Rules of procedure
I. Sessions
Regular Sessions
Opening date: Rule 1 | Closing date: Rule 2 | Place of meeting: Rule 3 | Place of meeting: Rule 4 | Notification of session: Rule 5 | Temporary adjournment of session: Rule 6
Special Sessions
Summoning by the General Assembly: Rule 7 | Summoning at the request of the Security Council or Members: Rule 8 | Notification of session: Rule 9 | Notification of session: Rule 10
Regular and Special Sessions
Notification to other bodies: Rule 11
Regular Sessions
Opening date
(a) The General Assembly shall meet every year in regular session commencing on the Tuesday of the second week in September, counting from the first week that contains at least one working day. [Rule based directly on a provision of the Charter (Art. 20); see introduction, paras. 51, 53 and 61 
]
(b) The general debate in the General Assembly shall open on the Tuesday of the fourth week in September, counting from the first week that contains at least one working day, and shall be held without interruption over a period of nine working days.
Closing date
On the recommendation of the General Committee, the General Assembly shall, at the beginning of each session, fix a closing date for the session. [See introduction, paras. 11 and 18 ]
Place of meeting
The General Assembly shall meet at the Headquarters of the United Nations unless convened elsewhere in pursuance of a decision taken at a previous session or at the request of a majority of the Members of the United Nations.
Any Member of the United Nations may, at least one hundred and twenty days before the date fixed for the opening of a regular session, request that the session be held elsewhere than at the Headquarters of the United Nations. The Secretary-General shall immediately communicate the request, together with his recommendations, to the other Members of the United Nations. If within thirty days of the date of this communication a majority of the Members concur in the request, the session shall be held accordingly.
The Secretary-General shall notify the Members of the United Nations, at least sixty days in advance, of the opening of a regular session.
Temporary adjournment of session
The General Assembly may decide at any session to adjourn temporarily and resume its meetings at a later date.
Special Sessions
Summoning by the General Assembly
The General Assembly may fix a date for a special session. [Based directly on a provision of the Charter (Art. 20)]
Summoning at the request of the Security Council or Members
- (a) Special sessions of the General Assembly shall be convened within fifteen days of the receipt by the Secretary-General of a request for such a session from the Security Council or from a majority of the Members of the United Nations or of the concurrence of a majority of Members as provided in rule 9.
- (b) Emergency special sessions pursuant to General Assembly shall be convened within twenty-four hours of the receipt by the Secretary-General of a request for such a session from the Security Council, on the vote of any nine members thereof, or of a request from a majority of the Members of the United Nations expressed by vote in the Interim Committee or otherwise, or of the concurrence of a majority of Members as provided in rule 9.
[See introduction, paras. 13 and 27. ]
Request by Members
- (a) Any Member of the United Nations may request the Secretary-General to convene a special session of the General Assembly. The Secretary-General shall immediately inform the other Members of the request and inquire whether they concur in it. If within thirty days of the date of the communication of the Secretary-General a majority of the Members concur in the request, a special session of the General Assembly shall be convened in accordance with rule 8.
- (b) This rule shall apply also to a request by any Member of the United Nations for an emergency special session pursuant to . In such a case, the Secretary-General shall communicate with the other Members by the most expeditious means of communication available.
[See introduction, para. 13 ]
Notification of session
The Secretary-General shall notify the Members of the United Nations, at least fourteen days in advance, of the opening of a special session convened at the request of the Security Council, and at least ten days in advance in the case of a session convened at the request of a majority of the Members or upon the concurrence of a majority in the request of any Member. In the case of an emergency special session convened pursuant to rule 8 (b), the Secretary-General shall notify Members at least twelve hours before the opening of the session. [See introduction, para. 13. ]
Regular and Special Sessions
Notification to other bodies
Copies of the notice convening each session of the General Assembly shall be addressed to all other principal organs of the United Nations and to the specialized agencies referred to in Article 57, paragraph 2, of the Charter.
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