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 __________. |