- 8 - Chapter I DRAFT RESOLUTION AND DECISIONS RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION BY THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL 1/ Twelfth session DRAFT RESOLUTION Annual sessions of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights The Economic and Social Council, Recalling its resolution 1985/17 of 28 May 1985, by which it established the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to assist it in relation to the various functions entrusted to it under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Recalling also that, in its resolution 1985/17, it decided to review the composition, organization and administrative arrangements of the Committee every five years, beginning in 1990, Noting that, since its first session in 1987, the Committee has held twelve sessions, examined one hundred and three reports of States parties and adopted five very detailed general comments, Recognizing that the Committee has succeeded in developing constructive and effective methods of work, including in relation to its dialogue with States parties, Recalling the emphasis contained in the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development on the important role of the Committee in monitoring those aspects of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action that relate to compliance by States parties with the Covenant, Noting that the number of States parties to the Covenant has increased by more than 50 per cent since the Council resolved to establish the Committee and that there are now 131 States parties, Noting also that the Committee has consistently needed to hold two annual sessions in recent years in order to cope with its workload and that it continues to be faced with a backlog of reports to be considered, 1. Authorizes the holding of two annual sessions by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in May and November-December, each of three weeks’ duration, in addition to a pre-sessional working group of five members to meet for five days immediately after each session to prepare the list of issues for consideration at the subsequent session; 1/ Resolution 1995/39 and decisions 1995/302 and 1995/303 adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1995.