Review and Implementation of the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly, G.A. res. 50/71, U.N. Doc. A/RES/50/71 (1995)


 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its decision, contained in paragraph 108 of the Final Document
of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, the first special
session devoted to disarmament, to establish a programme of fellowships on
disarmament, as well as its decisions contained in annex IV to the Concluding
Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly, the second
special session devoted to disarmament, in which it decided, inter alia, to
continue the programme,
 
      Noting with satisfaction that the programme has already trained an
appreciable number of public officials selected from geographical regions
represented in the United Nations system, most of whom are now in positions of
responsibility in the field of disarmament affairs in their respective
countries or Governments,
 
      Recalling all the annual resolutions on the matter since the thirty-
seventh session of the General Assembly, in 1982, including Assembly
resolution 49/76 B of 15 December 1994,
 
      Noting also with satisfaction that the programme, as designed, continues
to enable an increased number of public officials, particularly from the
developing countries, to acquire more expertise in the sphere of disarmament,
 
      Believing that the forms of assistance available to Member States,
particularly to developing countries, under the programme will enhance the
capabilities of their officials to follow ongoing deliberations and
negotiations on disarmament, both bilateral and multilateral,
 
      1.    Reaffirms its decisions contained in annex IV to the Concluding
Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly 2/ and the
report of the Secretary-General approved by the Assembly in its resolution
33/71 E of 14 December 1978;
 
      2.    Expresses its appreciation to the Governments of Germany and Japan
for inviting the 1995 fellows to study selected activities in the field of
disarmament, thereby contributing to the fulfilment of the overall objectives
of the programme;
 
      3.    Commends the Secretary-General for the diligence with which the
programme has continued to be carried out;
 
      4.    Requests the Secretary-General to continue the implementation of
the Geneva-based programme within existing resources and to report thereon to
the General Assembly at its fifty-first session;
 
      5.    Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first
session the item entitled "United Nations disarmament fellowship, training and
advisory services".
 
                                       B
 
                     Regional confidence-building measures
 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling the purposes and principles of the United Nations and its
primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security
in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,
 
      Bearing in mind the guidelines for general and complete disarmament
adopted at its tenth special session, the first special session devoted to
disarmament,
 
      Recalling its resolutions 43/78 H and 43/85 of 7 December 1988, 44/21 of
15 November 1989, 45/58 M of 4 December 1990, 46/37 B of 6 December 1991,
47/53 F of 15 December 1992, 48/76 A of 16 December 1993 and 49/76 C of 15
December 1994,
 
      Considering the importance and effectiveness of confidence-building
measures taken at the initiative and with the participation of all States
concerned and taking into account the specific characteristics of each region,
in that they can contribute to regional disarmament and to international
security, in accordance with the principles of the Charter,
 
      Convinced that the resources released by disarmament, including regional
disarmament, can be devoted to economic and social development and to the
protection of the environment for the benefit of all peoples, in particular
those of the developing countries,
 
      Bearing in mind the establishment by the Secretary-General on 28 May
1992 of the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central
Africa, the purpose of which is to encourage arms limitation, disarmament,
non-proliferation and development in the subregion,
 
      1.    Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on regional
confidence-building measures, which deals with the sixth and seventh meetings
of the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa,
held at Brazzaville in March and August 1995;
 
      2.    Reaffirms its support for efforts aimed at promoting confidence-
building measures at regional and subregional levels in order to ease tensions
and conflicts in the subregion and to further disarmament, non-proliferation
and the peaceful settlement of disputes in Central Africa;
 
      3.    Also reaffirms its support for the programme of work of the
Standing Advisory Committee adopted at the organizational meeting of the
Committee held at Yaounde in July 1992;
 
      4.    Takes note of the Brazzaville Declaration on Cooperation for Peace
and Security in Central Africa and urges the States members of the Standing
Advisory Committee to implement it promptly;
 
      5.    Notes the readiness of the States members of the Standing Advisory
Committee to reduce the military forces, equipment and budgets in the
subregion and to continue reviewing the studies carried out on the subject
with a view to reaching agreements to that end;
 
