How it works

The UN: everything you need to know about the General Assembly

How does it work, how often does it meet, how is it composed, and what are the powers of the United Nations General Assembly?

by Vittoria Belluschi

22 September 2026

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Versione italiana

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Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The United Nations General Assembly is a plenary body – and therefore one in which all its members have the right and duty to participate – which acts as a deliberative and representative body for the 193 countries that make up the UN. Each of these is represented on an equal footing and has a single vote, the weight of which does not vary depending on the voting state. Each Member of the Assembly is entitled to a maximum of five representatives.

Having convened for its first session on 10 January 1946 at Westminster Central Hall in London, and comprising representatives from 51 States, the General Assembly meets every year from the third week of September at its headquarters in New York for its ordinary session.

Frequency and composition

In addition to the 193 Member States, countries and international organisations with observer status take part in the General Assembly. These do not have the right to vote, but may participate in the Assembly’s proceedings, attend meetings and, in many cases, take the floor. The two observer states are the Holy See and Palestine, alongside bodies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and organisations such as the European Union.

Sessions of the General Assembly may be: ordinary, if they take place annually – from the third Thursday in September until mid-December – as provided for in the rules of procedure; special, if convened by the Secretary-General at the request of the Security Council or a majority of UN Member States; or emergency special sessions, in rare cases.

Each session is chaired by the President of the Assembly, who serves for one year. The criteria for appointing the President follow a strict rotation system amongst the five official UN regional groups: the African Group, the Asia-Pacific Group, the Eastern European Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group, and the Group of Western European and Other States. Currently – for the 81st session – the post is held by Khalilur Rahman, a diplomat and economist from Bangladesh.

Prior to the plenary sessions, the Assembly’s delegates – a maximum of five from each Member State – work in six thematic committees: Disarmament and International Security; Economic and Financial Affairs; Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs; Special Policies and Decolonisation; Administration and Budget; and Legal Affairs. Each of these sections has its own chair, with an accompanying bureau.

The chairpersons of the six committees sit on the UN General Committee, alongside the President of the General Assembly and the 21 Vice-Presidents. This body is responsible for setting the direction and coordinating the work of the entire Assembly, determining its agenda and schedule.

The chairpersons are elected three months before the start of the ordinary sessions, to allow for adequate preparation for the meetings.

Another key figure within the General Assembly is the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who is elected by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. His main duties are to represent the UN on the international stage, to head the administrative apparatus and to implement the decisions taken by the two bodies that appoint him. António Guterres has held the post of Secretary-General since 2017 and his term of office will expire at the end of the year.

How it works

The debate amongst the representatives of the nations proceeds through items and sub-items on the agenda. These lead to the adoption of specific documents, known as recommendations.

The entire procedure is governed by the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, drawn up by the Assembly itself, and by its President. A two-thirds majorityis required to approve the most important matters – such as those relating to peace and security or the admission of new members – whilst a simple majorityis sufficient for other matters.

Duties and powers

The General Assembly’s functions are primarily advisory in nature: it examines the general principles of cooperation for the maintenance of international peace and security, discussing any issues raised by Member States. On the basis of its deliberations, it may make recommendations both to individual countries and to the Security Council, to which it refers matters when concrete action is required.

Specifically, the powers of the General Assembly include: the admission of new Members, the election of non-permanent members of the Security Council, the election of members of the Economic and Social Council – a UN internal body – the election of members of the Trusteeship Council – which is currently formally inactive – and the suspension of the rights and privileges of, or the expulsion of, a member. In addition, there are matters relating to the functioning of the trusteeship system and the budget.

Relations with the Security Council

The General Assembly works in close collaboration with the Security Council, the United Nations body with executive powers. It comprises five permanent members with the right of veto – Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States – and ten non-permanent members elected on a rotating basis every two years by the General Assembly itself.

The General Assembly may bring to the attention of the Security Council situations that may endanger international peace and security. It is informed of the matters discussed at each session of the Council through the Secretary-General. It is also sent – for consideration – the annual and special reports, which contain an account of the measures decided upon or taken by the Council to maintain international peace and security.

The Security Council’s executive powers may be transferred to the General Assembly in the event of the former’s inaction – for example, if it is blocked by a permanent member’s veto on urgent decisions – in accordance with the 1950 ‘Uniting for Peace’ resolution. In such situations, the General Assembly acquires the power to impose sanctions or take decisions on the use of force.

The right of veto

Granted in 1945 to the victorious powers of the Second World War – Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States – the right of veto allows the blocking of key Security Council resolutions aimed at preventing or halting conflicts and war crimes. In recent years, it has often been used by Russia and the United States in relation to issues concerning the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The main risk is that the veto will be exploited as a tool to protect the interests of the individual country holding the right.

In 2022, in an attempt to find a partial solution to the problem, a resolution was adopted introducing the automatic convening of the General Assembly whenever a veto is cast in the Security Council. The measure was designed to encourage the permanent members to publicly justify their decision.