The General Assembly,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations disarmament fellowship, training and advisory services programme,
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 also its resolutions 37/100 G of 13 December 1982, 38/73 C of 15 December 1983, 39/63 B of 12 December 1984, 40/151 H of 16 December 1985, 41/60 H of 3 December 1986, 42/39 I of 30 November 1987, 43/76 F of 7 December 1988, 44/117 E of 15 December 1989, 45/59 A of 4 December 1990 and 46/37 E of 6 December 1991,
Noting also with satisfaction that the programme, as designed, has enabled 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 and the report of the Secretary-General approved by resolution 33/71 E of 14 December 1978;
2. Expresses its appreciation to the Governments of Czechoslovakia, Finland, Germany, Japan and Sweden for inviting the 1992 fellows to study selected activities in the field of disarmament, thereby contributing to the fulfilment of the overall objectives of the programme;
3. Notes with satisfaction that, within the framework of the programme, the Office for Disarmament Affairs of the Secretariat organized regional disarmament workshops for Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean;
4. Expresses its appreciation to the Governments of Indonesia, Mexico and Nigeria for their support of the regional disarmament workshops, and to the Governments of New Zealand and Norway for making financial contributions;
5. Commends the Secretary-General for the diligence with which the programme has continued to be carried out;
6. Requests the Secretary-General to continue the implementation of the Geneva-based programme within existing resources and to report to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session.
81st plenary meeting
9 December 1992
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 its Charter,
Recalling also the Ten Principles adopted by the Asian-African Conference, held at Bandung on 25 April 1955, the Declaration of the Association of South-East Asian Nations, signed at Bangkok in August 1967, and the Singapore Declaration of 1992 adopted by the Association of South-East Asian Nations at its fourth summit meeting, held at Singapore on 27 and 28 January 1992,
Noting that the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia, signed at Bali on 24 February 1976, which came into force on 15 July 1976 in respect of the Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore and the Kingdom of Thailand, and on 7 January 1984 in respect of Brunei Darussalam, was registered with the United Nations on 20 October 1976,
Noting also that Papua New Guinea acceded to the Treaty on 5 July 1989 and that the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Lao People's Democratic Republic acceded to the Treaty on 22 July 1992,
Noting further that the purpose of the Treaty is to promote perpetual peace, everlasting amity and cooperation among the peoples of South-East Asia, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, including, inter alia, mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, non-interference in the internal affairs of all nations, peaceful settlement of differences and disputes and renunciation of the threat or use of force,
Aware that the Treaty includes provisions for the pacific settlement of disputes which are in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,
Recognizing that the Treaty provides a strong foundation for regional confidence-building and for regional cooperation and that it is consistent with the call by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in his report entitled "An Agenda for Peace", 7/ for a closer relationship between the United Nations and regional associations,
Endorses the purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia and its provisions for the pacific settlement of regional disputes and for regional cooperation in order to achieve peace, amity and friendship among the peoples of South-East Asia, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, which are consistent with the current climate of enhancing regional and international cooperation.
81st plenary meeting
9 December 1992
The General Assembly,
Convinced that the existence and use of nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat to the survival of mankind,
Convinced also that nuclear disarmament is the only ultimate guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons,
Convinced further that a multilateral agreement prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons should strengthen international security and contribute to the climate for negotiations leading to the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons,
Welcoming the agreement reached between the Russian Federation and the United States of America in June 1992 to reduce their warhead stockpiles to a maximum of 3,000 for the Russian Federation and 3,500 for the United States of America by the year 2003,
Conscious that the recent 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, 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 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 1992 session, 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 46/37 D of 6 December 1991,
1. Reiterates its request to the Conference on Disarmament to commence negotiations, as a matter of priority, 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 basis the draft Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons annexed to the present resolution;
2. Also requests the Conference on Disarmament to report to the General Assembly on the results of those negotiations.
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:
The States Parties to this Convention solemnly undertake not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
This Convention shall be of unlimited duration.
1. This 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 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 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 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.
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 Government 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 ________.
