Updated: 1 September 2026
United Nations General Assembly: Members, President, Voting, Powers and Functions
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and its main deliberative, policymaking and representative body. All 193 UN Member States participate, and each Member State has one vote.
Composition and representation
Article 9 of the UN Charter provides that the General Assembly consists of all Members of the United Nations. Each Member State may have not more than five representatives in the General Assembly, but the delegation size does not affect voting strength: every Member State has only one vote.
The Assembly meets in a regular session every year and may also meet in special or emergency special sessions. It elects a President for each session and also elects 21 Vice-Presidents in accordance with its Rules of Procedure.
Voting rules under Article 18
| Question | Required majority |
|---|---|
| Important questions, including recommendations on peace and security, election of non-permanent Security Council members, election of ECOSOC members, admission of new Members, suspension or expulsion, trusteeship questions and budgetary matters | Two-thirds majority of members present and voting |
| Other questions | Majority of members present and voting |
For this purpose, members that abstain are not counted as 'present and voting.' Article 19 also provides that a Member seriously in arrears in its financial contributions may lose its vote, subject to the Charter's exception where non-payment is due to conditions beyond that Member's control.
Main powers and functions of the General Assembly
Discussion and recommendations
May discuss matters within the scope of the Charter and, subject to Charter limitations, make recommendations to Member States, the Security Council or both.
International cooperation
Promotes international cooperation in the political field and encourages the progressive development and codification of international law, as well as cooperation in economic, social, cultural, educational and health fields.
Human rights
Promotes international cooperation in realizing human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.
Reports and oversight
Receives and considers reports from the Security Council and other United Nations organs.
Subsidiary organs
May establish subsidiary organs as necessary for performing its functions under Article 22.
Budgetary authority
Considers and approves the UN budget and apportions the expenses of the Organization among Member States under Article 17.
Budgetary and financial functions
Article 17 gives the General Assembly authority to consider and approve the budget of the United Nations. It also apportions UN expenses among Member States. The Assembly considers and approves financial and budgetary arrangements with specialized agencies and examines their administrative budgets for the purpose of making recommendations.
This does not mean that the General Assembly directly approves every specialized agency's budget as though those agencies were UN departments. Specialized agencies have their own constitutional and governing arrangements.
Elections and appointments
The General Assembly participates in several important elections and appointments. Among other functions, it elects the non-permanent members of the Security Council, elects ECOSOC members, elects judges of the International Court of Justice independently but concurrently with the Security Council, and appoints the Secretary-General on the recommendation of the Security Council.
Legal limitations on the General Assembly
The General Assembly is not a world legislature with general power to enact binding statutes for all States. Its resolutions are generally recommendations, although some decisions have binding effects within the UN institutional framework, such as budgetary decisions, and Assembly resolutions can be relevant to treaty interpretation, institutional law, State practice or the development and evidence of customary international law depending on context.
Article 12 limits the Assembly's power to make recommendations on a dispute or situation while the Security Council is exercising its functions in respect of that matter, unless the Council requests a recommendation.
The domestic-jurisdiction principle quoted on many older summaries is found in Article 2(7) of the UN Charter, not 'Article 7(2)'. It states that the Charter does not authorize intervention in matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a State, while preserving the application of enforcement measures under Chapter VII.
General Assembly and international peace and security
The Security Council has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, but the General Assembly also has important Charter functions in this field. It may discuss peace and security questions and make recommendations subject to Article 12.
Under the 'Uniting for Peace' resolution 377 A (V) of 3 November 1950, if the Security Council fails to exercise its primary responsibility because of lack of unanimity among its permanent members, the General Assembly may consider the matter immediately and recommend collective measures to Member States.
The Assembly does not itself command a standing UN military force. Peacekeeping operations are established within the UN Charter framework, typically through Security Council mandates, with the General Assembly playing important budgetary and institutional roles.
Official United Nations sources
For authoritative current information refer to About the General Assembly, United Nations Charter, General Assembly Rules of Procedure and United Nations General Assembly.
Note: officeholders, session themes and annual arrangements change over time. This page reflects official United Nations information available as of 1 September 2026.