Review and implementation of the Concluding Document of the 12th Special Session of the General Assembly

 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Review and implementation of the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly

  A

World Disarmament Campaign: Actions and Activities

The General Assembly, Aware of the growing public concern at the dangers of the arms race, particularly the nuclear-arms race, and its negative social and economic consequences, Noting with satisfaction the successful implementation of the World Disarmament Campaign, and its positive impact on the mobilization on a large scale of world public opinion on behalf of peace and disarmament, Recalling its resolutions 36/92 J of 9 December 1981, 37/100 H of 13 December 1982 and 38/73 F of 15 December 1983, as well as the report of the Secretary-General on world-wide action for collecting signatures in support of measures to prevent nuclear war, to curb the arms race and for disarmament, Welcoming the voluntary contributions made to the World Disarmament Campaign Voluntary Trust Fund to carry out the objectives of the Campaign, Taking into account the report of the Secretary-General on the progress in the implementation of the programme of activities of the World Disarmament Campaign, Convinced that the United Nations system, Member States, with respect for their sovereign rights, and other bodies, in particular non-governmental organizations, all have their role to play in achieving the objectives of the World Disarmament Campaign, Taking into account the great number of various activities carried out within the framework of the World Disarmament Campaign, including actions for collecting signatures in support of measures to prevent nuclear war, to curb the arms race and for disarmament,

1. Reaffirms the usefulness of further carrying out actions and activities which are an important manifestation of the will of world public opinion and contribute effectively to the achievement of the objectives of the World Disarmament Campaign and thus to the creation of a favourable climate for making progress in the field of disarmament with a view to achieving the goal of general and complete disarmament under effective international control;

2. Urges the Governments of all States, especially the nuclear-weapon States and other militarily significant States, in formulating their policies in the field of disarmament, to take into account the main demands of the mass peace and disarmament movements, in particular, with regard to the prevention of nuclear war and curbing the nuclear-arms race;

3. Reaffirms the importance of carrying out the World Disarmament Campaign in accordance with the priorities in the field of disarmament established in the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, taking into account that the adoption of effective measures for nuclear disarmament and prevention of nuclear war has the highest priority;

4. Invites once again Member States to co-operate with the United Nations to ensure a better flow of accurate information with regard to the various aspects of disarmament as well as actions and activities of the world public in support of peace and disarmament, and to avoid dissemination of false and tendentious information;

5. Requests the Secretary-General, in implementing the programme of activities of the World Disarmament Campaign, to give wider publicity to the work of the General Assembly in the field of disarmament, paying due attention, in particular, to the proposals of Member States and the action taken thereon;

6. Also requests the Secretary-General to report annually to the General Assembly on the implementation of the provisions of the present resolution.

B

United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament

The General Assembly, Recalling its decision, contained in paragraph 108 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, 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, in which it, inter alia, decided to continue the programme and to increase the number of fellowships from twenty to twenty-five as from 1983, Noting with satisfaction that the programme has already trained one hundred and thirty public officials from seventy-seven countries, most of whom are now in positions of responsibility in the field of disarmament affairs within their Governments or Permanent Missions to the United Nations, or representing their Governments at international disarmament meetings, Recognizing the fact that the programme of studies and activities as outlined in the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations programme of fellowships on disarmament has continued to expand and intensify, Believing that existing facilities within the Secretariat for implementing the programme of fellowships can be further utilized to promote expertise in disarmament,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Secretary-General;

2. Expresses its appreciation to the Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, Romania, Sweden and the United States of America for inviting fellows to their countries in 1984 to study selected activities in the field of disarmament, thereby contributing to the fulfilment of the overall objectives of the programme;

3. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To devise a system of evaluating the research papers prepared by the fellows with a view to identifying those that are outstanding;

(b) To publish such papers in an annual issue of an appropriate publication to be devoted to the programme of fellowships on disarmament;

(c) To submit proposals for further utilization of the existing capacity within the Department for Disarmament Affairs for training in the field of disarmament;

4. Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fortieth session on the operations of the programme and the implementation of the present resolution.

