Pattern of conferences

XXIX. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE
3351. Pattern of conferences

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 1202 (XII) of 13 December 1957, 1851 (XVII) of 19 December 1962, 1987 (XVIII) of 17 December 1963, 2116 (XX) of 21 December 1965, 2239 (XXI) of 20 December 1966, 2361 (XXII) of 19 December 1967, 2478 (XXIII) of 21 December 1968, 2609 (XXIV) of 16 December 1969, 2693 (XXV) of 11 December 1970, 2834 (XXVI) of 17 December 1971 and 2960 (XXVII) of 13 December 1972, Having considered the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on the pattern of conferences of the United Nations and the possibilities for more rational and economic use of its conference resources[1] and the comments of the Secretary-GeneraI[2] and of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions[3] thereon, Having also considered the report of the Secretary-General[4] submitting the calendar of conferences and meetings for 1975 and the tentative calendar for 1976,

I

1. Notes with appreciation the report of the Joint Inspection Unit and the-comments of the Secretary General and of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions thereon;

2. Approves the calendar of conferences and meetings for 1975 as set forth in the report of the Secretary-General;

3. Decides that no conferences or meetings other than those covered by the calendar of conferences for 1975 shall be convened, except under special or unusual circumstances;

4. Reaffirms for application in 1975, as appropriate, the provisions of paragraphs 9 and 10 of its resolution 2609 (XXIV);

5. Decides that subsidiary bodies of the General Assembly should not under ordinary circumstances create new standing bodies or ad hoc sessional or intersessional bodies which require additional resources without the approval of the Assembly and requests the other principal organs of the United Nations to take a similar decision with regard to their respective subsidiary bodies;

6. Endorses the recommendations regarding interpretation services contained in chapter VII, section 4, of the report of the Joint Inspection Unit, subject to the related comments of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;

II

1. Decides to establish, on an experimental basis and subject to review at its thirty-second session, a Committee on Conferences composed of twenty-two Member States;

2. Requests the President of the General Assembly, after consultations with the Chairmen of the regional groups, to designate Member States, on the basis of an equitable geographical balance, to serve on the Committee for three-year terms;

3. Decides that the terms of reference of the Committee on Conferences shall be:

(a) To submit for the approval of the General Assembly the pattern of conferences and changes to be made in that pattern as required, bearing in mind the provisions of paragraph 12 of resolution 2609 (XXIV);

(b) To propose for adoption by the General Assembly, in accordance with the pattern of conferences, the annual calendar of conferences;

(c) To act after appropriate consultations on behalf of the General Assembly in dealing between sessions with requested departures from the calendar of conferences;

(d) To recommend to the General Assembly means to ensure the optimum apportionment of conference resources, facilities and services, in order to maximize their efficient and effective use and, in this respect, to consider the feasibility of a quota system to allocate resources among various fields of activity;

(e) To advise the General Assembly on the current and future requirements of the Organization for conference services and facilities;

(f) To advise the General Assembly on means to ensure improved co-ordination of conferences within the United Nations system, including conference services and facilities, and to conduct appropriate consultations to that end;

4. Requests the Committee on Conferences to take into account, as appropriate, the report of the Joint Inspection Unit, as well as the comments of the Secretary-General and of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions thereon, and relevant statements made by Member States in the Fifth Committee.

2324th plenary meeting
18 December 1974

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[1] A/9795. [2] A/9795/Add.1, sect. I. [3] A/9795/ Add.2. [4] A/9768 and Corr.1; see also A/9768/Add.1.