Improving the United Nations General Assembly’s Working Methods as a Possibility of Ending Its Marginalization

Jelica Gordanić

doi:10.51738/Kpolisa2021.18.2r.1.04

Authors

Jelica Gordanić Institute of International Politics and Economics, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51738/Kpolisa2021.18.2r.1.04

Keywords:

the General Assembly, the United Nations, ad hoc working group (the AHWG), revitalization, agenda, the UN Charter, revision

Abstract

The paper analyses improving the United Nations General Assembly’s working methods as one of the possibilities of ending its marginalization. The General Assembly is facing numerous difficulties, including an overburdened agenda, repetitive agenda items, the need for better working organization and non-implementation of resolutions by the member states. Among the UN member states there is consent to improve the General Assembly’s working methods, but also disagreements on mechanisms it can be achieved. In order to strengthen the role and competencies of the General Assembly, an ad hoc working group on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly (the AHWG) was established in 1991. So far, the AHWG group had made some contributions in improving the General Assembly’s working methods. The paper aims to show that efforts of the AHWG, although significant, are not sufficient to solve all problems of working methods of the General Assembly. The author concludes that the only effective way in solving the working methods of the General Assembly is the UN Charter revision.

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