C

Nuclear-Arms Freeze

The General Assembly, Recalling that in the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, the first special session devoted to disarmament, adopted in 1978 and unanimously and categorically reaffirmed in 1982 during the twelfth special session of the General Assembly, the second special session devoted to disarmament, the Assembly expressed deep concern over the threat to the very survival of mankind posed by the existence of nuclear weapons and the continuing arms race, Recalling also that, on those occasions, it pointed out that existing arsenals of nuclear weapons are more than sufficient to destroy all life on earth and stressed that mankind is therefore confronted with a choice: halt the arms race and proceed to disarmament, or face annihilation, Noting that the conditions prevailing today are a source of even more serious concern than those existing in 1978 because of several factors, such as the deterioration of the international situation, the increase in the accuracy, speed and destructive power of nuclear weapons, the promotion of illusory doctrines of "limited" or "winnable" nuclear war and the many false alarms which have occurred owing to accidental reasons, Noting also that at the Seventh Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at New Delhi from 7 to 12 March 1983, it was declared that the renewed escalation in the nuclear-arms race, both in its quantitative and qualitative dimensions, as well as reliance on doctrines of nuclear deterrence, has heightened the risk of the outbreak of nuclear war and led to greater insecurity and instability in international relations, Bearing in mind that in their Joint Declaration, issued on 22 May 1984, the Heads of State or Government of six States Members of the United Nations, coming from five different continents, urged the nuclear-weapon States "as a necessary first step ... to halt all testing, production and deployment of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems", Believing that it is a matter of the utmost urgency to stop any further increase in the awesome arsenals of the two major nuclear-weapon States, which already have ample retaliatory power and a frightening overkill capacity, Believing also that it is equally urgent to initiate or resume negotiations for the substantial reduction and qualitative limitation of nuclear arms, Considering that a nuclear-arms freeze, while not an end in itself, would constitute the most effective first step for the achievement of the above-mentioned two objectives, since it would encourage the initiation or resumption of negotiations and prevent the continued increase and qualitative improvement of existing nuclear weaponry during the period when the negotiations would take place, Firmly convinced that at present the conditions are most propitious for such a freeze, since the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America are now equivalent in nuclear military power and it seems evident that there exists between them an overall rough parity, Conscious that the application of the systems of surveillance, verification and control already agreed upon in some previous cases would be sufficient to provide a reasonable guarantee of faithful compliance with the undertakings derived from the freeze, Convinced that it would be to the benefit of all other States possessing nuclear weapons to follow the example of the two major nuclear-weapon States,

1. Urges once more the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America, as the two major nuclear-weapon States, to proclaim, either through simultaneous unilateral declarations or through a joint declaration, an immediate nuclear-arms freeze, which would be a first step towards the comprehensive programme of disarmament and whose structure and scope would be the following:

(a) It would embrace:

(i) A comprehensive test ban of nuclear weapons and of their delivery vehicles;

(ii) The complete cessation of the manufacture of nuclear weapons and of their delivery vehicles;

(iii) A ban on all further deployment of nuclear weapons and of their delivery vehicles;

(iv) The complete cessation of the production of fissionable material for weapons purposes;

(b) It would be subject to appropriate measures and procedures of verification, such as those which have already been agreed by the parties in the case of the SALT I and SALT II treaties, and those agreed upon in principle by them during the preparatory trilateral negotiations on the comprehensive test ban held at Geneva;

(c) It would be of an initial five-year duration, subject to prolongation when other nuclear-weapon States join in such a freeze, as the General Assembly urges them to do;

2. Notes with satisfaction that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has already submitted the report requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 38/73 E of 15 December 1983;

3. Hopes that the other major nuclear-weapon State will find it possible to comply also with the request of the General Assembly before the closure of its thirty-ninth session;

4. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fortieth session an item entitled "Implementation of General Assembly resolution 39/63 C on a nuclear-arms freeze".

