The General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA/GA) is one of the six main organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. Each nation, rich or poor, large or small, has one vote. Comprising all 193 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter. It is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Its powers are to oversee the budget of the United Nations, appoint the nonpermanent members to the Security Council, receive reports from other parts of the United Nations and make recommendations in the form of General Assembly Resolutions. It has also established a wide number of subsidiary organs. The Assembly meets under its president or Secretary-General in regular session intensively from September to December each year, and thereafter as required. It can also reconvene for special and emergency special sessions. The first session was convened on 10 January 1946 in the Westminster Central Hall in London and included representatives of 51 nations. The president of the General Assembly is now Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser from Quatar, Asia. The presidency rotates annually between the five geographic groups: African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and other States. The only country that had a national elected as President of the United Nations General Assembly twice is Argentina; all the other member states had been represented only once by their nationals holding this office. Voting in the General Assembly on important questions recommendations on peace and security; election of members to organs; admission, suspension, and expulsion of members; budgetary matters is by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. Other questions are decided by majority vote. The General Assembly also approves the budget of the United Nations, and decides how much money each member state must pay to run the organization. Countries are seated alphabetically in the General Assembly according to English translations of the countries' names. However, the country which occupies the front-most left position (and hence the countries' seating position in the Assembly) is rotated annually by ballot. One country is balloted each year to sit in the front-most left position, and the remaining countries follow alphabetically behind it The General Assembly subsidiary organs are divided into five categories: committees (30 total, six main), commissions (seven), boards (six), councils and panels (five), working groups, and "other".