A/RES/37/72 GA

III. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the First Committee 53 Having in mind the objectives of the World Disarmament Campaign, solemnly launched by the General Assembly at its twelfth special session, 3 which is intehded to promote public interest in, and support for, reaching agreements on measures of arms limitation and disarmament, Recalling further paragraph 93 (c) of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, 4 the first special session devoted to disarmament, in which it is provided that the Secretary-General shall periodically sub­ mit reports to the Assembly on the economic and social consequences of the armaments race and its extremely harm­ ful effects on world peace and security, Considering that the elaboration of such reports should be viewed as a measure aimed at building confidence among States. 1. Welcomes with satisfaction the updated report of the Secretary-General on the economic and social consequences of the arms race and of military expenditures;5 2. Expresses its thanks to the Secretary-General and to the Group of Consultant Experts on the Economic and Social Consequences of the Arms Race and of Military Expendi­ tures, as well as to the Governments and international or­ ganizations that have rendered assistance in updating the report; 3. Recommends that the conclusions of the updated re­ port should be brought to the attention of public opinion and also taken into account in future action by the United Nations in the field of disarmament; 4. Requests the Secretary-General to make the neces­ sary arrangements for the reproduction of the report as a United Nations publication5 and to give it publicity in the framework of the World Disarmament Campaign, taking also into account the views expressed on the report by Mem­ ber States not later than 1 March 1983; 5. Recommends that all Governments should ensure the widest possible distribution of the report, including, where appropriate, its translation into the respective national languages; 6. Invites the specialized agencies as well as intergov­ ernmental, national and non-governmental organizations to use their facilities to make the report widely known; 7. Reaffirms its decision to keep the item entitled ''Eco­ nomic and social consequences of the armaments race and its extremely harmful effects on world peace and security" under constant review, and decides to include it in the pro­ visional agenda of its fortieth session. 98th plenary meeting 9 December 1982 Implementation of General Assembly resolution 36/83 concerning the signature and ratification of Additional Protocol I of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin Amer­ ica (Treaty of Tlatelolco) The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 2286 (XXII) of 5 December 1967, 3262 (XXIX) of 9 December 1974, 3473 (XXX) of 11 December 1975, 32/76 of 12 December 1977, S-10/2 of 30 June 1978, 33/58 of 14 December 1978, 34/71 of 'Ibid., document A/S-12/32, annex V. 4 Resolution S-10/2. 5 A/37/386. The report was subsequently issued with the title Economic and Social Consequences of the Arms Race and of Military Expenditures (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.83.IX.2). 11 December 1979, 351143 of 12 December 1980 and 36/83 of 9 December 1981 concerning the signature and ratifi­ cation of Additional Protocol I of the Treaty for the Pro­ hibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (Treaty of Tlatelolco), 6 Taking into account that within the zone of application of that Treaty, to which twenty-two sovereign States are already parties, there are some territories which, in spite of not being sovereign political entities, are nevertheless in a position to receive the benefits deriving from the Treaty through its Additional Protocol I, to which the States that de Jure or de facto are internationally responsible for those territories may become parties, Recalling that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United States of America became parties to Additional Pro­ tocol I in 1969, 1971 and 1981, respectively, 1. Regrets that the signature of Additional Protocol I by France, which took place on 2 March 1979, has not yet been followed by the corresponding ratification, notwith­ standing the time already elapsed and the pressing invita­ tions which the General Assembly has addressed to it; 2. Urges France not to delay any further such ratifi­ cation, which has been requested so many times; 3. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-eighth session an item entitled "Implementation of General Assembly resolution 37/71 concerning the signature and ratification of Additional Protocol I of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (Treaty of Tlatelolco)''. 98th plenary meeting 9 December I 982 37 n2. Cessation of all test explosions of nuclear weapons The General Assembly. Bearing in mind that the complete cessation of nuclear­ weapon tests, which has been examined for more than twenty­ five years and on which the General Assembly has adopted more than forty resolutions, is a basic objective of the United Nations in the sphere of disarmament, to the attainment of which it has repeatedly assigned the highest priority, Stressing that on seven different occasions it has con­ demned such tests in the strongest terms and that, since 1974, it has stated its conviction that the continuance of nuclear-weapon testing will intensify the arms race, thus increasing the danger of nuclear war, Reiterating the assertion made in several previous reso­ lutions that, whatever may be the differences on the question of verification, there is no valid reason for delaying the conclusion of an agreement on a comprehensive test ban, Recalling that since 1972 the Secretary-General has de­ clared that all the technical and scientific aspects of the problem have been so fully explored that only a political decision is now necessary in order to achieve final agree­ ment, that when the existing means of verification are taken into account it is difficult to understand further delay in achieving agreement on an underground test ban, and that the potential risks of continuing underground nuclear-weapon tests would far outweigh any possible risks from ending such tests, Recalling also that the Secretary-General, in his foreword to the report entitled "Comprehensive nuclear-test ban", 7 submitted to the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth session 6 United Nations. Treaty Series, vol. 634, No. 9068, p. 326. 7 N35/257. 