D

World Disarmament Campaign

The General Assembly, Recalling that in paragraph 15 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, the first special session devoted to disarmament, it declared that it was essential that not only Governments but also the peoples of the world recognize and understand the dangers in the present situation and stressed the importance of mobilizing world public opinion on behalf of disarmament, Recalling also its resolutions 35/152 I of 12 December 1980, 36/92 C of 9 December 1981, 37/100 I of 13 December 1982 and 38/73 D of 15 December 1983, as well as the reports of the Secretary-General of 17 September 1981, 11 June 1982, 3 November 1982 and 30 August 1983, Having examined the report of the Secretary-General of 3 October 1984 on the implementation of the programme of activities of the World Disarmament Campaign during 1984 and the activities contemplated for 1985, as well as its main financial aspects, Having also examined the part of the report of the Secretary-General of 4 October 1984 dealing with the activities of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Studies relating to the implementation of the World Disarmament Campaign, as well as the Final Act of the 1984 United Nations Pledging Conference for the Campaign, held on 24 October 1984,

1. Commends the manner in which, as described in the above-mentioned reports, the Campaign has been geared by the Secretary-General in order to guarantee "the widest possible dissemination of information and unimpeded access for all sectors of the public to a broad range of information and opinions on questions of arms limitation and disarmament and the dangers relating to all aspects of the arms race and war, in particular nuclear war";

2. Recalls that, as was also agreed by consensus in the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly, the second special session devoted to disarmament, it is likewise an essential requisite for the universality of the Campaign that it receive "the co-operation and participation of all States";

3. Endorses the statement made by the Secretary-General on the occasion of the second United Nations Pledging Conference for the World Disarmament Campaign to the effect that such co-operation implies that adequate funds be made available and that consequently the criterion of universality also applies to pledges, since a campaign without world-wide participation and funding will have difficulty in reflecting this principle in its implementation;

4. Regrets that most of the States which have the largest military expenditures have not so far made any financial contribution to the World Disarmament Campaign;

5. Decides that at its fortieth session there should be a third United Nations Pledging Conference for the World Disarmament Campaign, and expresses the hope that on that occasion all those Member States that have not yet announced any voluntary contribution may do so;

6. Reiterates its recommendation that the voluntary contributions made by Member States to the World Disarmament Campaign Voluntary Trust Fund should not be earmarked for specific activities inasmuch as it is most desirable that the Secretary-General enjoy full freedom to take the decisions he deems fit within the framework of the Campaign previously approved by the General Assembly and in exercise of the powers vested in him in connection with the Campaign;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to give permanent character to his instructions to the United Nations information centres and regional commissions to give wide publicity to the World Disarmament Campaign and, whenever necessary, to adapt, as far as possible, United Nations information materials to local languages;

8. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fortieth session a report covering both the implementation of the programme of activities of the World Disarmament Campaign by the United Nations system during 1985 and the programme of activities contemplated by the system for 1986;

9. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fortieth session the item entitled "World Disarmament Campaign".

E

Consideration of Guidelines for Confidence-Building Measures

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 38/73 A of 15 December 1983 on confidence-building measures, Taking note of the views expressed and the useful work accomplished during the 1983 and 1984 sessions of the Disarmament Commission, Aware of the heightened importance of confidence-building measures as well as of measures of disarmament in the present international situation, Expressing its regret that, notwithstanding the progress already achieved, the guidelines for appropriate types of confidence-building measures and for the implementation of such measures on a global or regional level could not be elaborated fully within the allotted time frame,

1. Reiterates its invitation to all States to encourage and assist all efforts designed to explore further the ways in which confidence-building measures can strengthen peace and security and promote disarmament;

2. Urges all States to consider the widest possible use of confidence-building measures in their international relations, taking into account the views expressed during the work of the Disarmament Commission;

3. Requests the Disarmament Commission, at its 1986 session, to continue and conclude its consideration of the item "Elaboration of guidelines for appropriate types of confidence-building measures and for the implementation of such measures on a global or regional level";

4. Further requests the Disarmament Commission to submit a report containing such guidelines to the General Assembly at its forty-first session;

5. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fortieth session the item entitled "Consideration of guidelines for confidence-building measures".

