Annual Session

The Members States of the AALCO normally meet once annually for its Annual Session. It is the supreme decision-making body of the Organization.

The Statutory Rules of AALCO provide detailed provisions on the conduct of the Annual Session and its functions. It mandates that any decision of the Organization on matters of a substantive character on the subject placed on the agenda shall be adopted in the plenary meetings in the form of recommendations to be incorporated in a report, interim or final, for submission to the Member States. All decisions on procedural matters shall be effective when adopted at a plenary meeting.   

The decisions of the Organization on matters of a substantive character shall be taken by consensus. The decisions on procedural matters, however, shall be taken by a simple majority. All dissenting views and opinions shall, however, be recorded in the official records of the Organization. The delegations that wish to give explanation on their vote may do so with the permission of the President of the meeting.   

The votes shall be recorded by simply show of hands unless a request has been made by any delegation for secret ballot, in which event voting shall take place through that method to be conducted by a panel of three persons designated by the President.  

At the Annual Session, the Delegation of each Member State shall be composed of the Members who shall be the Head of the Delegation and such number of Alternative Members and Advisers as the Member States may determine.  

The Organization may at its discretion admit to its annual sessions Observers from non-member States, regional, inter-regional and international organizations and specialized agencies and the national liberation movements recognized by the United Nations in accordance with Rule 17 of the Statutory Rules.  

The Organization may also at its discretion invite a recognized expert to attend any of its meetings and assist in its deliberations. The expert so invited shall act in his individual capacity. 

The Annual Session of the Organization is usually held in the Member States by rotation to the extent possible. If, as a result of unseen circumstances, the convening of a Session becomes difficult in one of the Member States, the Secretariat shall arrange for the Session to be held in the country where the Headquarters of the organization is located. This provision, shall however, not be invoked for two successive sessions.  

Apart from the Annual Sessions, special sessions, inter-sessional meetings and meetings of sub-committee or expert groups and special meetings or informal consultations may also be held in accordance with the provisions of the Statutory Rules as may be deemed necessary.

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