      6.    Welcomes the initialling of the Non-Aggression Pact between the
States members of the Standing Advisory Committee, which is likely to
contribute to the prevention of conflicts and to confidence-building in the
subregion, and encourages those States to sign the Pact as soon as possible;
 
      7.    Welcomes with satisfaction the decision by the States members of
the Standing Advisory Committee to participate in peace operations of the
United Nations and the Organization of African Unity and, to that end, to
establish units specializing in peace operations within their respective armed
forces;
 
      8.    Also welcomes with satisfaction the participation of some of the
States members of the Standing Advisory Committee in the peace operations
deployed in the subregion;
 
      9.    Requests Member States and governmental and non-governmental
organizations to promote and to facilitate the holding of a training programme
on peace operations in the subregion with a view to strengthening the capacity
of the units specializing in peace operations in the armed forces of the
States members of the Standing Advisory Committee;
 
      10.   Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide assistance
to the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee and to establish a
trust fund to which Member States and governmental and non-governmental
organizations may make additional voluntary contributions for the
implementation of the programme of work of the Committee;
 
      11.   Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General
Assembly at its fifty-first session a report on the implementation of the
present resolution;
 
      12.   Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first
session the item entitled "Regional confidence-building measures".
 
 
                                       C
 
      United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa
      and United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and
                Development in Latin America and the Caribbean
 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its resolutions 40/151 G of 16 December 1985, 41/60 D of 3
December 1986, 42/39 J of 30 November 1987 and 43/76 D of 7 December 1988 on
the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, its
resolutions 41/60 J of 3 December 1986, 42/39 K of 30 November 1987 and 43/76
H of 7 December 1988 on the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace,
Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, and its
resolutions 45/59 E of 4 December 1990 and 46/37 F of 9 December 1991 on the
United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, the United
Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and
the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in
Latin America and the Caribbean,
 
      Reaffirming its resolutions 46/36 F of 6 December 1991 and 47/52 G of 9
December 1992 on regional disarmament, including confidence-building measures,
 
      Recalling its resolutions 48/76 E of 16 December 1993 and 49/76 D of 15
December 1994 on the regional disarmament centres,
 
      Mindful of the provisions of Article 11, paragraph 1, of the Charter of
the United Nations stipulating that a function of the General Assembly is to
consider the general principles of cooperation in the maintenance of
international peace and security, including the principles governing
disarmament and arms limitation,
 
      Bearing in mind that the changed international environment has created
new opportunities for the pursuit of disarmament, as well as posed new
challenges,
 
      Convinced that the initiatives and activities mutually agreed upon by
Member States of the respective regions aimed at fostering mutual confidence
and security, as well as the implementation and coordination of regional
activities under the United Nations Disarmament Information Programme, would
encourage and facilitate the development of effective measures of confidence-
building, arms limitation and disarmament in these regions,
 
      Welcoming the programme of activities carried out by the regional
centres, which have contributed substantially to understanding and cooperation
among the States in each particular region and have thereby strengthened the
role assigned to each regional centre in the areas of peace, disarmament and
development,
 
      Bearing in mind the importance of education for peace, disarmament and
development for understanding and cooperation among States and for the
promotion of international peace and security,
 
      Recognizing with concern the financial situation of the regional centres
as described in the 1994 report of the Secretary-General on the activities of
the regional centres,
 
      Underlining, therefore, the need to provide the centres with financial
viability and stability so as to facilitate the effective planning and
implementation of their respective programmes of activities,
 
      Expressing its gratitude to the Member States, international
governmental and non-governmental organizations and foundations that have, so
far, contributed to the trust funds of the regional centres in Africa and
Latin America and the Caribbean,
 
      1.    Commends the activities being carried out by the regional centres
in identifying and broadening the understanding of pressing disarmament and
security issues and exploring optimum solutions under given specific
conditions prevailing in each region, in accordance with their mandates;
 
      2.    Reaffirms its strong support for the further operation and
strengthening of the two regional centres and encourages them to continue
intensifying their efforts in promoting cooperation with subregional and
regional organizations and among the States in their respective regions to
facilitate the development of effective measures of confidence-building, arms
limitation and disarmament, with a view to promoting peace and security;
 
