As Amended up to 29 September 1989
The General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency 'hereinafter called "the Agency"-- shall meet in regular annual sessions which shall be convened on a date, normally within the month of September, set by the General Conference at its previous regular annual session.
The Director General shall notify all Members of the Agency, the United Nations, the specialized agencies, other international organizations with which the Agency has concluded a relationship agreement, non-governmental organizations enjoying consultative status with the Agency and such other organizations as the General Conference or the Board of Governors may from time to time decide, at least ninety days in advance of each regular session, of the opening date, place and expected duration thereof.
The General Conference shall meet in such special sessions as shall be convened by the Director General at the request of the Board of Governors or of a majority of the Members of the Agency.
Any Member of the Agency may request the Director General to convene a special session of the General Conference. The Director General shall immediately inform the other Members of the Agency of the request and inquire whether they concur in it. If within thirty days of the date of the communication of the Director General a majority of the Members concur in the request, a special session of the General Conference shall be convened in accordance with Rule 3 and Rule 5 of these Rules.
Special sessions of the General Conference shall be held as soon as possible but not later than ninety days after the receipt by the Director General of a request for such a session from the Board of Governors, or of a request from a majority of the Members of the Agency, or of the concurrence of a majority of the Members of the Agency as provided in Rule 4 of these Rules, at a date set by the Director General in consultation with the Board of Governors.
The Director General shall notify all Members of the Agency, the United Nations, the specialized agencies, other international organizations with which the Agency has concluded a relationship agreement, non-governmental organizations enjoying consultative status with the Agency and such other organizations as the General Conference or the Board of Governors may from time to time decide, at least thirty days in advance of each special session, of the opening date, place and expected duration thereof.
All sessions of the General Conference shall take place at the Headquarters of the Agency unless the General Conference shall have determined otherwise.
On the recommendation of the General Committee, the General Conference shall, at the beginning of each session, fix a closing date for the session.
The General Conference may decide at any session to adjourn temporarily and resume its meetings at a later date.
The Director General shall submit to all Members of the Agency, at least two months before the opening date of each regular session, the annual report of the Board of Governors on affairs of the Agency and on any projects approved by the Agency as well as reports to be transmitted to the United Nations or to any other international organization in accordance with agreements or arrangements to be made between the Agency and (a) the United Nations, (b) the specialized agencies and (c) other international organizations.
The provisional agenda for all regular sessions of the General Conference shall be drawn up by the Director General in consultation with the Board of Governors and sent to all Members of the Agency and to all organizations to which notification of the session has to be sent pursuant to Rule 2 of these Rules, not later than ninety days in advance of the session.
The provisional agenda for each regular session shall include:
(a) All items the inclusion of which has been decided by the General Conference at a previous session;
(b) All items proposed by the Board of Governors;
(c) All items proposed by any Member of the Agency;
(d) All resolutions and all agenda items which the United Nations has referred or proposed to the Agency and which the Board of Governors submits to the General Conference, in accordance with the agreement establishing the relationship between the Agency and the United Nations;
(e) Any item proposed by a specialized agency in accordance with the agreement establishing the relationship between the Agency and that specialized agency;
(f) Election of Members to membership of the Board of Governors;
(g) The annual report of the Board of Governors and such other reports as the Board of Governors may submit to the General Conference;
(h)The budget of the Agency for the ensuing financial year and all items pertaining to this budget;
(i) A report by the Board of Governors on the audited accounts of the Agency for the preceding financial year;
(j) Any report to be submitted to the United Nations requiring approval by the General Conference;
(k) The opening date of the next regular session of the General Conference;
(l) All items which the Director General, in agreement with the Board of Governors, deems necessary to put before the General Conference; and
(m) Other items required by the Statute of the Agency.
A Member of the Agency, the Board of Governors, the Director General, in agreement with the Board of Governors, or the United Nations may, not later than thirty days before the date set for the opening of any regular session, request the inclusion of supplementary items in the agenda. Subject to Rule 21 of these Rules, such items shall be placed on a supplementary list which shall be sent to all Members of the Agency and to all organizations to which notification of the session was sent pursuant to Rule 2 of these Rules, not later than twenty days in advance of the session.
The provisional agenda for each regular session, and the supplementary list, together with the report thereon of the General Committee, shall be submitted to the General Conference for approval as soon as possible after the opening of the session.
