A/RES/31/91 GA

42 General Assembly-Thirty-first Session (a) Improved methods of work of the First Com- mittee in disarmament matters, ( b) Relationship between the General Assembly and other United Nations bodies in the field of dis- armament, (c) Role of the United Nations Disarmament Commission, (d) Role of the United Nations in providing assist- ance on request in multilateral and regional disarma- ment negotiations, ( e) Relationship between the General Assembly and the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament, (f) Increased use of in-depth studies of the arms race, disarmament and related matters, (g) Improvement of existing United Nations facili- ties for the collection, compilation and dissemination of information on disarmament issues, in order to keep all Governments, as well as world public opinion, prop- erly informed on progress achieved in the field of dis- armament, (h) Assistance by the Secretariat, on request, to States parties to multilateral disarmament agreements in their duty to ensure the effective functioning of such agreements, including appropriate reviews, (i) Strengthening of the resources of the Secre- tariat, Recognizing the vital interest of all States of the world, including developing States, in contributing to the cause of disarmament, 1. Endorses the agreed proposals made by the Ad H oc Committee on the Review of the Role of the United Nations in the Field of Disarmament as a step towards the strengthening of the role of the United Nations in the field of disarmament; 2. Decides to keep the question of the strengthen- ing of the role of the United Nations in the field of disarmament under continued review; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to implement as soon as possible the measures recommended by the Ad Hoe Committee falling within his area of responsi- bilities, bearing in mind the importance of recruiting the staff for the proposed Centre for Disarmament on as wide a geographical basis as possible, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-second session; 4. Urges Member States to make every effort to realize the objectives set out m the report of the Ad Hoe Committee. 98th plenary meeting 14 December 1976 31/91. Non-interference in the internal affairs of States The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 2734 (XXV) of 16 Decem- ber 1970 containing the Declaration on the Strengthen- ing of International Security, Recalling its resolution 2131 (XX) of 21 December 1965 containing the Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of Their Independence and Sovereignty, Recalling further its resolution 2625 (XXV) of 24 October 1970 containing the Declaration on Prin- ciples of International Law concerning Friendly Rela- tions and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, Reaffirming the right to self-determination, freedom and independence of peoples under colonial or other forms of alien domination as well as their right to strug- gle to that end and to seek and receive support in ac- cordance with the principles of the Charter, Reaffirming the right of each State to choose its own economic, cultural and social system in accordance with the will of its people, free from outside interference, coercion or threat in any form, Noting with great concern that several Member States have been subjected to various forms of interference, pressure and organized campaigns of vilification and intimidation designed to deter them from pursuing their united and independent role in international relations, A ware that a wide range of direct and indirect tech- niques, including withholding assistance and the threat of withholding assistance, subtle and sophisticated forms of economic coercion, subversion and defamation with a view to destabilization, are being mobilized against Governments which seek to free their economies from foreign control and manipulation, to restructure their societies and to exercise permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, Conscious that the use of such techniques of destabili- zation can produce distrust and cause unrest and dis- order within and between States, adversely affecting thereby the maintenance of international peace and security, Mindful of the provisions of Article 2, paragraph 4, of the Charter, which requires all Member States to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner in- consistent with the purposes of the United Nations, 1. Reaffirms the inalienable sovereign right of every State to determine freely, and without any form of foreign interference, its political, social and economic system and its relations with other States and inter- national organizations; 2. Declares that the use of force to deprive peoples of their national identity constitutes a violation of their inali~nable rights and of the principle of non-inter- vent10n; 3. Denounces any form of interference, overt or covert, direct or indirect, including recruiting and send- ing mercenaries, by one State or group of States and any act of military, political, economic or other form of intervention in the internal or external affairs of other States, regardless of the character of their mutual re- lations or their social and economic systems; 4. Accordingly condemns all forms of overt, subtle and_ highly sophisticated techniques of coercion, sub- ver~10n and defa1!1ation aimed at disrupting the political, social or economic order of other States or destabilizing the Governments seeking to free their economies from external control or manipulation; 5. Calls upon all States, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United III. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the First Committee 43 Nations, to undertake necessary measures in order to prevent any hostile act or activity taking place within their territory and directed against the sovereignty, terri- torial integrity and political independence of another State; 6. Requests the Secretary-General to invite all Member States to express their views on ways by which greater respect for the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of States can be assured, and to re- port to the General Assembly at its thirty-second session. 