First Committee, in Brief Organizational Meeting, Sets Out Guidelines for Completing Its Work within Allotted Time Frame

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved its work programme for the seventy-ninth session and set out guidelines for its completion within the allotted time frame.

Introducing the programme of work and timetable (documents A/C.1/79/CRP.1 and A/C.1/79/CRP.2), Committee Chair Chan Valverde (Costa Rica) said the general debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items will be held in eight meetings, from 7 to 16 October.  Succeeding that, on 17 October, the Committee will discuss working methods and programme planning.

The Committee, on 18 October, will have an exchange with the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, including on the follow-up to resolutions and decisions adopted during previous sessions.

Thematic discussions and the introduction and consideration of all draft resolutions and decisions submitted under the Committee’s agenda items will take place from 18 to 30 October. The thematic debates will cover seven clusters:  nuclear weapons; other weapons of mass destruction; outer space (disarmament aspects); conventional weapons; other disarmament measures and international security; regional disarmament and security; and the disarmament machinery.

A joint panel discussion of the First and Fourth Committees (Special Political and Decolonization) on possible challenges to space security and sustainability will take place on 30 October.  The Committee will consider the outer space item as its last cluster for that purpose.  Action on draft resolutions will be taken in six meetings, from 1 to 8 November.

The Chair underscored that speakers must adhere to time limits established for statements, namely, eight minutes for speakers in a national capacity and 12 minutes for speakers on behalf of groups of delegations.  There will be an automatic cut-off of microphone this session, once the time limit is reached.  During the thematic discussions, delegations should limit statements in their national capacity to five minutes, and those on behalf of groups to seven minutes.

The Bureau proposed, on an exceptional basis and without precedent, that rights of reply should not exceed five minutes for the first intervention and three for the second.  Those delivered in person will be included in the verbatim records and heard at the end of each meeting or at the end of the day if two meetings are scheduled for that given day.  A time limit of five minutes was also proposed for each explanation of vote and point of order, all owing to the number of statements and draft proposals expected this year.  There were no objections to the proposed measures.

The Russian Federation’s representative said that due to a lack of visas for several of its members, its delegation is unable to fully participate in the First Committee session.  It added that the United States continues to neglect its obligations as the host country.  “We will not accept such practices,” he said, requesting a report from the Secretariat to the First Committee on this.  He also proposed a technical procedural pause to address this and to hold informal meetings until the United States complies with its Visa obligations.

The Chair noted this but said that visa matters went beyond the First Committee’s work and would be referred to the Committee on Relations with the Host Country.  She will continue to leverage her good offices to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

A discussion took place and requests for clarification were made by the delegates of Mexico and Egypt regarding a proposal of Singapore and South Africa to take action on texts after the relevant thematic debate clusters.

The First Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Monday, 7 October, to begin its general debate.