The Inner Workings of a General Assembly
The General Assembly consists of 189 countries, represented by a team of chosen delegates from each country. Delegates arrived at the United Nations in New York City with a duty to promote and defend their nation’s particular interests, taking into account previous treaties, conflicts, economic agreements, and the cultural, legal and religious norms of their homeland.
To create the initial draft of the Declaration of Commitment, Governments appointed facilitators to collect advice from experts, up-to-the-minute research on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and an analysis of the most urgent issues in need of action. The second draft included consultation with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society members. Line by line, the Declaration then continued its journey through an arduous negotiating and editing process among members of the General Assembly. The result is the final Declaration of Commitment, adopted by all 189 countries of the General Assembly.