Forty-ninth session
Agenda item 60
RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly,
Bearing in mind the need to allay the legitimate concern of
the States of the world with regard to ensuring lasting security
for their peoples,
Convinced that nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat
to mankind and to the survival of civilization,
Welcoming the progress achieved in recent years in both
nuclear and conventional disarmament,
Noting that, despite recent progress in the field of nuclear
disarmament, further efforts are necessary towards the achievement
of the goal of general and complete disarmament under effective
international control,
Also convinced that nuclear disarmament and the complete
elimination of nuclear weapons are essential to remove the danger
of nuclear war,
Determined strictly to abide by the relevant provisions
of the Charter of the United Nations on the non-use of force or
threat of force,
Recognizing that the independence, territorial integrity
and sovereignty of non-nuclear-weapon States need to be safeguarded
against the use or threat of use of force, including the use or
threat of use of nuclear weapons,
Considering that, until nuclear disarmament is achieved
on a universal basis, it is imperative for the international community
to develop effective measures and arrangements to ensure the security
of non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use
of nuclear weapons from any quarter,
Recognizing also that effective measures and arrangements
to assure the non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat
of use of nuclear weapons can contribute positively to the prevention
of the spread of nuclear weapons,
Bearing in mind paragraph 59 of the Final Document of the
Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, 1/ the first special
session devoted to disarmament, in which it urged the nuclear-weapon
States to pursue efforts to conclude, as appropriate, effective
arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use
or threat of use of nuclear weapons, and desirous of promoting
the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Final Document,
Recalling the relevant parts of the special report of the
Committee on Disarmament, 2/ submitted to the General Assembly
at its twelfth special session, 3/ the second special session
devoted to disarmament, and of the special report of the Conference
on Disarmament submitted to the Assembly at its fifteenth special
session, 4/ the third special session devoted to disarmament,
as well as of the report of the Conference on its 1992 session,
5/
Recalling also paragraph 12 of the Declaration of the 1980s
as the Second Disarmament Decade, contained in the annex to its
resolution 35/46 of 3 December 1980, which states, inter alia,
that all efforts should be exerted by the Committee on Disarmament
2/ urgently to negotiate with a view to reaching agreement on
effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon
States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,
Noting the in-depth negotiations undertaken in the Conference
on Disarmament and its Ad Hoc Committee on Effective International
Arrangements to Assure Non-Nuclear-Weapon States against the Use
or Threat of Use of Nuclear Weapons, 6/ with a view to reaching
agreement on this item,
Taking note of the proposals submitted under that item
in the Conference on Disarmament, including the drafts of an international
convention,
Taking note also of the decision adopted by the Tenth Conference
of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held
at Jakarta from 1 to 6 September 1992, 7/ as well as the relevant
recommendations of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
reiterated in the Final CommuniquÇ of the Twentieth Islamic
Conference of Foreign Ministers, held at Istanbul from 4 to 8
August 1991, 8/ calling upon the Conference on Disarmament to
reach an urgent agreement on an international convention to assure
non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of
nuclear weapons,
Taking note further of the unilateral declarations made
by all nuclear- weapon States on their policies of non-use or
non-threat of use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon
States,
Noting the support expressed in the Conference on Disarmament
and in the General Assembly for the elaboration of an international
convention to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use
or threat of use of nuclear weapons, as well as the difficulties
pointed out in evolving a common approach acceptable to all,
Noting also the greater willingness to overcome the difficulties
encountered in previous years,
Recalling its relevant resolutions adopted in previous
years, in particular resolutions 45/54 of 4 December 1990, 46/32
of 6 December 1991, 47/50 of 9 December 1992 and 48/73 of 16 December
1993,
1. Reaffirms the urgent need to reach an early agreement
on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon
States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons;
2. Notes with satisfaction that in the Conference on Disarmament
there is no objection, in principle, to the idea of an international
convention to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use
or threat of use of nuclear weapons, although the difficulties
as regards evolving a common approach acceptable to all have also
been pointed out;
3. Appeals to all States, especially the nuclear-weapon
States, to work actively towards an early agreement on a common
approach and, in particular, on a common formula that could be
included in an international instrument of a legally binding character;
4. Recommends that further intensive efforts should be
devoted to the search for such a common approach or common formula
and that the various alternative approaches, including, in particular,
those considered in the Conference on Disarmament, should be further
explored in order to overcome the difficulties;
5. Recommends also that the Conference on Disarmament should
actively continue intensive negotiations with a view to reaching
early agreement and concluding effective international arrangements
to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat
of use of nuclear weapons, taking into account the widespread
support for the conclusion of an international convention and
giving consideration to any other proposals designed to secure
the same objective;
6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its
fiftieth session the item entitled "Conclusion of effective
international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States
against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons".
90th plenary meeting
15 December 1994
__________
1/ Resolution S-10/2.
2/ The Committee on Disarmament was redesignated the Conference
on Disarmament as from 7 February 1984.
3/ Official Records of the General Assembly, Twelfth Special Session,
Supplement No. 2 (A/S-12/2), sect. III.C.
4/ Ibid., Fifteenth Special Session, Supplement No. 2 (A/S-15/2),
sect. III.F.
5/ Ibid., Forty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 27 (A/47/27),
sect. III.F.
6/ Ibid., Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 27 (A/48/27), para.
39.
7/ See A/47/675-S/24816, annex, chap. II, para. 47; see Official
Records of the Security Council, Forty-seventh Year, Supplement
for October, November and December 1992, document S/24816.
8/ See A/46/486-S/23055, annex I; see Official Records of the
Security Council, Forty-sixth Year, Supplement for July, August
and September 1991, document S/23055.