Any items of an important and urgent character, proposed by a Member, the Board of Governors or the United Nations, which have not been placed on the provisional agenda pursuant to Rule 12 of these Rules or on the supplementary list pursuant to Rule 13 of these Rules, shall be referred to the General Committee, which shall report promptly thereon to the General Conference. Subject to Rule 21 of these Rules, such terms may be placed on the agenda, if the General Conference so decides by a majority of the Members present and voting. No additional item may be considered until seven days after it is placed on the agenda, unless the General Conference, by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting, decides otherwise.
The provisional agenda for all special sessions of the General Conference shall be drawn up by the Director General in consultation with the Board of Governors and sent to all Members of the Agency and to all other organizations to which notification of the session has to be sent pursuant to Rule 6 of these Rules, not later than twenty days in advance of the session.
The provisional agenda for a special session shall consist only of those items proposed for consideration in the request for the holding of the session and items proposed by the Board of Governors.
The provisional agenda for each special session, together with the report thereon of the General Committee, shall be submitted to the General Conference for approval as soon as possible after opening of the session.
Any items of an important and urgent character, proposed by a Member, the Board of Governors or the United Nations, which have not been placed on the provisional agenda pursuant to Rule 17 of these Rules, shall be referred to the General Committee, which shall report promptly thereon to the General Conference. Subject to Rule 21 of these Rules, such items may be placed on the agenda, if the General Conference so decides, by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting.
Each item proposed for inclusion in the agenda, except an item proposed by the Board of Governors, shall be accompanied by an explanatory memorandum and, if possible, by basic documents or by a draft resolution.
No proposal for the amendment of the Statute of the Agency shall be placed on the agenda of any session unless certified copies of the text of the proposal have been sent by the Director General to all Members at least ninety days in advance of the session.
Items on the agenda may be amended or deleted from the agenda of the General Conference by a majority of the Members present and voting.
Each Member of the Agency shall be represented at the General Conference by one delegate, who may be accompanied by as many alternates, advisers, technical advisers, experts and persons of similar status as may be required by the delegation.
Each delegate may designate any alternate in his delegation to act in his place during the General Conference.
Each delegate may designate any alternate or any adviser in his delegation to act for his delegation on any committee or other subsidiary body of the General Conference on which his delegation is represented.
The cost of attendance at the General Conference of the delegation of each Member shall be borne by the Member concerned.
The credentials of each delegate and the names of the persons constituting the Member's delegation shall be submitted to the Director General if possible not less than seven days in advance of the session which the delegation will attend. The credentials shall be issued either by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Member concerned.
The credentials of all delegates shall be examined by the General Committee, meeting for this purpose as a credentials committee, which shall report on the credentials without delay to the General Conference.
Any delegate to whose admission a Member has made objection shall be seated provisionally with the same rights as other delegates until the General Committee, meeting as a credentials committee, has reported and the General Conference has given its decision.
Representatives of States Members of the United Nations or of any of the specialized agencies which are not Members of the Agency shall be invited to attend the General Conference and may participate without vote on matters of direct concern to them.
Representatives of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies shall be entitled to attend sessions of the General Conference and to participate without vote on matters of common interest between them and the Agency.
(a) Representatives of international organizations, other than the United Nations and the specialized agencies, with which an appropriate relationship has been established in accordance with Article XVI.A of the Statute shall be entitled, if their relationship agreements with the Agency so provide, to attend sessions of the General Conference and to participate without vote on matters of common interest between them and the Agency.
(b) Representatives of non-governmental organizations enjoying consultative status with the Agency may attend the General Conference in accordance with such rules as the General Conference has approved.
At the beginning of each session of the General Conference the delegate from whose delegation the President of the previous session was elected or, in the absence of that delegate, the Director General shall preside until the General Conference has elected a President for the session.
The General Conference shall elect a President. The President shall, having due regard to equitable geographical representation, propose to the General Conference for election, the names of eight Vice-Presidents and the name of a Chairman of the Committee of the Whole. The President, the Vice-Presidents and the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole shall hold office until the close of the session at which they are elected.
If the President is absent during a meeting or any part thereof, he shall appoint one of the Vice-Presidents to take his place, who, while acting as President, shall have the same powers and duties as the President.
If the President is unable to perform his functions, a new President shall be elected for the unexpired term of office of the President.
The Director General shall act in that capacity at all meetings of the General Conference and of its committees and other subsidiary bodies, or he may designate a member of his staff to represent him at any such meetings. The Director General or his representative may at any time, with the approval of the presiding officer, make oral or written statements to such meetings.