The General Assembly,
Recalling its decision taken in 1982 at its twelfth special session, the second special session devoted to disarmament, by which the World Disarmament Campaign was launched,
Recalling also its various resolutions on the subject, including resolution 46/37 A of 6 December 1991,
Having examined the reports of the Secretary-General of 8 October 1992 on the implementation of the World Disarmament Campaign, and of 31 July 1992 on the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters relating to the implementation of the World Disarmament Campaign, as well as the Final Act of the Tenth United Nations Pledging Conference for the Campaign, held on 30 October 1992,
Noting with appreciation the contributions that Member States have already made to the Campaign,
1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 8 October 1992 on the World Disarmament Campaign;
2. Commends the Secretary-General for his efforts to make effective use of the resources available to him in disseminating as widely as possible information on arms limitation and disarmament to elected officials, the media, non-governmental organizations, educational communities and research institutes, and in carrying out an active seminar and conference programme;
3. Notes with appreciation the contributions to the efforts of the Campaign by the United Nations information centres and the regional centres for disarmament;
4. Decides that the World Disarmament Campaign shall be known hereafter as the "United Nations Disarmament Information Programme" and the World Disarmament Campaign Voluntary Trust Fund as the "Voluntary Trust Fund for the United Nations Disarmament Information Programme";
5. Recommends that the Programme should further focus its efforts:
(a) To inform, to educate and to generate public understanding of the importance of and support for multilateral action, including action by the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament, in the field of arms limitation and disarmament, in a factual, balanced and objective manner;
(b) To facilitate unimpeded access to and an exchange of information on ideas between the public sector and public interest groups and organizations, and to provide an independent source of balanced and factual information that takes into account a range of views to help further an informed debate on arms limitation, disarmament and security;
(c) To organize meetings to facilitate exchanges of views and information between governmental and non-governmental sectors and between governmental and other experts in order to facilitate the search for common ground;
6. Invites all Member States to contribute to the Voluntary Trust Fund for the United Nations Disarmament Information Programme;
7. Commends the Secretary-General for supporting the efforts of universities, other academic institutions and non-governmental organizations active in the educational field in widening the world-wide availability of disarmament education, and invites him to continue to support and cooperate with, without cost to the regular budget of the United Nations, educational institutions and non-governmental organizations engaged in such efforts;
8. Decides that at its forty-eighth session there should be an eleventh United Nations Pledging Conference for the United Nations Disarmament Information Programme, and expresses the hope that on that occasion all those Member States that have not yet announced any voluntary contributions will do so, bearing in mind the objectives of the Third Disarmament Decade and the need to ensure its success;
9. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session a report covering both the implementation of the activities of the Programme by the United Nations system during 1993 and the activities of the Programme contemplated by the system for 1994;
10. Also decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-eighth session an item entitled "United Nations Disarmament Information Programme".
81st plenary meeting
9 December 1992
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,
Reaffirming the goal of general and complete disarmament under effective international control,
Welcoming the new trends that have led to an improvement in the international security environment,
Welcoming also the announcements of the significant measures, including unilateral steps, taken by the Russian Federation and the United States of America, which could signal the cessation and reversal of the nuclear-arms race,
Welcoming further the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, signed on 31 July 1991, and the signing of a protocol to this Treaty in which Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States of America have undertaken to give effect to the Treaty,
Welcoming the Joint Understanding of 17 June 1992 between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on further reductions in their strategic offensive arms, and expressing the hope that it will be followed by an agreement at an early date in this regard,
Welcoming in addition the moratoria on nuclear-weapon tests currently observed by France, the Russian Federation and the United States of America,
Convinced of the urgency of further negotiations for the substantial reduction and qualitative limitation of existing nuclear arms,
Considering that a nuclear-arms freeze, while not an end in itself, would constitute an effective step to prevent the qualitative improvement of existing nuclear weaponry during the period when the negotiations take place, and that it would at the same time reinforce the favourable environment for the conduct of negotiations to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons,
Convinced also that the undertakings derived from the freeze can be effectively verified,
Welcoming the unilateral steps taken by the nuclear-weapon States for the cessation of the production of highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons and for the shutting down of reactors producing weapons-grade plutonium,
Noting with concern that all nuclear-weapon States have not so far taken any collective action in response to the call made in the relevant resolutions on the question of a nuclear-arms freeze,
Convinced further that the current international situation is most conducive to nuclear disarmament,
1. Urges the Russian Federation and the United States of America, as the two major nuclear-weapon States, to reach agreement on an immediate nuclear-arms freeze, which would, inter alia, provide for a simultaneous total stoppage of any production of nuclear weapons and a complete cut-off in the production of fissionable material for weapons purposes;
2. Calls upon all nuclear-weapon States to agree, through a joint declaration, to a comprehensive nuclear-arms freeze, whose structure and scope would be the following:
(a) It would embrace:
(i) A comprehensive test ban on nuclear weapons and on 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 and effective measures and procedures of verification;
3. Requests once again the nuclear-weapon States to submit a joint report, or separate reports, to the General Assembly, prior to the opening of its forty-eighth session, on the implementation of the present resolution;
4. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-eighth session the item entitled "Nuclear-arms freeze".
81st plenary meeting
9 December 1992
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 its Charter,
Bearing in mind the guidelines for general and complete disarmament adopted at its tenth special session, the first special session devoted to disarmament,
Recalling also 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 and 46/37 B of 6 December 1991,
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 of the United Nations,
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,
Bearing in mind also the appointment by the Secretary-General of a permanent Secretary of the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa,
1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on regional confidence-building measures, which deals chiefly with the organizational meeting of the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, held at Yaounde from 27 to 31 July 1992 under the auspices of the United Nations;
2. Supports and encourages efforts aimed at promoting confidence-building measures at regional and subregional levels in order to ease regional tensions and to further disarmament and non-proliferation measures at regional and subregional levels in Central Africa;
3. Welcomes the programme of work including confidence-building measures adopted by the States members of the Economic Community of Central African States at the organizational meeting of the Standing Advisory Committee;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide assistance to the Central African States in implementing the programme of work of the Standing Advisory Committee;
5. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution;
6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-eighth session theitem entitled "Regional confidence-building measures".
81st plenary meeting
9 December 1992 .
