The activities of the Assembly are the three Standing Committees, which issue opinions and recommendations. The Standing Committees are essential for the functioning and deliberations of the Assembly, they focus their attention on the following strategic areas:
First Standing Committee: Political and Security-related Cooperation
President: Sen. Alia Bouran (Jordan)
Second Standing Committee: Economic, Social and Environmental Cooperation
Hon. Giulio Centemero (Italy)
Third Standing Committee: Dialogue among Civilisations and Human Rights
Hon. Pedro Roque (Portugal)
In order to implement the decisions taken by the Assembly through the development of a work plan for the long and medium term and over a period of five years, the Standing Committees determine their priorities based on the key issues indicated by the General Assembly. Each Standing Committee reports regularly to the Assembly on its activities. On certain issues, the Commission may agree to postpone the discussion to an Ad Hoc Committee or a Working Group created for this purpose.
The work of the Committees takes shape through the activities of rapporteurs, who lead the task forces and special task forces. The rapporteurs report regularly to the Standing Committees on progress in their respective groups and on recommendations to be made to the Assembly. These working groups, composed of a core of 5 to 6 participants, are open to all interested members of the Assembly to ensure the widest possible participation in the debate on a topic.