Biennial cycle of sessions of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 2997 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972, by which it decided to establish the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme and specified the duration of the term of office of members of the Council,

Mindful that one of the main functions and responsibilities it entrusted to the Council in resolution 2997 (XXVII) was to review and approve annually the programme of utilization of resources of the Environment Fund referred to in section III of that resolution,

Recalling its decision in section I, paragraph 3, of resolution 2997 (XXVII) that the Governing Council should report to the General Assembly annually through the Economic and Social Council and its request in paragraph 5 of resolution 3436 (XXX) of 9 December 1975 that the Governing Council should keep the Assembly informed annually of any new international convention concluded in the field of the environment and of the status of existing conventions,

Bearing in mind its resolution 38/32 D of 25 November 1983, in which it requested its subsidiary organs to consider meeting and reporting on a biennial basis, and its resolution 40/200 of 17 December 1985, in which it welcomed the decision of the Governing Council to change to a biennial cycle of sessions on an experimental basis,

Taking note with satisfaction of Governing Council decision 14/4 of 18 June 1987 on the periodicity and duration of sessions of the Council,

Having considered the possibility of changing the duration of the term of office of members of the Governing Council in recognition of the change to a biennial cycle of sessions,

1.         Decides that there shall be no regular session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988 and that, beginning in 1989, the regular sessions of the Council shall be held only in odd-numbered years;

2.         Also decides that the Governing Council shall hold a special one-week session every six years, beginning in 1988, to consider and approve the system-wide medium-term environment programme and to consider the global programme on the environment of the proposed United Nations medium-term plan;

3.         Further decides that in 1988 the Governing Council shall meet to consider and approve the next system-wide medium-term environment programme and to consider appropriate changes to the global programme on the environment of the extended United Nations medium-term plan for the period 1984-1989, and that it shall, at its regular session in 1989, consider the global programme on the environment of the next United Nations medium-term plan before submitting it to the General Assembly for approval;

4.         Requests the Secretary-General to conduct consultations with Governments to establish the necessary transitional arrangements for a change in the term of office of members of the Governing Council from three years to four, with half of the membership being elected every two years;

5.         Decides that the reports requested of the Governing Council in section I, paragraph 3, of its resolution 2997 (XXVII) and in paragraph 5 of its resolution 3436 (XXX) shall be submitted biennially instead of annually.