F

Regional Disarmament

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 37/100 F of 13 December 1982 and 38/73 J of 15 December 1983 on regional disarmament, Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a further report to the General Assembly at its forty-second session on the implementation of resolutions 37/100 F and 38/73 J;

2. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-second session the item entitled "Regional disarmament: report of the Secretary-General".

G

Freeze on Nuclear Weapons

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 37/100 A of 13 December 1982 and 38/73 B of 15 December 1983 entitled "Freeze on nuclear weapons", Convinced that in this nuclear age lasting world peace can be based only on the attainment of the goal of general and complete disarmament under effective international control, Further convinced that the highest priority objectives in the field of disarmament have to be nuclear disarmament and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction, Recognizing the urgent need to halt the arms race, particularly in nuclear weapons, Recognizing further the urgent need for a negotiated reduction of nuclear-weapon stockpiles leading to their complete elimination, Noting with deep concern that nuclear-weapon States have not so far taken any action in response to the call made in resolutions 37/100 A and 38/73 B,

l. Once again calls upon all nuclear-weapon States to agree to a freeze on nuclear weapons, which would, inter alia, provide for a simultaneous total stoppage of any further production of nuclear weapons and a complete cut-off in the production of fissionable material for weapons purposes;

2. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fortieth session the item entitled "Freeze on nuclear weapons".

H

Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons

The General Assembly, Alarmed by the threat to the survival of mankind and to the life-sustaining system posed by nuclear weapons and by their use, inherent in concepts of deterrence, Conscious of an increased danger of nuclear war as a result of the intensification of the nuclear-arms race and the serious deterioration of the international situation, Convinced that nuclear disarmament is essential for the prevention of nuclear war and for the strengthening of international peace and security, Further convinced that a prohibition of the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons would be a step towards the complete elimination of nuclear weapons leading to general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control, Recalling that, in paragraph 58 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, 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 which would preclude the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, Reaffirming that the 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, Noting with regret that the Conference on Disarmament, during its session in 1984, was not able to undertake negotiations with a view to achieving agreement on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances, taking as a basis the text annexed to General Assembly resolution 38/73 G of 15 December 1983,

1. Reiterates its request to the Conference on Disarmament to commence negotiations, as a matter of priority, in order to achieve agreement on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances, taking as a basis the text of the draft Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons annexed to the present resolution;

2. Further requests the Conference on Disarmament to report to the General Assembly at its fortieth session on the results of those negotiations.

ANNEX Draft Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons The States Parties to this 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 that this Convention would be a step towards the complete elimination of nuclear weapons leading to general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control, Determined to continue negotiations for the achievement of this goal, Have agreed as follows: Article 1 The States Parties to this Convention solemnly undertake not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons under any circumstances. Article 2 This Convention shall be of unlimited duration. Article 3

1. This Convention shall be open to all States for signature. Any State which does not sign the Convention before its entry into force in accordance with paragraph 3 of this article may accede to it at any time.

2. This 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. This 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 this article.

4. For States whose instruments of ratification or accession are deposited after the entry into force of this 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 the entry into force of this Convention, as well as of the receipt of other notices.

6. This Convention shall be registered by the depositary in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.

Article 4 This 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 this Convention, opened for signature at on the day of one thousand nine hundred and . I

Convening of the Third Special Session of the General Assembly devoted to Disarmament

The General Assembly, Bearing in mind the decision adopted at its twelfth special session, the second special session devoted to disarmament, concerning the convening of the third special session devoted to disarmament, Recalling its resolution 38/73 I of 15 December 1983 in which it decided that the third special session devoted to disarmament should be held not later than 1988, Desiring to contribute to the furthering and broadening of positive processes initiated through the laying down of the foundations of an international disarmament strategy at its tenth special session, Decides to set, at its fortieth session, the date of the third special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament and to establish the preparatory committee for that third special session. J

