The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 46/26 of 6 December 1991 and other relevant resolutions on the question,
Recognizing the abiding concern of all Member States for maintaining respect for rights and obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law,
Convinced that observance of the Charter of the United Nations, relevant treaties and other sources of international law is essential for the strengthening of international security,
Mindful, in particular, of the fundamental importance of full implementation and strict observance of agreements and other obligations on arms limitation and disarmament if individual nations and the international community are to derive enhanced security from them,
Stressing that any violation of such agreements and other obligations not only adversely affects the security of States parties but can also create security risks for other States relying on the constraints and commitments stipulated in those agreements and other obligations,
Stressing also that any weakening of confidence in such agreements and other obligations diminishes their contribution to global or regional stability and to further disarmament and arms limitation efforts and undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the international legal system,
Recognizing, in this context, that full compliance by parties with existing agreements and the resolving of compliance concerns effectively can, inter alia, facilitate the conclusion of additional arms limitation and disarmament agreements,
Believing that compliance with arms limitation and disarmament agreements by States parties is a matter of interest and concern to all members of the international community, and noting the role that the United Nations has played and should continue to play in that regard,
Convinced that resolution of non-compliance questions that have arisen with regard to arms limitation and disarmament obligations would contribute to better relations among States and the strengthening of world peace and security,
Welcoming the universal recognition of the critical importance of the question of compliance with and verification of arms limitation and disarmament agreements and other obligations,
1. Urges all States parties to arms limitation and disarmament agreements to implement and comply with the entirety of the spirit and provisions of such agreements;
2. Calls upon all Member States to give serious consideration to the implications that non-compliance with arms limitation and disarmament obligations has for international security and stability, as well as for the prospects for further progress in the field of disarmament;
3. Also calls upon all Member States to support efforts aimed at the resolution of non-compliance questions, with a view to encouraging strict observance by all parties of the provisions of arms limitation and disarmament agreements and maintaining or restoring the integrity of such agreements;
4. Welcomes the role that the United Nations has played in restoring the integrity of certain arms limitation and disarmament agreements and in the removal of threats to peace;
5. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide assistance that may be necessary in restoring and protecting the integrity of arms limitation and disarmament agreements;
6. Encourages efforts by States parties to develop additional cooperative measures, as appropriate, that can increase confidence in compliance with existing arms limitation and disarmament obligations and reduce the possibility of misinterpretation and misunderstanding;
7. Notes the contribution that verification experiments and research can make and already have made in confirming and improving verification procedures for arms limitation and disarmament agreements under study or negotiation, thereby providing an opportunity, from the time that such agreements enter into force, for enhancing confidence in the effectiveness of verification procedures as a basis for determining compliance;
8. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fiftieth session an item entitled "Compliance with arms limitation and disarmament obligations".
81st plenary meeting
16 December 1993
