The session started on Tuesday 18 September. The start of the session included a moment of silent reflection, and an address from the Secretary-General and new President of the General Assembly.
The General Assembly usually forms a General Committee beforehand, consisting of the President, Vice Presidents, and Committee Chairs. They come up with a draft programme of work, which is voted on by the General Assembly. This programme of work divides the tasks of the General Assembly between its main body and its six Main Committees:
- The First Committee: Disarmament and International Security (DISEC)
- The Second Committee: Economic and Financial (ECOFIN)
- The Third Committee: Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian (SOCHUM)
- The Fourth Committee: Special Political and Decolonisation(SPECPOL)
- The Fifth Committee: Administrative and Budgetary and general
- The Sixth Committee: Legal
Each UN member can have a representative on each Committee. These Committees, led by their chairs, work up proposals which they present to the General Assembly for a vote. The President of the General Assembly, in consultation with the General Committee, is responsible for managing the workload of the whole.
On most issues, both within a committee and within the main or “plenary” session of the General Assembly, a simple majority vote of those in attendance is required, but some more substantive or important issues, such as admitting a state to UN membership, require a two-thirds majority.