      3.    Also encourages further use of the potential of the regional
centres to maintain the increased interest in and momentum for revitalization
of the Organization to meet the challenges of a new phase of international
relations in order to fulfil the purposes and principles of the Charter of the
United Nations related to peace, disarmament and development, taking into
account the guidelines and recommendations for regional approaches to
disarmament within the context of global security as adopted by the
Disarmament Commission at its 1993 substantive session;
 
      4.    Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Director-
General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, to promote the development of activities within the programmes
of the United Nations regional disarmament centres related to education for
disarmament;
 
      5.    Strongly appeals once again to Member States, as well as to
international governmental and non-governmental organizations and foundations,
to make more substantial voluntary contributions in order to revitalize the
two centres, strengthen their programmes of activities and facilitate the
effective implementation of those programmes;
 
      6.    Requests the Secretary-General, in the light of the current
financial situation of the two centres, to explore new alternative ways of
financial resources and to continue to provide all necessary support to the
regional centres in fulfilling their mandates;
 
      7.    Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the directors
of the two regional centres are, as far as possible, locally based in order to
revitalize the activities in the centres;
 
      8.    Further requests the Secretary-General to report to the General
Assembly at its fifty-first session on his efforts to seek new alternative
sources of financing for the two regional centres and on the implementation of
the present resolution;
 
      9.    Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first
session the item entitled "United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and
Disarmament in Africa, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and
Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and United Nations Regional Centre for
Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean".
 
 
                                       D
 
           United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament
                            in Asia and the Pacific
 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its resolution 39/63 J of 12 December 1984, in which it
requested the Secretary-General to provide assistance to such Member States in
the regions concerned as might request it with a view to establishing regional
and institutional arrangements for the implementation of the World Disarmament
Campaign, on the basis of existing resources and of voluntary contributions
that Member States might make to that end,
 
      Recalling also its resolution 42/39 D of 30 November 1987, by which it
established the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in
Asia, with headquarters at Kathmandu and with the mandate of providing, on
request, substantive support for the initiatives and other activities mutually
agreed upon by the Member States of the Asian region for the implementation of
measures for peace and disarmament, through appropriate utilization of
available resources,
 
      Mindful of its resolution 44/117 F of 15 December 1989, in which it
decided to rename the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament
in Asia as the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in
Asia and the Pacific,
 
      Commending the useful activities carried out by the Regional Centre in
encouraging regional and subregional dialogue for the enhancement of openness,
transparency and confidence-building, as well as the promotion of disarmament
and security through the organization of regional meetings, which has come to
be widely known within the Asia-Pacific region as the "Kathmandu process",
 
      Noting that trends in the post-cold-war era have emphasized the function
of the Regional Centre in assisting Member States as they deal with new
security concerns and disarmament issues emerging in the region,
 
      Noting also the efforts of the Member States to respond to these
concerns and issues through the formulation of a common approach,
 
      Appreciating highly the important role Nepal has played as the host
nation of the headquarters of the Regional Centre,
 
      Recognizing the need for the Regional Centre to pursue effectively its
above-mentioned expanded function,
 
      Expressing its appreciation to the Regional Centre for its organization
of substantive regional meetings at Kathmandu and at Nagasaki and Kanazawa,
Japan, in 1995,
 
      1.    Commends the important work carried out by the United Nations
Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, with its
headquarters at Kathmandu;
 
      2.    Reaffirms its strong support for the continued operation and
further strengthening of the Regional Centre as an essential promoter of the
regional peace and disarmament dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region known as
the "Kathmandu process";
 
      3.    Decides that the Director of the Regional Centre at Kathmandu
should operate as before until a reliable means can be found to finance the
operational needs of the Regional Centre;
 
      4.    Recommends that the Regional Centre organize the scheduled
regional meetings at Kathmandu, Hiroshima, Japan, and other cities in 1996,
within the available resources voluntarily contributed by Member States and
organizations for that purpose;
 
      5.    Expresses its appreciation for the contributions received by the
Regional Centre;
 
      6.    Appeals to Member States, in particular those within the Asia-
Pacific region, as well as to international governmental and non-governmental
organizations and foundations, to make voluntary contributions in order to
strengthen the programme of activities of the Regional Centre and its
implementation;
 
      7.    Requests the Secretary-General to provide all necessary support,
within existing resources, to the Regional Centre in carrying out its
programme of activities;
 
      8.    Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General
Assembly at its fifty-first session on the implementation of the present
resolution;
 
      9.    Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first
session the item entitled "United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and
Disarmament in Africa, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and
Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and United Nations Regional Centre for
Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean".
 
