CHAPTER IV
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
COMPOSITION
Article 9
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The General Assembly shall consist of all the Members of the United Nations.
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Each Member shall have not more than five representatives in the General
Assembly.
FUNCTIONS and POWERS
Article 10
The General Assembly may discuss any questions or any matters within the
scope of the present Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any
organs provided for in the present Charter, and, except as provided in Article
12, may make recommendations to the Members of the United Nations or to the
Security Council or to both on any such questions or matters.
Article 11
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The General Assembly may consider the general principles of co-operation
in the maintenance of international peace and security, including the principles
governing disarmament and the regulation of armaments, and may make
recommendations with regard to such principles to the Members or to the Security
Council or to both.
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The General Assembly may discuss any questions relating to the maintenance
of international peace and security brought before it by any Member of the
United Nations, or by the Security Council, or by a state which is not a
Member of the United Nations in accordance with Article 35, paragraph 2,
and, except as provided in Article 12, may make recommendations with regard
to any such questions to the state or states concerned or to the Security
Council or to both. Any such question on which action is necessary shall
be referred to the Security Council by the General Assembly either before
or after discussion.
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The General Assembly may call the attention of the Security Council to situations
which are likely to endanger international peace and security.
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The powers of the General Assembly set forth in this Article shall not limit
the general scope of Article 10.
Article 12
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While the Security Council is exercising in respect of any dispute or situation
the functions assigned to it in the present Charter, the General Assembly
shall not make any recommendation with regard to that dispute or situation
unless the Security Council so requests.
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The Secretary-General, with the consent of the Security Council, shall notify
the General Assembly at each session of any matters relative to the maintenance
of international peace and security which are being dealt with by the Security
Council and shall similarly notify the General Assembly, or the Members of
the United Nations if the General Assembly is not in session, immediately
the Security Council ceases to deal with suchmatters.
Article 13
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The General Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations for
the purpose of:
a. promoting international co-operation in the political field and encouraging
the progressive development of international law and its codification;
b. promoting international co-operation in the economic, social, cultural,
educational, and health fields, and assisting in the realization of human
rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex,
language, or religion.
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The further responsibilities, functions and powers of the General Assembly
with respect to matters mentioned in paragraph 1 (b) above are set forth
in Chapters IX and X.
Article 14
Subject to the provisions of Article 12, the General Assembly may recommend
measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation, regardless of origin,
which it deems likely to impair the general welfare or friendly relations
among nations, including situations resulting from a violation of the provisions
of the present Charter setting forth the Purposes and Principles of the United
Nations.
Article 15
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The General Assembly shall receive and consider annual and special reports
from the Security Council; these reports shall include an account of the
measures that the Security Council has decided upon or taken to maintain
international peace and security.
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The General Assembly shall receive and consider reports from the other organs
of the United Nations.
Article 16
The General Assembly shall perform such functions with respect to the
international trusteeship system as are assigned to it under Chapters XII
and XIII, including the approval of the trusteeship agreements for areasnot
designated as strategic.
Article 17
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The General Assembly shall consider and approve the budget of the Organization.
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The expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the Members as apportioned
by the General Assembly.
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The General Assembly shall consider and approve any financial and budgetary
arrangements with specialized agencies referred to in Article 57 and shall
examine the administrative budgets of such specialized agencies with a view
to making recommendations to the agencies concerned.
VOTING
Article 18
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Each member of the General Assembly shall have one vote.
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Decisions of the General Assembly on important questions shall be made by
a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. These questions
shall include: recommendations with respect to the maintenance of international
peace and security, the election of the non-permanent members of the Security
Council, the election of the members of the Economic and Social Council,
the election of members of the Trusteeship Council in accordance with paragraph
1 (c) of Article 86, the admission of new Members to the United Nations,
the suspension of the rights and privileges of membership, the expulsion
of Members, questions relating to the operation of the trusteeship system,
and budgetary questions.
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Decisions on other questions, including the determination of additional
categories of questions to be decided by a two-thirds majority, shall be
made by a majority of the members present and voting.
Article 19
A Member of the United Nations which is in arrears in the payment of its
financial contributions to the Organization shall have no vote in the General
Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the
contributions due from it for the preceding two full years. The General Assembly
may, nevertheless, permit such a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the
failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member.
PROCEDURE
Article 20
The General Assembly shall meet in regular annual sessions and in such special
sessions as occasion may require. Special sessions shall be convoked by the
Secretary-General at the request of the Security Council or of a majority
of the Members of the United Nations.
Article 21
The General Assembly shall adopt its own rules of procedure. It shall elect
its President for each session.
Article 22
The General Assembly may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary
for the performance of its functions.
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