Economic and social consequences of the armaments race and its extremely harmful effects on world peace and security : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

 

Economic and social consequences of the armaments race and its extremely harmful effects on world peace and security

  The General Assembly, Having considered the item entitled "Economic and social consequences of the armaments race and its extremely harmful effects on world peace and security", Recalling its resolutions 2667 (XXV) of 7 December 1970, 2831 (XXVI) of 16 December 1971, 3075 (XXVIII) of 6 December 1973, 32/75 of 12 December 1977, 35/141 of 12 December 1980 and 37/70 of 9 December 1982, Deeply concerned that the arms race, particularly in nuclear armaments and military expenditures, has continued to increase at an alarming speed, absorbing enormous material and human resources, which represents a heavy burden for the peoples of all countries and constitutes a grave danger for world peace and security, Convinced that, as disarmament is a matter of universal concern, there is a pressing need for all Governments and peoples to be informed about and be aware of the problems created by the armaments race and of the need for disarmament and that the United Nations has a central role in this connection, Recalling also paragraph 93 (c) of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, in which it is provided that the Secretary-General shall periodically submit reports to the Assembly on the economic and social consequences of the armament race and its extremely harmful effects on world peace and security, Noting that, since the preparation of the updated report of the Secretary-General entitled Economic and Social Consequences of the Arms Race and of Military Expenditures, new developments have taken place in the fields covered by the report that are of particular relevance in the present economic and political conditions of the world, Considering that the elaboration of such reports should be viewed as a measure aimed at building confidence among States, Recalling further its resolution 39/160 of 17 December 1984, in which it decided to convene an International Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development, at which inevitably the issue of the economic and social consequences of the arms race and of military expenditures would be discussed,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to bring up to date, with the assistance of a group of qualified consultant experts appointed by him and making appropriate use of the capabilities of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in a consultant capacity, the report entitled Economic and Social Consequences of the Arms Race and Military Expenditures, taking into account the significant developments that have taken place since the preparation of that report;

2. Invites all Governments to extend to the Secretary-General their support and full co-operation to ensure that the study will be carried out in the most effective way;

3. Calls upon the specialized agencies, other international organizations and institutions as well as non-governmental organizations to co-operate with the Secretary-General, upon his request, in the preparation of the report;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to submit the report to the General Assembly at its forty-second session;

5. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-second session the item entitled "Economic and social consequences of the armaments race and its extremely harmful effects on world peace and security"..