The Director General shall provide and direct the staff required by the General Conference, its committees and other subsidiary bodies and shall be responsible for all the necessary arrangements for the meetings of the General Conference, its committees and other subsidiary bodies.
Under the direction of the Director General, the Secretariat shall receive, translate, reproduce and distribute documents of the General Conference, its committees and other subsidiary bodies; prepare and circulate summary records of meetings and sessions; interpret speeches made at meetings; have custody of documents of the General Conference in the archives of the Agency; publish the reports of the meetings of the General Conference; distribute all documents of the General Conference to the Members of the Agency; and generally perform all other work which the General Conference, its committees or other subsidiary bodies may require.
At each session the General Conference shall appoint a General Committee which shall consist of the President of the General Conference, who shall serve as chairman, the eight Vice-Presidents, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole and five additional members elected by the General Conference on the proposal of the President. If the President of the General Conference is absent during a meeting of the General Committee or any part thereof, he shall appoint one of the Vice-Presidents to preside. If any member of the General Committee is absent from a meeting of the General Committee, his delegation shall be represented by another member thereof. No two members of the General Committee shall be members of the same delegation, and it shall be so constituted as to ensure its representative character.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors and the Chairmen of committees of the General Conference other than the Committee of the Whole may participate without vote in the meetings of the General Committee. The Chairman of the Board of Governors and the Chairman of any such committee of the General Conference may designate the Vice-Chairman of the body concerned to represent him in the General Committee.
(a) The General Committee shall at the beginning of each session of the General Conference consider the provisional agenda, together with any supplementary list, and shall report thereon to the General Conference. It shall consider requests, made pursuant to Rules 15 and 19 of these Rules, for the inclusion of additional items and shall report thereon to the General Conference. In considering matters relating to the agenda of the General Conference, the General Committee shall not discuss the substance of any item, except insofar as this bears upon the question whether the General Committee should recommend the inclusion of the item in the agenda, the rejection of the request for inclusion or the inclusion of the item in the provisional agenda of a future session, and what priority should be accorded to an item the inclusion of which has been recommended.
(b) The General Committee shall propose to the General Conference the allocation of agenda items to committees and the establishment of any additional committees which it considers necessary. It shall examine the credentials of all delegates and report thereon to the General Conference. It shall make recommendations to the General Conference concerning the closing date of the session. It may revise the resolutions adopted by the General Conference, changing their form but not their substance; any such changes shall be reported to the General Conference for its consideration. It shall assist the President of the General Conference in conducting and co-ordinating the work of the General Conference.
A Member of the Agency which has no representative in the General Committee and which has requested the inclusion of an item in the agenda shall be entitled to attend any meeting of the General Committee at which its request is discussed, and to participate, without vote, in the discussion of that item.
The General Conference may set up such committees as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.
The main committee of the General Conference shall be the Committee of the Whole, which shall consider and report on any item referred to it by the General Conference under these Rules.
Except as provided for in Rules 34 and 40, each committee of the General Conference shall elect its own Chairman and other officers. These officers shall be elected on the basis of equitable geographical representation, experience and personal competence. Each committee may set up subcommittees or other subsidiary organs, which shall elect their own officers.
Agenda items relating to the same category of subjects shall be referred to the committee or committees dealing with that category of subjects. Committees shall not introduce new items on their own initiative.
Immediately after the opening of the first plenary meeting and immediately preceding the closing of the final plenary meeting of each session of the General Conference, the presiding officer shall invite the delegates to observe one minute of silence dedicated to prayer or meditation.
The President of the General Conference, or, in his absence, the Vice-President appointed by him to take his place shall be the presiding officer of the General Conference.
In addition to exercising the powers which are conferred upon him by these Rules, the presiding officer shall declare the opening and closing of each meeting of the General Conference, shall direct its discussions, ensure observance of these Rules, accord the right to speak, put questions and announce decisions. He shall rule on points of order and, subject to these Rules, shall have control of the proceedings of the General Conference and over the maintenance of order at its meetings. The presiding officer may propose to the General Conference the limitation of the time to be allowed to speakers, the limitation of the number of times each delegate may speak on any question, the closure of the list of speakers or the closure of the debate. He may propose the suspension or adjournment of the meeting or the adjournment of the debate on the item under discussion. The presiding officer, in the exercise of his functions, shall remain under the authority of the General Conference.
