Committee for Programme and Coordination
Coordinators' Corner: Resources for CPC Coordinators
Frequently Asked Questions about the work of Coordinators
- What is the role of coordinators?
- What is the C-version?
- How does the coordinator guide the Committee through the first and second reading of the C-version?
- What should coordinators consider when setting deadlines for the submission of language?
- What is the use of the “gavel” in informal consultations?
- Suspend or adjourn a meeting: what is the difference?
- How should informal consultations or informal-informal consultations be requested or cancelled?
- How should the final outcome be communicated prior to formal adoption?
Example of a Coordinator's roadmap
1. What is the role of coordinators?
The main area of responsibility of coordinators lies in managing Step 3 in the CPC process, in which the Committee considers and negotiates the draft report.
Coordinators preside over informal consultations and the negotiation process for “their” specific reports and facilitate negotiations with the aim of bringing them to a successful conclusion.
They support delegations, in an impartial and transparent manner, in negotiating a consensus outcome, including by convening informal informal consultations or informal informal informal consultations (“going offline”).
General tips
- Start meetings on time: Ideally, all language proponents are present at the start of the meeting but there is no quorum requirement.
- Encourage delegations to omit long courtesy remarks in their introductions and go straight to the point of their intervention.
Informal consultations
- The goal of the informal consultation is to conclude first and second reading of the C-version (see below) and agree on the way forward
- Coordinators will be supported by a member of the CPC Secretariat.
2. What is the C-version?
The C-version (="Committee"-version) is circulated 24 hours in advance of the meeting in accordance with the working methods of CPC. It contains two main parts:
Discussion part
The discussion part is drafted by the relevant substantive offices and is not discussed or negotiated by the Committee. If anything is incorrectly reflected, delegations may wish to contact the CPC Secretariat.
Conclusions and recommendations part
The conclusion and recommendations part includes all proposals submitted by Members by the established deadline. The compilation is prepared by the CPC Secretariat.
3. How does the coordinator guide the Committee through the first and second reading of the C-version?
The detailed process of the first and second reading of a draft report is outlined below and also available in the FAQ on the CPC and its working practices. Coordinators play a key role in guiding the Committee by presiding over the first and second reading the C-version.
When considering a draft report, the Committee will go through a first and second reading.
Quick Reference |
First reading:
Second reading:
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First reading
The goal is to give language proponents an opportunity to clarify their position and highlight the main elements of their submission.
- Coordinators will give the floor to all language proponents (in the order in which language submission have been received, as reflected in the coordinator’s roadmap).
- Language proponents will introduce their submission in one intervention (it is not necessary to go through each para/submission at this point).
- During the first reading, the CPC Secretariat will show the “coordinator’s roadmap” (see below) on screen. The roadmap is intended as a procedural guide, focusing on sequencing, floor management, and standard practice, not on substantive negotiation strategies.
Second reading
The goal is to consider each proposal and, where possible, agree on a formulation.
- The coordinator will open the floor on each proposal, one after the other. In cases where alternative proposals exist, it is recommended they be considered together.
- For each proposal, the coordinator will open the floor for “comments and questions” (it is not the practice to give the floor to the proponent(s) again to introduce the specific proposal).
- Typically, delegations may i) indicate their disagreement and/or request to bracket a proposal; ii) ask clarification questions (to proponents and/or the Secretariat); or iii) propose alternative formulations.
- With the aim of supporting the efficient organization of work and enabling meetings to focus on issues requiring discussion, delegations are encouraged to indicate expressions of support through the online Language Proposal Support Register form, which compiles submissions verbatim in a living register that is made available to the Committee.
- In cases of disagreements, delegations may request to bracket a proposal. Alternatively, if the coordinator sees that further discussions are needed, they may propose to move on and come back to the proposal at a later time. It is neither customary nor necessary for a coordinator to bracket a proposal before moving on.
- In the absence of any comments, the coordinator will ask if the proposal can be adopted.
- In some instances, particularly when considering long draft reports, the Committee may decide to “put the entire text into brackets”. This allows the Committee to proceed through the document (often page by page or chapter by chapter) and engage in a more open and candid discussion, without the immediate pressure of adopting language.
- During the second reading, the CPC Secretariat will show the C-version on screen and make the necessary updates in real time.
Way forward
Once the second reading is concluded, the coordinator will determine the way forward.
- Members are encouraged to continue discussions “offline”, as appropriate.
- The coordinator will liaise with the Bureau to be assigned an additional slot in the programme of work to conduct informal informals, if needed.
- In light of the liquidity measures currently in place, conference rooms are available during established meeting hours (10 AM - 1 PM and 3 PM - 6 PM).
4. What is the C-version?
The C-version (="Committee"-version) is circulated 24 hours in advance of the meeting in accordance with the working methods of CPC. It contains two main parts:
Discussion part
The discussion part is drafted by the relevant substantive offices and is not discussed or negotiated by the Committee. If anything is incorrectly reflected, delegations may wish to contact the CPC Secretariat.
Conclusions and recommendations part
The conclusion and recommendations part includes all proposals submitted by Members by the established deadline. The compilation is prepared by the CPC Secretariat.
5. What is the use of the “gavel” in informal consultations?
Coordinators use the gavel to:
- Manage time and maintain order during informal consultations.
- Informally adopt paragraphs or the draft resolution as a whole.
- Agree on deadlines, next steps and outcome.
- Make clear that no further requests for the floor will be accepted.
6. Suspend or adjourn a meeting: what is the difference?
Meetings of the Fifth Committee take place in a meeting consisting of a three-hour period, either from 10am to 1pm or 3pm to 6pm. During the three-hour period:
- A meeting is suspended, usually for a short break, to resume within the three-hour period. This may occur, for example, when another informal consultation is scheduled to take place in the same time slot. Participants are expected to return when the meeting resumes.
- A meeting is adjourned if there is nothing else to be considered in the three-hour period and the meeting formally ends. All participants - including delegations, interpreters, and conference officers - may leave when the meeting adjourns.
7. How should informal consultations or informal-informal consultations be requested or cancelled?
Informal consultations and informal-informal consultations should be requested through the CPC Bureau, in close coordination with the CPC Secretariat. Such communication should be made as early as possible to allow adequate planning and coordination among the various items.
8. How should the final outcome be communicated prior to formal adoption?
Once agreement has been reached, the coordinator shares the text with the CPC Secretariat for preparation of the necessary documentation.
If time permits, the coordinator convenes a final informal consultation to informally adopt the agreed outcome. However, due to the high volume of work and the compressed timelines that often define the Committee’s sessions, it may happen that this takes place outside of regular working hours, without interpretation. Alternatively, the step is skipped, and the item moves directly to the formal adoption stage from the “informal informals”.