 
                                       E
 
            Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons
 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Convinced that the use of nuclear weapons poses the most serious threat
to the survival of mankind,
 
      Convinced also that a multilateral agreement prohibiting the use or
threat of use of nuclear weapons would strengthen international security and
contribute to the climate for negotiations leading to the ultimate elimination
of nuclear weapons,
 
      Conscious that some steps taken by the Russian Federation and the United
States of America towards a reduction of their nuclear weapons and the
improvement in the international climate can contribute towards the goal of
complete elimination of nuclear weapons,
 
      Recalling that, in paragraph 58 of the Final Document of the Tenth
Special Session of the General Assembly, 1/ it is stated that all States
should actively participate in efforts to bring about conditions in
international relations among States in which a code of peaceful conduct of
nations in international affairs could be agreed upon and that would preclude
the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,
 
      Reaffirming that any use of nuclear weapons would be a violation of the
Charter of the United Nations and a crime against humanity, as declared in its
resolutions 1653 (XVI) of 24 November 1961, 33/71 B of 14 December 1978, 34/83
G of 11 December 1979, 35/152 D of 12 December 1980 and 36/92 I of 9 December
1981,
 
      Stressing that an international convention would be an important step in
a phased programme towards the complete elimination of nuclear weapons within
a time-bound framework,
 
      Noting with regret that the Conference on Disarmament, during its 1995
session, was unable to undertake negotiations on this subject,
 
      1.    Reiterates its request to the Conference on Disarmament to
commence negotiations, in order to reach agreement on an international
convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any
circumstances, taking as a possible basis the draft Convention on the
Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons annexed to the present resolution;
 
      2.    Requests the Conference on Disarmament to report to the General
Assembly on the results of those negotiations.
 
 
                                     ANNEX
 
                Draft Convention on the Prohibition of the Use
                              of Nuclear Weapons
 
      The States Parties to the present Convention,
 
      Alarmed by the threat to the very survival of mankind posed by the
existence of nuclear weapons,
 
      Convinced that any use of nuclear weapons constitutes a violation of the
Charter of the United Nations and a crime against humanity,
 
      Convinced also that the present Convention would be an important step in
a phased programme towards the complete elimination of nuclear weapons within
a time-bound framework,
 
      Determined to continue negotiations for the achievement of this goal,
 
      Have agreed as follows:
 
 
                                   Article 1
 
      The States Parties to the present Convention solemnly undertake not to
use or threaten to use nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
 
                                   Article 2
 
      The present Convention shall be of unlimited duration.
 
 
                                   Article 3
 
      1.    The present Convention shall be open to all States for signature.
Any State that does not sign the Convention before its entry into force in
accordance with paragraph 3 of the present article may accede to it at any
time.
 
      2.    The present Convention shall be subject to ratification by
signatory States.  Instruments of ratification or accession shall be deposited
with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 
      3.    The present Convention shall enter into force on the deposit of
instruments of ratification by twenty-five Governments, including the
Governments of the five nuclear-weapon States, in accordance with paragraph 2
of the present article.
 
      4.    For States whose instruments of ratification or accession are
deposited after the entry into force of the Convention, it shall enter into
force on the date of the deposit of their instruments of ratification or
accession.
 
      5.    The depositary shall promptly inform all signatory and acceding
States of the date of each signature, the date of deposit of each instrument
of ratification or accession and the date of entry into force of the present
Convention, as well as of the receipt of other notices.
 
      6.    The present Convention shall be registered by the depositary in
accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.
 
 
                                   Article 4
 
      The present Convention, of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French,
Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall send duly certified copies
thereof to the Governments of the signatory and acceding States.
 
      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by
their respective Governments, have signed the present Convention, opened for
signature at ___________ on the ____________ day of ____________ one thousand
nine hundred and __________.
      

 

 



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