The presiding officer shall not vote, but may appoint another member of his delegation to vote in his place.
The meetings of the General Conference, its committees and other subsidiary bodies shall be held in public unless the body concerned decides that circumstances require that the meeting be held in private. All decisions of the General Conference taken at a private meeting shall be announced at an early public meeting. At the close of each private meeting of committees and other subsidiary bodies, the Chairman may issue a communique through the Director General.
A majority of the Members of the Agency shall constitute a quorum at a plenary meeting of the General Conference.
No delegate may address the General Conference without having previously obtained the permission of the presiding officer. Subject to Rule 55 of these Rules, the presiding officer shall call upon speakers in the order in which they signify their desire to speak. The presiding officer may call a speaker to order if his remarks are not relevant to the subject under discussion.
The presiding officer may accord precedence to the Chairman of the Board of Governors and to the Chairman or other officer of a committee or of any other subsidiary body of the General Conference, for the purpose of explaining a report or recommendations submitted to the General Conference. He may also accord precedence to the Director General.
During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may rise to a point of order, and the point of order shall be immediately decided by the presiding officer in accordance with these Rules. A delegate may appeal against the ruling of the presiding officer. The appeal shall be immediately put to the vote and the presiding officer's ruling shall stand unless overruled by a majority of the Members present and voting. A delegate rising to a point of order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion.
The General Conference may limit the time to be allowed to each speaker and the number of times each delegate may speak on any question. When debate is limited and a delegate has spoken his allotted time, the presiding officer shall call him to order without delay.
During the course of a debate the presiding officer may announce a list of speakers and, with the consent of the General Conference, declare the list closed. He may, however, accord the right of reply to any delegate if a speech delivered after the list has been closed makes this desirable.
During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may move the adjournment of the debate on the item under discussion. In addition to the proposer of the motion, two delegates may speak in favour of, and two against, the motion, after which the motion shall be immediately put to the vote. The presiding officer may limit the time to be allowed to speakers under this Rule.
A delegate may at any time move the closure of the debate on the item under discussion, whether or not any other delegate has signified his wish to speak. Permission to speak on the closure of the debate shall be accorded only to two speakers opposing the closure, after which the motion shall be immediately put to the vote. If the General Conference is in favour of the closure, the presiding officer shall declare the closure of the debate. The presiding officer may limit the time to be allowed to speakers under this Rule.
During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may move the suspension or the adjournment of the meeting. Such motions shall not be debated, but shall be immediately put to the vote. The presiding officer may limit the time to be allowed to the speaker moving the suspension or adjournment of the meeting.
Subject to Rule 56 of these Rules, the following motions shall have precedence in the following order over all other proposals or motions before the meetings:
(a) To suspend the meeting;
(b) To adjourn the meeting;
(c) To adjourn the debate on the item under discussion; and
(d) For the closure of the debate on the item under discussion.
Proposals and amendments shall normally be introduced in writing and handed to the Director General who shall circulate copies to all delegations. As a general rule and subject to Rule 67 of these Rules, no proposal shall be discussed or put to the vote unless its text has been distributed to all delegations not later than the day preceding the meeting. The presiding officer may, however, permit the discussion and consideration of amendments, or of motions as to procedure, even though these amendments or motions have not been distributed or have been distributed the same day.
Subject to Rule 62 of these Rules, any motion calling for a decision on the competence of the General Conference to adopt a proposal submitted to it shall be put to the vote before a vote is taken on the proposal in question.
Any proposal may be withdrawn by its proposer at any time before voting upon it has commenced. A proposal which has thus been withdrawn may be reintroduced by any delegate.
When a proposal or amendment has been adopted or rejected, it shall not be reconsidered at the same session unless the General Conference, by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting, so decides. Permission to speak on a motion to reconsider shall be accorded only to two speakers opposing the motion, after which it shall be immediately put to the vote
A proposal involving expenditure by the Agency shall not be voted upon in the absence of a report from the Director General on the administrative and financial implications of the proposal and a report from the appropriate committee of the General Conference.
Each Member of the Agency shall have one vote in the General Conference.
The following decisions of the General Conference shall require a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting:
(a) A decision on any financial question;
(b) A decision on a proposal for amendment to the Statute;
(c) A decision, upon recommendation of the Board of Governors, to suspend any Member from the exercise of the privileges and rights of membership;
(d) A decision on amendments to proposals relating to matters referred to in this Rule and on parts of such proposals put to the vote separately; and
(e) A decision which, pursuant to Rules 15, 19, 66 and 102 of these Rules, requires a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting.
