The Second Committee meets every year in early October and aims to finish its work by the end of November.

[2] The work of the committee usually begins in early October and ends sometime by the end of November, though extensions are often granted to allow the committee to continue its work until early to mid-December.

[2] Its work is split into two main stages: (1) general debate and (2) action on individual items.

The first stage, the general debate, lasts up to one week and begins with a keynote address by an invited speaker.

The second stage lasts around four weeks, and is usually when negotiations on draft proposals are conducted.