-General on questions concerning the Organization’s
Headquarters. It reports thereon to the General Conference.
Information
Office
To find out all you want to know about the schedule, content and workings
of the General Conference, contact the Delegates’ Information Office.
The daily schedule of meetings will be displayed in the hall of the
Conference Building and on the closed-circuit television screens;
it will also be announced in the Journal
of the General Conference. Detailed information on the General Conference
and its workings, in particular the Constitution
and the Rules
of Procedure, can be found in the "Manual of the General
Conference (2002 Edition)" which is available in meeting rooms.
Documents
To indicate which documents your delegation would like to receive
during the General Conference, in what language and how many copies,
all you need to do is fill in G.C./Form 18 which can be obtained from
the Documents Distribution service, in the basement of the Conference
Building. You will find your documents every day in your pigeon-hole
at that counter. In each meeting room, delegates will find at their
place a complete set of the documents needed for the work of the body
which is using that room. It is recommended that that set of documents
should remain in the room so that it can be updated.
Essential reading
Two documents: C/1
(Agenda) and C/2
(Organization of work) must be read so that you can decide which commissions
and meetings you will attend. The same applies to the Journal
of the General Conference, which is issued every day, starting
on the first day of the session.
Seating arrangements
for delegates
In the plenary meeting rooms and in the commissions, Member States
have a place which is allocated in alphabetical order according to
the name of each country in French, starting with a country which
is chosen by drawing lots. The number of seats per delegation varies
according to the room. Places will be set aside for observers.
Working languages
The working languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian
and Spanish. Simultaneous interpretation is provided in these six
languages; all documents which require a decision by the General Conference
are also published in these languages. Information documents (C/INF.)
and the Journal of the General Conference are available in English
and French only.
Registration
Registration will take place at the Delegates’ Reception Desk in the
foyer opposite Room I of the Conference Building, at the Fontenoy
site. You will be given your badge, which must be shown at the entrances
of all buildings and at security checks. The same service also registers
persons accompanying delegates and provides them with a special visitor’s
badge which allows them to enter the buildings throughout the General
Conference. Representatives from intergovernmental organizations and
observers from non-governmental organizations and Foundations are
requested to register at the NGO Reception Desk (Fontenoy Building,
Room III).
Credentials
Credentials must be sent one week before the opening date of the session
(Rule 23 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Conference). Delegations
whose credentials have not yet been presented to the Director-General
are requested to hand them directly to the Secretariat of the Credentials
Committee, which is responsible for checking the credentials of all
the delegations.
Speakers' List
Before or at the beginning of the session, check with the Speakers’
List service that the day and time when the head of your delegation
is due to speak in the general policy debate in plenary correspond
to the request made by your delegation. If your country is not yet
on the Speakers’ List, and if the head of your delegation would like
to speak in plenary, the registration must be carried out by the above-mentioned
service as early as possible, preferably before the end of the second
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