Decisions of the General Conference on other questions, including the determination of additional questions or categories of questions to be decided by a two-thirds majority, shall be made by a majority of the Members present and voting.
For the purpose of these Rules, the phrase ''Members present and voting" shall mean Members casting a valid affirmative or negative vote. Members who abstain from voting shall be considered as not voting.
Except in elections to the Board of Governors, the normal method of voting shall be by show of hands. Any Member may request a vote by roll-call. The roll-call shall be taken in the English alphabetical order of the names of Members of the Agency entitled to vote, beginning with the Member whose name is drawn by lot by the presiding officer. Each delegate present shall reply "yes" or "no'' or "abstention". The result of the vote shall be inserted in the record of the meeting.
After the voting has commenced, no delegate shall inter rupt the voting except on a point of order in connection with the actual conduct of the voting.
The presiding officer may permit Members to explain their votes, either before or after the voting, except when the vote is taken by secret ballot. The presiding officer may limit the time to be allowed for such explanations. The presiding officer shall not permit the proposer of a proposal or of an amendment to explain his vote on his own proposal or amendment.
A delegate may move that parts of a proposal or of an amendment shall be voted on separately. If objection is made to the request for division, the motion for division shall be voted upon. Permission to speak on the motion for division shall be given only to two speakers in favour and two speakers against. If the motion for division is carried, those parts of the proposal or of the amendment which are subsequently approved shall be put to the vote as a whole. If all operative parts of the proposal or of the amendment have been rejected, the proposal or the amendment shall be considered to have been rejected as a whole.
(a) When an amendment to a proposal is moved, the amendment shall be voted on first. When two or more amendments are moved to a proposal, the General Conference shall first vote on the amendment deemed by the presiding officer to be furthest removed in substance from the original proposal and then on the amendment next furthest removed therefrom, and so on, until all the amendments have been put to the vote. Where, however, the adoption of one amendment necessarily implies the rejection of another amendment, the latter amendment shall not be put to the vote. If one or more amendments are adopted, the amended proposal shall then be voted upon.
(b) A motion shall be considered an amendment to a proposal if it merely adds to, deletes from or revises part of that proposal.
If two or more proposals relate to the same question, the General Conference shall, unless it decides otherwise, vote on the proposals in the order in which they have been submitted. The General Conference may, after each vote on a proposal, decide whether to vote on the next proposal.
If a vote is equally divided in voting other than elections, the proposal voted upon shall be considered as not adopted.
Election of Members to the Board of Governors shall be by secret ballot. There shall be no nominations. Other elections shall be by secret ballot if ten or more Members request or if the presiding officer so decides.
When only one elective place is to be filled and no candidate obtains in the first ballot the majority required, a second ballot shall be taken which shall be restricted to the two candidates who obtained the largest number of votes in the first ballot. If in the second ballot the votes are equally divided, the presiding officer shall decide between the candidates by drawing lots.
When two or more elective places are to be filled at one time under the same conditions, those candidates obtaining in the first ballot the majority required shall be elected. If the number of candidates obtaining the majority required is less than the number of elective places to be filled, there shall be not more than two ballots in respect of each elective place remaining to be filled. If in the first ballot for an unfilled elective place no candidate obtains the majority required, a second ballot shall be taken which shall be restricted to the two candidates who obtained the largest number of votes in the first ballot for that elective place. If in the second ballot for that elective place the votes are equally divided, the presiding officer shall decide between the candidates by drawing lots. A candidate who fails to be elected for any one elective place will be eligible for election to any other remaining elective place.
Subject to any decision of the General Conference and subject to these Rules, procedures governing the conduct of business in committees and other subsidiary bodies of the General Conference shall conform as far as is appropriate to the rules governing the conduct of business at plenary meetings of the General Conference.
Before the General Conference at each regular session proceeds to elections to the Board of Governors, the presiding officer shall indicate to the General Conference those elective places on the Board which must be filled so as to ensure that after the end of that session the Board will be constituted in accordance with Article VI.A of the Statute
There shall be a single ballot in respect of all the elective places to be filled. The ballot paper shall specify those elective places which are to be filled in each geographical area or group of areas in the order that these areas or groups of areas are referred to in Article VI.A.2 of the Statute. However:
(a) If in this ballot a Member of the Agency receives the majority of votes required for election in respect of more than one elective place, the Member shall be considered elected to whichever of these elective places appears first on the ballot paper; or
(b) If after this ballot one or more elective places remain to be filled, further ballots shall be held, to which the provisions in Rule 80 or 81, as appropriate, shall apply.