54 General Assembly-Thirty-seventh Session reiterated with special emphasis the opinion fie had ex - pressed nine years earlier and, after specifically referring to it, added: "I still hold that belief. The problem can and should be solved now", Noting that in the same report, which was prepared in compliance with General Assembly decision 34/422 of 11 December 1979, the experts emphasized that non­ nuclear-weapon States in general had come to regard the achievement of a comprehensive test ban as a litmus test of the determination of the nuclear-weapon States to halt the arms race, adding that verification of compliance no longer seemed to be an obstacle to reaching agreement, Taking into account that the three nuclear-weapon States which act as depositaries of the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water' undertook in that Treaty, almost twenty years ago, to seek the achievement of the discontinuance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for all time and that such an undertaking was explicitly reiterated in 1968 in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,9 Deploring that neither the Committee on Disarmament nor the General Assembly at its twelfth special session have been able to elaborate a comprehensive test-ban treaty, 1. Reiterates once again its grave concern that, despite the express wishes of the overwhelming majority of Member States, nuclear-weapon testing continues unabated; 2. Reaffirms its conviction that a treaty to achieve the prohibition of all nuclear-test explosions by all States for all time is a matter of the highest priority and constitutes a vital element for the success of efforts to prevent both ver­ tical and horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons and a contribution to nuclear disarmament; 3. Urges all States that have not yet done so to adhere without further delay to the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water and, meanwhile, to refrain from testing in the environments covered by that Treaty; 4. Urges also the three original parties to the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water to abide strictly by the undertakings contained therein to seek ''to achieve the discontinuance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for all time' ' and '• to continue negotiations to this end"; 5. Urges likewise all States members of the Committee on Disarmament: (a) To bear in mind that, if the consensus rule should not be used in such a manner as to prevent the establishment of subsidiary bodies for the effective discharge of the func­ tions of the Committee, neither should it be used to prevent the approval of appropriate mandates for such subsidiary bodies; (!,) To assign to the Ad Hoe Working Group under item 1 of its agenda, entitled • 'Nuclear-test ban'', established on 21 AJ>.ril 1982 by the Committee, 10 a mandate which should provide for the muftilateral negotiation of a treaty for the prohibition of all nuclear-weapon tests, to be initiated im­ mediately after the beginning of the session of the Com­ mittee to be held in 1983; (c) To exert their best endeavours in order that the Com­ mittee may transmit to the General Assembly at its thirty­ eighth session the multilaterally negotiated text of such a treaty; • United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 480, No. 6964, p. 43. 9 Resolution 2373 (XXII), annex. '° See Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 27 (A/37/27 and Corr. I), para. 39. 6. Calls upon the States depositaries of the Treaty Ban­ ning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water and the Treaty on the Non-Prolif­ eration of Nuclear Weapons, by virtue of their special re­ sponsibilities under those two treaties and as a provisional measure, to bring to a halt without delay all nuclear-test explosions, either through a trilaterally agreed moratorium or through three unilateral moratoriums; 7. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-eighth session the item entitled "Cessation of all test explosions of nuclear weapons". 98th plenary meeting 9 December I 982 37/73. Urgent need for a comprehensive nuclear-test­ ban treaty The General Assembly, Convinced of the urgent need for the negotiation of a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty capable of attracting the widest possible international support and adherence, Reaffirming its conviction that an end to nuclear-weapon testing by all States in all environments would be a major step towards ending the qualitative improvement, devel­ opment and proliferation of nuclear weapons, a means of relieving the deep appĿhension concerning the harmful con­ sequences of radioactive contamination for the health of present and future generations and a measure of the utmost importance in bringing the nuclear-arms race to an end, Recalling that the parties to the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water' undertook not to carry out any nuclear-weapon-test explosion, or any other nuclear explosion, in the environ­ ments covered by that Treaty, and that in that Treaty and in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons9 the parties expressed their determination to continue ne­ gotiations to achieve the discontinuance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for all time, Recalling also its previous resolutions on this subject, Recognizing the indispensable role of the Committee on Disarmament in the negotiation of a comprehensive nuclear­ test-ban treaty, Taking into account that part of the report of the Com­ mittee on Disarmament concerning consideration of the item entitled "Nuclear-test ban" during its session in 1982, 1 1 Convinced that the Committee on Disarmament should commence negotiations on such a treaty at the earliest pos­ sible date, Recognizing the importance to such a treaty of the work assigned by the Committee on Disarmament to the Ad Hoe Group of Scientific Experts to Consider International Co­ operative Measures to Detect and Identify Seismic Events on a global network of stations for the exchange of seis­ mol(?gical data, Stressing the importance of further efforts by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of Amer­ ica to facilitate the conclusion of such a treaty, 1. Reiterates its grave concern that, despite the express wishes of the overwhelming majority of Member States, nuclear-weapon testing continues unabated; 2. Reaffirms its conviction that a treaty to achieve the prohibition of all nuclear-test explosions by all States for all time is a matter of the greatest urgency and highest priority; 11 Ibid., Supplement No. 27 (A/37/27 and Corr. I), sect. III.A.

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