A/RES/51/241 Page 4 V. GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE 16. The report of the International Court of Justice shall continue to be considered in plenary meetings of the General Assembly. The Assembly shall continue to support the role of the International Court of Justice as the principal judicial organ of the Organization, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. The Assembly shall also continue to encourage the progressive development and codification of international law. VI. TIMING OF THE PLENARY MEETINGS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 17. The plenary meetings of the General Assembly shall be formally opened every year on the first Tuesday following 1 September, with the election of the President, Vice-Presidents and Chairmen of the Main Committees (the General Committee). The General Committee shall then meet as soon as possible after its election and shall present its report to the General Assembly before the commencement of the general debate. 18. The plenary meetings of the General Assembly shall reconvene in mid-September to consider the report of the General Committee. VII. THE GENERAL DEBATE 19. There shall continue to be only one general debate each year, beginning in the third week of September. 20. The preparation of the list of speakers for the general debate shall be based on the following principles: (a) The general debate shall be organized over a period of two weeks so as to maximize possibilities for interministerial contacts; (b) Member States shall be invited to indicate three preferences for speaking times; Member States wishing to organize or participate in group meetings (c) during the general debate period shall be encouraged to coordinate their responses to the request for preferences and to indicate this transparently in their responses; (d) The Secretariat shall be requested to prepare a list of speakers based on existing traditions and expressions of preference to best accommodate Members’ needs; (e) The list of speakers for each day shall be completed and no speakers will be rolled over to the next day, notwithstanding the implications for hours of work. VIII. TIME LIMITS 21. There shall be no time limits or specified themes for the general debate but the General Assembly will indicate a voluntary guideline of up to twenty minutes for each statement. 22. Outside the general debate there shall be a fifteen-minute time limit in plenary meetings and in the Main Committees. /...