Opening and Closing of Plenary
Opening and Closing of Plenary
Opening
The first session of each conference starts with some necessary formalities, followed by a few formal decisions about the way in which the conference will work. These questions have already been the subject of extensive preparatory work and discussion, including agreements being reached among many governments or their delegations some time before the conference. However, all of this has taken place at an informal level. It is only when the conference has assembled and been declared open that it is able to take decisions that actually bind the conference as a whole. This pattern will continue throughout the conference. At the same time, informal discussions, often including informal negotiation and agreements among the more active delegations pave the way to formal decisions by the conference.
Formal Opening
In most cases, the Chair has not yet been elected, and the conference’s formal work cannot start without someone in the Chair. This means that someone must temporarily be in the Chair when the conference opens and until the conference gives itself a Chair.
Typically, this interim Chair will be one of the following, depending on the circumstances (e.g., whether the conference is one of a series) and unless the Rules of Procedure or statutory provisions dictate otherwise:
- A representative of the convener of the conference (the host country or international organization)
- The outgoing Chair (i.e., the Chair of the previous session of the same conference, whose term of office often extends until their successor is elected)
- The conference Secretary
Interim Chairs will tap their gavel and call the meeting to order. They will then “declare the conference open.”
From that moment onwards, the conference is officially in its first Plenary session.
Closing
The Plenary session will be declared closed after receiving all the reports that were submitted and taking all the decisions that had to be.
The last meeting of the Plenary session is marked by closing speeches from delegates, expressing their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the course of discussions. Observers are often allowed to make a brief statement.
The principal and final part of the closing process consists of the concluding statement by the Chair. It will normally shed a positive light on the whole session, drawing attention to the conference’s real achievements and to the possibilities that it has opened for the future.