The GA holds a most important position in the international community, serving as a representative of international and moral opinion to the UN and the world, yet it does not have any binding legislative power. It is the largest deliberative organ of the Six Basic Organs of the United Nations. The majority of topics addressed by the UN are determined by the recommendations of the GA. Every member state of the United Nations is represented on the council with one vote, although each member can have as many as five representatives. Under the United Nations Charter, the duties of the GA include:

1. Discussing and making recommendations regarding international peace and security, excepting those disputes being discussed by the Security Council.
2. Discussing and making recommendations regarding the Charter and each Organ’s powers under it.
3. Discussing and making recommendations regarding international cooperation on topics including politics, law, human rights, and economic, social, cultural, educational, and health.
4. Settling any international disputes.
5. Considering reports from all other UN Organs.
6. Maintaining and apportioning the UN budget.
7. Admitting new members to any Organ.

Important questions regarding international peace and security and similarly important topics demand a two-thirds majority, although other votes can be determined by a simple majority of voters. The GA meets annually in September under a presidency rotating on a yearly basis, although special sessions can be called by the Security Council on a 24-hour notice. Some topics are considered in the plenary GA, but most are allocated to one of six councils and then presented to the full Assembly. These councils are (1) Disarmament and International Security, (2) Economic and Financial, (3) Social, Humanitarian and Cultural, (4) Special Political and Decolonization, (5) Administrative and Budgetary, (6) Legal.