World Disarmament Campaign

The General Assembly, Recalling that, in paragraph 15 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, the first special session devoted to disarmament, it declared that it was essential that not only Governments but also the peoples of the world recognize and understand the dangers in the present situation and stressed that in order that an international conscience might develop and that world public opinion may exercise a positive influence, the United Nations should increase the dissemination of information on the armaments race and disarmament with the full co-operation of Member States, Recalling with satisfaction that the World Disarmament Campaign, whose first three fundamental objectives are to inform, to educate and to create understanding and public support for the objectives of the United Nations in the field of arms limitation and disarmament, was solemnly launched by unanimous decision of the General Assembly on 7 June 1982 at the opening meeting of the Assembly's twelfth special session, the second special session devoted to disarmament, Recalling also its resolutions 37/100 I of 13 December 1982 and 38/73 D of 15 December 1983 on the implementation of the Campaign, Taking fully into account the objectives, contents, modalities and financial implications of the World Disarmament Campaign defined by the General Assembly at its twelfth special session, Reaffirming its conviction that the Campaign should be carried out under the auspices of the United Nations in all parts of the world in a balanced, positive and objective manner and that the universality of the Campaign should be guaranteed by the co-operation and participation of all States and the widest possible diffusion of information relating to it, Recognizing that, with a view to strengthening the objective of universality and giving the Campaign the confidence and continuity necessary to ensure its maximum effectiveness, there may be a need for arrangements at the regional level, making it possible to develop initiatives, discuss concepts and take specific action in order to promote the objectives of the Campaign with the participation of the countries of the region concerned, Recalling its resolution 37/100 F of 13 December 1982 on regional disarmament, Having examined the reports of the Secretary-General of 12 September 1984 on regional disarmament and of 3 October 1984 on the World Disarmament Campaign, Taking note of the Lome Peace Message, adopted by the National Seminar on Peace and Disarmament, held at Lome from 6 to 9 August 1984, Convinced that the implementation of the recommendations contained in the aforementioned Peace Message would contribute significantly to the effective promotion of the objectives of the World Disarmament Campaign, Desiring to make the best possible use of the contributions that have been or may be made by Member States in the form of local or non-convertible currency and also of other types of material assistance in the countries or regions concerned, in order to attain the objectives of the World Disarmament Campaign in specific countries or regions, Emphasizing the need for maximum economy and maximum results in the administration of the Campaign, Recognizing the potential beneficial effects in terms of results, efficiency and economy in the use of field offices to carry out all regional or local activities in the context of the programme of the World Disarmament Campaign, Reaffirming that the United Nations should furnish the informational material and should in general co-ordinate the implementation of the Campaign and that the Department of Disarmament Affairs should supervise and centralize such co-ordination, Aware of the specific needs of developing countries with regard to programmes of information, research and training in the fields of arms limitation and disarmament,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to provide assistance to such Member States in the regions concerned as may 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 which Member States may make to that end;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fortieth session concerning the implementation of the present resolution.

K

Disarmament and International Security

The General Assembly, Gravely concerned over the sharp deterioration in world affairs characterized by the continued recourse to the use of force, in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the escalation of the arms race, particularly in new and more destructive nuclear weapons, adding to their quantity and quality, Concerned also over the vast expenditure, amounting to many billions of dollars, in escalation of the arms race while millions are dying from famine this year, Bearing in mind that under Article 26 of the Charter the Security Council shall be responsible for formulating plans for the establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments, Considering that in these circumstances, coinciding as they do with the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations, the international community must cross the threshold and take a historical decision to bring the arms race, particularly the nuclear-arms race, to a halt before it is too late,

1. Calls upon the Security Council to hold a series of meetings devoted to the consideration of the escalating arms race - particularly the nuclear-arms race - with a view to initiating due procedures, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, for bringing it to a halt;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fortieth session.