A/HRC/17/19 conduct of those meetings. At the request of the President, it also provides information relevant to the agenda items of meetings of the Bureau. The support provided by the secretariat does not, however, extend to the President’s activities outside the meetings of the Council, such as his or her bilateral meetings and informal consultations, or to personal and logistic assistance functions. 13. With the establishment of the Human Rights Council and the adoption of the institution-building package, a few Professional posts for the Council secretariat were approved by the General Assembly in anticipation of an increased workload resulting from the number of meetings of the Council as compared with the Commission on Human Rights; the actual workload and new demands over the past few years, however, have outstripped the existing capacity of the Council secretariat. Consequently, for each session, the Council secretariat is forced to take ad hoc measures to fill capacity gaps, including through the full involvement of interns in certain conference-servicing and administrative tasks. VII. Office of the President of the General Assembly 14. In the United Nations system, the General Assembly is the only intergovernmental organ originating from the Charter of the United Nations whose President is supported by a formal office structure. Despite the considerable differences between the Assembly and the Human Rights Council as its subsidiary organ in all aspects of their work and mandates, it may be worthwhile reviewing the role, functions and composition of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, as well as related financial arrangements. 15. The President of the General Assembly oversees, manages and guides the ongoing work of the Assembly throughout the year of the rotating presidency. In addition to presiding over meetings, the President plays a critical role in organizing and facilitating informal consultations on major high-level plenary meetings, their follow-up and thematic debates and in coordinating the work among the Main Committees and the principal organs, including the Security Council. The President also has official, ceremonial and protocol functions to perform, including representing the body to the outside world. She or he receives an average of 60 official visits per month and is invited to attend, preside over and participate in international conferences, summits, forums and regional and subregional meetings. The President also visits many countries in different regions. 16. As the workload of the General Assembly has evolved, the role of the Office has also changed over time to become more substantive and expert in nature. The Office provides substantive backstopping support to the work of the President mentioned above and also to the facilitators appointed to support informal consultations on a wide range of issues. A group of experts in the Office provides informed analysis and expert advice. The Office undertakes daily coordinating functions, including liaising with Member States, committee chairpersons and co-chairs and facilitators of various processes, as well as with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the departments and offices of the Secretariat and the funds, programmes and agencies of the United Nations system. The Office also interacts with civil society, non-governmental organizations and the media. 17. The day-to-day administrative work of the Office of the President is supported by the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, which provides meeting planning, conference management and servicing, as well as translation and interpretation functions. As part of the Department, the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Affairs Division provides technical assistance and administrative and procedural advice on the orderly and effective conduct of the deliberations and follow-up actions of the Assembly, among other issues. The Division also supports the President and 6