A/RES/45/51 GA

UNITED A NATIONS General Aeeembly À/BES/45/51 18 December 1990 Forty-fifth eeesion Agenda item 48 RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY [on tho report of the First Committee (A/45/770)] 45/51. Urgent need for a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty The General Assembly. Convinced that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought/ Convinced also of the consequent urgent need for an end to the nuclear-arms race and the immediate and verifiable reduction and ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons. Convinced further that an end to nuclear testing by all States in all environments for all time is an essential step in order to prevent the qualitative improvement and development of nuclear weapons and their further proliferation and to contribute, along with other concurrent efforts to reduce nuclear arms, to the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. Noting concerns expressed about the environmental and health risks associated with tmderground nuclear testing. Recognizing the agreement on and signature of, in Washington on 1 June 1990, the verification protocols to the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Limitation of Underground Nuclear Weapon Tests, 1/ signed on 3 July 1974, and to the Treaty between the United States 1/ Officiai Records of the General.Assembly, Twentv-ninth Session. Supplement No. 27 (A/9627), annex II, document CCD/431. 90-36216 2975Z (E) /... A/BES/45/51 P&9e 2 of America and tbe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Underground Huclear Explosions for Peaceful Purposes, signed on 28 May 1976, and looking forward to the conclusion of all ratification processes. Helcoming the ongoing implementation of the Treaty between the United States of America and tbe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles 1/ and the agreement in principle on and further progress made towards a first treaty on significant reductions in their strategic nuclear forces, and urging the earliest possible conclusion of such a treaty, Reealllna the final document on international security and disarmament adopted by the Hinth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Mon-Aligned Countries, held at Belgrade from 4 to 7 September 1989, 1/ Reealllng also the proposals by the leaders of the Six-Mation Initiative £/ to promote an end to nuclear testing. Convinced that the most effective way to achieve the discontinuance of all nuclear tests by all States in all environments for all time is through the conclusion, at an early date, of a verifiable, comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty that will attract the adherence of all States, Reaffirming the particular responsibilities of the Conference on Disarmament in the negotiation of a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty, and in this context welcoming the re-establishment of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Huclear Test Ban in the Conference on Disarmament, 2/ The United Nations Disarmament Yearbook, vol. I: 1976 (United Mations publication. Sales Ho. B.77.XX.2), appendix III. 2/ Ibid.. vol. 12t 1987 (United Nations publication. Sales Mo. E.88.XX.2), appendix VIX. 1/ See A/44/55I-S/20870, annex. £/ See the Joint Declaration issued on 22 May 1984 by the heads of State or Government of Argentina, Greece, India, Mexico, Sweden and the United Republic of Tanzania (A/39/277-S/16587, annex; for the printed text, see Official Records of the Security Council. Thirtv-ninth Year, Supplement for April, Mav and June 1984. dociunent S/16587, annex), reaffirmed in the Delhi Declaration issued on 28 January 1985 (A/40/114-S/16921, annex; for the printed text, see Official Records of the Security Council, Fortieth Year, Supplement for January. February and March 1985, document 6/16921, annex), the Mexico Declaration issued on 7 August 1986 (A/41/518-S/18277, annex I), the Stockholm Declaration issued on 21 January 1988 (A/43/125-S/19478, annex) and. the Declaration issued on 22 May 1989 on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the launching of the Six-Mation Initiative (A/44/318-S/20689, annex). / . .. X/FES/45/51 Page 3 Taking note of the work being undertaken within the Conference on Disarmament by the Ad Hoe Group of Scientific Experts to Consider International Co-operative Measures to Detect and Identify Seismic Events and the conduct of the second technical test concerning the global exchange and analysis of seismic data, £/ Hoting that the Amendment Conference of States Parties to the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Hater will be held in January 1991 to consider an amendment to extend the scope of the Treaty to include underground nuclear testing, 1. Reaffirms its conviction that a treaty to achieve the prohibition of all nuclear-test explosions by all States in all environments for all time is a matter of fundamental importance; 2. Urges the Conference on Disarmament, in order that a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty may be concluded at an early date, to re-establish the Ad Hoc Committee on a Nuclear Test Ban at the beginning of its 1991 session to carry forward the work begun in the Conference in 1990, focusing on substantive work on specific and interrelated test-ban issues, including structure and scope as well as verification and compliance; 3. Also urges the Conference on Disarmament: (a) To take into account, in this context, the progress achieved by the Ad Hoc Group of Scientific Experts to Consider International Co-operative Measures to Detect and Identify Seismic Events, including work on the routine exchange and use of wave-form data, and other relevant initiatives or experiments by individual States and groups of States; (b) To encourage the widest possible participation by States in the technical test that is now under way concerning the global exchange and analysis of seismic data; ' (£) To take immediate steps for the establishment, with the widest possible participation, of an international seismic monitoring network with a view to developing further a system for the effective monitoring and verification of compliance with a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty; (d) To initiate detailed investigation of other measures to monitor and verify compliance with such a treaty, including on-site Inspections and an internaLtional network to monitor atmospheric radioactivity; 4. Urges: (a ) The nuclear-weapon States, especially those which possess the most important nuclear arsenals, to agree promptly to appropriate verifiable and £/ See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fortv-fifth Session, Supplement No. 27 (A/45/27), para. 29. /. A/RES/45/51 Page 4 militarily significant interim measures, with a view to concluding a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty: iii) Those nuclear-weapon States which have not yet done so to adhere to the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water; 1/ 5. Calls upon the Conference on Disarmament to report to the GenereU Assembly at its forty-sixth session on progress made: 6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-sixth session the item entitled "Urgent need for a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty”. 51th plgBsry, piggtinq 4 December 1990 2/ United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 480, No. 6964.

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