In elections to the Board of Governors invalid votes shall include those cast for a Member of the Agency:
(a) Whose term of office as a designated Member will begin after the end of the session at which the election is being held;
(b) Whose term of office as an elected Member will not expire at the end of the session in which the election is being held;
(c) Which is ineligible under Article VI.A.2(a) of the Statute for re-election; or
(d) Which is not in that area or group of areas referred to in Article VI.A.2 of the Statute in respect of which the election is being held.
Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish shall be the official languages of the General Conference. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish shall be the working languages of the General Conference. Speeches made in any one of the working languages shall be interpreted into the other working languages.
Any delegate may make a speech in a language other than the working languages provided, however, that if he does so he shall himself provide for interpretation into one of the working languages. In such cases, interpretation into the other working languages by the interpreters of the Secretariat may be based on the interpretation provided by the delegate.
Summary records of meetings shall be prepared in the working languages. All resolutions and other important documents shall be made available in the working languages.
(a) Summary records of all plenary meetings of the General Conference and its committees shall be prepared by the Secretariat and distributed as soon as possible to all Members. Each Member shall inform the Secretariat in writing, within three weeks after distribution of a record, of any corrections it wishes to have made. All corrections received by the Secretariat within the time limit indicated above and all texts provided in accordance with sub-paragraph
(b) of this Rule shall be consolidated in a single corrigendum issued for each meeting of the General Conference and its committees during a session of the General Conference.
(c) Delegates may, on special occasions, request that their remarks made at a plenary meeting of the General Conference be set forth verbatim in the record. Such requests may be made at any time not later than three weeks after distribution of the summary record of the plenary meeting at which the remarks were made and shall be accompanied by a text, in one of the working languages, of the remarks to which the request relates.
The records of meetings of other subsidiary bodies of the General Conference shall be prepared in summary form, unless the General Conference decides otherwise, or unless the subsidiary body decides that no record shall be kept.
The texts of all resolutions and other important documents shall be distributed by the Secretariat as soon as possible.
A recommendation of the Board of Governors pursuant to Article IV.B of the Statute for the admission of a State to membership in the Agency shall be considered by the General Conference at its next regular session. If such a recommendation is made during a regular session of the General Conference, it shall be considered during that session. A State whose application for membership has been recommended by the Board of Governors may attend any meeting of the General Conference at which its application is discussed, and may participate, without vote, in the discussion.
On notification from the Board of Governors that it does not recommend an applicant State for membership, the General Conference may refer the matter back to the Board of Governors, together with a full record of the discussion in the General Conference, for further discussion and recommendation or report.
A new Member shall make a contribution to the budget of the Agency for the year during which it becomes a Member. The amount of such contribution shall be determined by the General Conference at the session during which the State's application for membership is approved.
The Director General shall inform a State applying for membership of the decision taken by the General Conference on its application.
If an application for membership in the Agency is approved, the applicant State shall become a Member of the Agency upon the date on which it deposits an instrument of acceptance of the Statute with the Government of the United States of America.
Amendments to the Statute of the Agency may be proposed by any Member.
No proposal for the amendment of the Statute of the Agency shall be considered by the General Conference unless certified copies of the text of the proposed amendment have been prepared by the Director General and sent by him to all Members at least ninety days in advance of the session concerned.
The General Conference shall not take a decision on any amendment to the Statute until it has considered the observations submitted by the Board of Governors on such amendment.
If the General Conference approves a substantive change or changes in a proposed amendment of the Statute, the revised amendment shall not be finally acted upon by the General Conference until at least ninety days after certified copies of the text of the revised amendment have been sent by the Director General to all Members of the Agency and the General Conference has considered the observations submitted by the Board of Governors on such revised amendment.
These Rules may be amended, subject to the provisions of the Statute of the Agency and provided that the General Conference has received a report on such amendment from the appropriate committee, by a decision of the General Conference taken by a majority of the Members present and voting.
Any of these Rules may be suspended, subject to the provisions of the Statute of the Agency, by a decision of the General Conference taken by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting.
The description of these Rules in the table of contents and the description prefixed to each Rule shall be disregarded in the interpretation of these Rules.