Reduction of military budgets
- Author: UN General Assembly (38th sess. : 1983-1984)
- Document source:
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Date:
20 December 1983
RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Reduction of military budgets
1. Declares once again its conviction that it is possible to achieve international agreements on the reduction of military budgets without prejudice to the right of all States to undiminished security, self-defence and sovereignty;
2. Reaffirms that the human and material resources released through the reduction of military expenditures could be reallocated to economic and social development, particularly for the benefit of the developing countries;
3. Calls upon all Member States, in particular the most heavily armed States, to reinforce their readiness to co-operate in a constructive manner with a view to reaching agreements to freeze, reduce or otherwise restrain military expenditures;
4. Appeals to all States, in particular to the most heavily armed States, pending the conclusion of agreements on the reduction of military expenditures, to exercise self-restraint in their military expenditures with a view to reallocating the funds thus saved to economic and social development, particularly for the benefit of developing countries;
5. Requests the Disarmament Commission to continue, at its next substantive session, the consideration of the item entitled "Reduction of military budgets", including consideration of the suggestions of the Chairman of the working group, as well as other proposals and ideas on the subject-matter, with a view to further identifying and elaborating the principles which should govern further actions of States in the field of freezing and reduction of military expenditures, keeping in mind the possibility of embodying such principles in a suitable document at an appropriate stage;
6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-ninth session the item entitled "Reduction of military budgets".
B The General Assembly, Deeply concerned about the arms race and present tendencies to increase further the rate of growth of military expenditures, the deplorable waste of human and economic resources and the potentially harmful effects on world peace and security, Considering that a gradual reduction of military expenditures on a mutually agreed basis would be a measure that would contribute to curbing the arms race and would increase the possibilities of reallocating resources now being used for military purposes to economic and social development, particularly for the benefit of the developing countries, Convinced that such reductions could and should be carried out on a mutually agreed basis without detriment to the national security of any country, Reaffirming its conviction that provisions for defining, reporting, comparing and verifying military expenditures will have to be basic elements of any international agreement to reduce such expenditures, Recalling that an international system for the standardized reporting of military expenditures has been introduced in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 35/142 B of 12 December 1980, and that annual reports on military expenditures are now being received from a number of Member States, Considering that a wider participation in the reporting system of States from different geographic regions and representing different budgeting systems would promote its further refinement and would, by contributing to greater openness in military matters, increase confidence between States, Noting in this connection the proposal to convene an international conference on military expenditures, Recalling its resolution 37/95 B of 13 December 1982, in which it requested the Secretary-General, with the assistance of a group of qualified experts and with the voluntary co-operation of States, to undertake the task of constructing price indices and purchasing-power parities for the military expenditures of participating States, Considering that a wide participation in this exercise is essential for achieving the most useful results possible, Noting the progress report of the Secretary-General in which the Group of Experts on the Reduction of Military Budgets established that a direct contact between its members and the voluntarily participating Member States is vital for the work of the Group, Emphasizing that all above-mentioned activities and initiatives, as well as other ongoing activities within the United Nations related to the reduction of military budgets, should have the fundamental objective of facilitating future negotiations aimed at the conclusion of international agreements on the reduction of military expenditures,1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General containing the replies received in 1983 from Member States in the framework of the above-mentioned reporting system and with the submitted data arranged by the Secretariat according to statistical practice, and of the report of the Secretary-General containing views and suggestions of States on practical means of promoting the wider participation of States in the international system of standardized reporting of military expenditures;
2. Stresses the need to increase the number of reporting States with a view to the broadest possible participation from different geographic regions and representing different budgeting systems;
3. Reiterates its recommendation that all Member States should report annually, by 30 April, to the Secretary-General, by using the reporting instrument, their military expenditures for the latest fiscal year for which data are available;
4. Also takes note with appreciation of the progress report of the Secretary-General on the ongoing exercise undertaken in pursuance of paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 37/95 B;
5. Reiterates its invitation to all Member States to participate in the above-mentioned exercise;
6. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Group of Experts on the Reduction of Military Budgets with sufficient financial and other resources for the carrying out of its complex tasks as outlined in the progress report of the Secretary-General;
7. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-ninth session the item entitled "Reduction of military budgets".
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