98th plenary meeting 14 December 1976 31/92. Implementation of the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security The General Assembly, Having considered the item entitled "Implementation of the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security", Bearing in mind the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security, contained in General Assembly resolution 2734 (XXV) of 16 December 1970, and the relevant resolutions of the Assembly concerning the implementation of the Declaration, Welcoming new achievements .and trends in interna- tional relations and all other efforts contributing to the strengthening of international security and the promoting of peaceful co-operation in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, Welcoming also, in this context, the successful results of the Fifth Conference of Heads of State or Govern- ment of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Colombo from 16 to 19 August 1976, which represents a further sig- nifi.cant contribution to the strengthening of international security and the development of equitable international relations, Noting the successful outcome of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, emphasizing that the security of Europe should be considered in the broader context of world security and is closely inter- related, in particular, to the security of the Mediterra- nean, the Middle East and other regions of the world, and expressing its conviction that the implementation of the Final Act of that Conference through agreed means will contribute to the strengthening of international peace and security, Noting with grave concern, however, the continuing existence of focal points of crises and tensions in various regions endangering international peace and security, the continuation of the arms race as well as acts of aggression, the threat or use of force, foreign occupation and alien domination, and the existence of colonialism, neo-colonialism, racial discrimination and apartheid, which remain the main obstacles to the strengthening of international peace and security, Reaffirming the close link existing between the strengthening of international security, disarmament, decolonization, development and the need for a more intensive national and international effort to narrow the widening gap between the developed and the develop- ing countries, and also stressing, in this connexion, the importance of the early implementation of the decisions adopted at its sixth and seventh special sessions, Emphasizing the need constantly to strengthen the peace-keeping and peace-making role of the United Nations in accordance with the Charter, as well as its role in promoting development through equitable co- operation, 1. ·Solemnly calls upon all States to seek strict and consistent implementation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of all the pro- visions of the Declaration on the Strengthening of In- ternational Security; 2. Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peo- ples under colonial and alien domination to achieve self- determination and independence and appeals to all States to increase their support and solidarity with them in their struggle against colonialism, racial discrimina- tion and apartheid; 3. Also calls upon all States to extend the process of relaxation of tensions, which is still limited m both scope and geographical extent, to all regions of the world, in order to help bring about just and lasting solutions to international problems with the participa- tion of all States so that peace and security will be based on effective respect for the sovereignty and in- dependence of all States and the inalienable right of all peoples to determine their own destiny freely and without outside interference, coercion or pressure; 4. Reaffirms that any measure or pressure directed against any State while exercising its sovereign right freely to dispose of its natural resources constitutes a flagrant violation of the right of self-determination of peoples and the principle of non-intervention, as set forth in the Charter, which, if pursued, could constitute a threat to international peace and security; 5. Reaffirms its opposition to any threats or use of force, intervention, aggression, foreign occupation and measures of political and economic coercion which at- tempt to violate the sovereignty, territorial integrity, in- dependence and security of States; 6. Recommends urgent measures to stop the arms race and promote disarmament, the dismantling of foreign military bases, the creation of zones of peace and co-operation and the achievement of general and complete disarmament and strengthening the role of the United Nations, in accordance with the Charter, in order to eliminate the causes of international tensions and ensure international peace, security and co-opera- tion; 7. Recommends that the Security Council should consider appropriate steps towards carrying out effec- tively, as provided in the Charter and the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security, its pri- mary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security; 8. Invites the States which participated in the Con- ference on Security and Co-operation in Europe to im- plement fully and urgently all the provisions of the Final Act, including those relating to the Mediterranean, and to consider favourably the conversion of the Medi- terranean into a zone of peace and co-operation in the interests of international peace and security; 9. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-Gen- eral,39 requests him to submit to the General Assembly at its thirty-second session a report on the implementa- tion of the Declaration on the Strengthening of Inter- national Security and decides to include in the pro- visional agenda of its thirty-second session the item :m A/31/185 and Add.I.

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