The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 40/152 O of 16 December 1985, 41/86 Q of 4 December 1986, 42/42 F of 30 November 1987, 43/81 B of 7 December 1988, 45/65 of 4 December 1990 and 47/45 of 9 December 1992,
Stressing that the critical importance of verification of and compliance with arms limitation and disarmament agreements is universally recognized, and that the issue of verification is a matter of concern to all nations,
Recognizing that the United Nations, in accordance with its role and responsibilities established under the Charter, can make a significant contribution in the field of verification, in particular of multilateral agreements, and taking into consideration its specific experience,
Affirming its continued support for the sixteen principles of verification drawn up by the Disarmament Commission,
Noting that recent developments in international relations continue to underscore the importance of effective verification of existing and future agreements to limit or eliminate arms, and that some of these developments have significant effects on the role of the United Nations in the field of verification, which require careful and ongoing examination,
Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General pursuant to the statement of 31 January 1992 adopted at the conclusion of the first meeting held by the Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government,
Taking note also of the report of the Secretary-General on the occasion of Disarmament Week,
Welcoming the final report, adopted by consensus, of the Ad Hoc Group of Governmental Experts open to all States parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction, submitted in accordance with its mandate to identify and examine potential verification measures from a scientific and technical standpoint,
Welcoming also the conclusion of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, which contains an unprecedented regime of verification, and the ongoing work to bring this Convention into force,
Recalling that in its resolution 47/45 it requested the Secretary-General, as a follow-up to the 1990 study on the role of the United Nations in the field of verification and in view of significant developments in international relations since that study, to seek the views of Member States on:
(a) Additional actions that might be taken to implement the recommendations contained in the study;
(b) How the verification of arms limitation and disarmament agreements could facilitate United Nations activities with respect to preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peace-keeping and post-conflict peace-building;
(c) Additional actions with respect to the role of the United Nations in the field of verification, including further studies by the United Nations on this subject; and to report to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session on the subject,
1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General containing the views of Member States;
2. Requests the Secretary-General, as a further follow-up to the study on the role of the United Nations in the field of verification and in view of significant developments in international relations since that study, to undertake, with the assistance of a group of qualified governmental experts, an in-depth study that would:
(a) Examine the lessons from recent United Nations verification experiences, as well as other relevant international developments, for future activities by the United Nations and by the Conference on Disarmament in the field of verification in all its aspects, taking into consideration its specific experience, and with particular attention to the ways verification can facilitate United Nations activities with respect to confidence- building and conflict management and disarmament;
(b) Explore the further development of guidelines and principles for the involvement of the United Nations in verification;
(c) Review the conclusions of the 1990 study group with particular attention to the ways that the United Nations might facilitate verification through relevant procedures, processes and bodies for acquiring, integrating and analysing verification information from a variety of sources;
3. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the subject to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session;
4. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fiftieth session the item entitled "Verification in all its aspects, including the role of the United Nations in the field of verification".
81st plenary meeting
16 December 1993
