ARTICLE 17

Resolutions relating to matters not included in an item placed on the agenda

1. (1) Subject to paragraph 2 below, no resolution relating to a matter not included in an item placed on the agenda by the Conference or the Governing Body shall be moved at the session of the Conference preceding the beginning of a biennial financial period. Such resolutions may be moved at other sessions of the Conference provided that a copy of the resolution has been deposited with the Director-General of the International Labour Office at least 15 days before the opening of the session of the Conference, by a delegate to the Conference.

(2) Copies of all resolutions shall be available to delegates at the International Labour Office not more than 48 hours after the expiry of the time-limit laid down in the preceding subparagraph: Provided that the Director-General may decide to withhold circulation of the text of a particular resolution pending consultation of the Officers of the Governing Body.

(3) When circulation of a particular resolution has been withheld pending consultation of the Officers of the Governing Body, that resolution shall, unless the Officers decide unanimously to the contrary, be available to delegates not later than the date fixed for the opening of the session of the Conference.

2. The President may, with the approval of the three Vice-Presidents, permit a resolution relating to a matter not included in an item placed on the agenda by the Conference or the Governing Body to be moved, although it would not be otherwise receivable under paragraph 1 (1), if it relates either to urgent matters or to matters of an entirely formal nature. If permission is given, the Officers shall also make a recommendation to the Conference as to the manner in which the said resolution is to be considered before submission to the Conference.

3. Subject to paragraph 2 above, all resolutions relating to matters not included in an item placed on the agenda by the Conference or the Governing Body shall be referred by the Conference for report to a Resolutions Committee unless the Conference, on the recommendation of the Selection Committee, decides that a particular resolution relates to a matter for which another committee is competent and refers it to that other committee.

4. The Resolutions Committee shall consider in respect of each resolution whether it satisfies the conditions of receivability set forth in paragraph 1.

5. The Resolutions Committee shall determine the order in which resolutions which have been declared receivable shall be examined, as follows:

(a) After having given the author, or one of the authors, of each resolution the possibility of moving it in a speech which shall not exceed ten minutes, the Committee shall, without discussion, determine by ballot the first five resolutions to be considered, in the following manner:

(i) each member of the Committee shall receive a ballot paper of which the titles of all the resolutions to be considered appear, and shall indicate thereon the five resolutions which he wishes to be discussed first, the first preference being marked "1", the second "2", and so forth; a ballot paper which does not indicate preferences for five resolutions shall be void;

(ii) whenever a resolution is indicated as a first preference, it shall be allotted five points, whenever it is indicated as a second preference, four points, and so forth; resolutions for which no preference has been indicated will receive no points;

(iii) where the Government, Employers' or Workers' members of the Committee are entitled to cast more than one vote, to take account of the unequal representation of the group on the Committee, the total number of points secured by each resolution shall be calculated separately for each group and multiplied by the multiplier applicable to the votes of members of the group;

(iv) the resolution obtaining the largest number of points, as determined in accordance with clauses (ii) and (iii), shall be discussed first, the resolution obtaining the second largest number of points shall be discussed second, and so forth for five resolutions; if the voting results in an equal number of points for each of two or more of the first five resolutions, priority shall be decided by lot in one or more castings, as appropriate;

(b) The Committee shall, at the beginning of its proceedings, set up a Working Party composed of three Government members, three Employers' members and three Workers' members to make recommendations as to the order in which the resolutions which were not included in the first five as a result of the procedure set forth in subparagraph (a) should be examined.

6. The Resolutions Committee shall begin its work as soon as possible after the opening of the session of the Conference, in order to enable it to complete its agenda, and shall terminate its work not later than at 6 p.m. on the last Saturday of the session. If, nevertheless, any resolution has not been considered by the Committee by the date on which it terminates its work, the Conference shall not discuss or act upon that resolution.

7. (1) If members of the Resolutions Committee having not less than one-quarter of the voting power of the Committee move that the Committee should take the view that a resolution is not within the competence of the Conference, or that its adoption is inexpedient, this preliminary question shall be determined by the Committee after hearing the author, or, where there are several, one of the authors of the resolution, not more than one speaker for and against the motion from each group, and the reply of the author or one of the authors.

(2) A recommendation by the Resolutions Committee that a resolution is not within the competence of the Conference, or that its adoption is inexpedient, shall be accompanied by a report of the discussion in the Committee and shall be put to the vote in the Conference without debate.

8. The Resolutions Committee may, after hearing the author or authors of a resolution, amend it in form or substance in such manner as it may consider desirable.

9. It shall be the special duty of the Resolutions Committee to distinguish, by appropriate drafting, resolutions the adoption of which by the Conference would involve exact legal consequences from resolutions intended for consideration by the Governing Body, governments or any other body, but not creating any legal obligation.

10. The Resolutions Committee shall submit a report to the Conference.