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1 1 (August 31, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govehew0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congi I Updated August 31, 2021 United Nations Issues: Congressional Representatives to the U.N. General Assembly The annual s ession of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly is held at U.N. Headquarters in New York City. The President generally appoints one Democrat and one Republican to serve as U.S. representatives to the session, alternating each year between the House and Senate. The 75t ses sionopenedin September2020 and operated remotely due to the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; congressional representatives fromthe Senate did not appear to participate. The 76th ses sionis scheduled to begin on September 14, 2021. It remains to be seen as to whether the sessionwill be held virtually or in-person (or a combination ofboth), and to whatextent, if any, members of the House of Representatives might participate. Overview of the U.N. GeneraO Assemny The U.N. General Assembly is composed of all 193 U.N. member states, including the United States. It is the primary deliberative, policymaking, andrepresentative organof the United Nations. Each country, including the United States, has one vote. A two-thirds majority vote is required for decisions related to key is sues such as peace and security, admission of new members, and the budget. A simple majority vote applies for all other matters. The Assembly's annualregular session opens in September and runs for one year. The main part of the session, from September to December, includes most of the workof the Assembly's sixcommittees. The annual meeting ofheads of state and government, often referredto as the general debate, is held at the beginning of the Assembly session. Members of Congress generally serve as representatives during this time. It is unclear what General Assembly events will be held in person or virtually during the 76 session. On August 26, the U.N. spokesperson described the situationas in flux' due to COVID-19. Previously, the 75th session ofthe Assembly was virtual, with most high-level speeches delivered via video link. Members used a silence procedure to adopt resolutions. Under this procedure, the President of the Assembly circulates a draft resolution and members have at least 72 hours to raise objections. If there are no objections, the President then circulated a letter stating that the resolution was adopted. History of Congressiona Representation The concept of congressionalrepresentation to the U.N. General Assembly emerged fromextensive participationby both Senators and Representatives in the 1945 San Francisco Conference on International Organization, which led to the adoption of the U.N. Charter. The practice began at the first Assembly session in 1946, when Members of the Senate and House held positions as representatives and alternate representatives, respectively. Since that time, with few exceptions, each year two Senators have alternated with two Repres entatives-with the Senate typically serving in years when the House holds elections. In most cases, bothparties have been represented and, when possible, the Administration and Congress have aimed to select Members who have not previously served as delegates. (See Table 1 for a list of congressional representatives since 2006.) Legiative Authority After the adoption of the U.N. Charter, Congress enacted the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 (UNPA; 22 U.S.C. 287 et seq.), which provides legislative authority for U.S. engagement in the United Nations. UNPA does not require congressionalp articipation in sessions of the General As sembly, but anticipates and permits participation of Members ofCongress, among other U.S. representatives, in such sessions. Section 2ofthe act sets out the authorities for U.S. representation the United Nations. Specifically, Section 2(a) specifies that the President, by and with the advice and consentof the Senate, shall designate not more than five U.S. representatives to attend a specified session or specified sessions of the GeneralAssembly. UNPA does not specify whether Members are eligible to be appointed as U.S. representatives; however, Section 2(g) prohibits compensation for Members serving as U.S.representatives, signaling that Members might serve. Roe and Responsibilities The role and duties of congressionalrepresentatives are not formalized; thus, the level and extent of congressional engagement during the Assembly session depends on the interests andpriorities of individualMembers. Delegates generally travel to New York at the beginning of the regular session. In the past, some Members have attended the general debate and the President's reception forvisiting heads of state, while others have stayed for several additionaldays orreturned for otherparts ofthe Assembly s es sion. Congressionalrepres entatives have als o follo wed the activities of one ofthe General Assembly 's sixmain committees, with at least one Member tracking the workof the fifth committee, which is responsible for administrative and budgetary matters related to the organization. Before or during the session, Members may also schedule appointments on policy is sues ofinterest; these might include one-on-one visits with heads of state, foreign representatives, orU.N. officials. Congressionalrepresentativeshaveoftenreceived support from congressional committee staff and State Department officials. For example, staff from the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) and Senate Foreign Relations

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