Modalities for the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development A/RES/70/303 Rule 4 Credentials Committee A Credentials Committee of nine members shall be appointed at the beginning of the Conference. Its composition shall be based on that of the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session. It shall examine the credentials of representatives and report to the Conference without delay. Rule 5 Provisional participation in the Conference Pending a decision of the Conference on their credentials, representatives shall be entitled to participate provisionally in the Conference . II. Officers Rule 6 Elections The Conference shall elect from among the representatives of participating States the following officers: two Presidents, one from Fiji and one from Sweden, each of whom shall preside separately. The Conference shall also elect 13 VicePresidents, 10 one of whom shall be designated as Rapporteur-General, as well as a chair for the Main Committee established in accordance with rule 46. The officers shall be elected with a view to ensuring the representative character of the Ge neral Committee. The Conference may also elect such other officers as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions. Rule 7 General powers of the presiding President 1. The Presidents shall take turns in presiding at the plenary meetings of the Conference. In addition to exercising the powers conferred upon him/her elsewhere by these rules, the presiding President shall declare the opening and closing of each meeting, put questions to the vote and announce decisions. The presiding President shall rule on points of order and, subject to those rules, shall have complete control over the proceedings and the maintenance of order thereat. The presiding President may propose to the Conference the closure of the list of speakers, a limitation on the time to be allowed to speakers and on the number of times each representative may speak on a question, the adjournment or closure of the debate and the suspension or adjournment of a meeting. 2. The presiding Presidents remain, in the exercise of their functions, under the authority of the Conference. Rule 8 Acting President 1. If either President is to be absent from a meeting or any part thereof, the presiding President may designate one of the Vice-Presidents to preside. _______________ 10 Three from each of the following groups: African States; Asia-Pacific States; Eastern European States; Latin American and Caribbean States; and Western European and other States. The election of the two Presidents will, however, have the effect of reducing by one the number of Vice-Presidents allocated to the regions from which each of the Presidents is elected. 10/22