A/RES/54/35 GA

/... UNITED A NATIONS General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/RES/54/35 20 January 2000 Fifty-fourth session Agenda item 41 RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY [without reference to a Main Committee (A/54/L.35 and Add.1)] 54/35. Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 41/11 of 27 October 1986, in which it solemnly declared the Atlantic Ocean, in the region between Africa and South America, the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic, Recalling also its subsequent resolutions on the matter, including resolution 45/36 of 27 November 1990, in which it reaffirmed the determination of the States of the zone to enhance and accelerate their cooperation in the political, economic, scientific, cultural and other spheres, Reaffirming that the questions of peace and security and those of development are interrelated and inseparable and that cooperation for peace and development among States of the region will promote the objectives of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic, Aware of the importance that the States of the zone attach to the environment of the region, and recognizing the threat that pollution from any source poses to the marine and coastal environment, its ecological balance and its resources, 1. Reaffirms the importance of the purposes and objectives of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic as a basis for the promotion of cooperation among the countries of the region; 2. Calls upon all States to cooperate in the promotion of the objectives established in the declaration of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic and to refrain from any action inconsistent with A/RES/54/35 Page 2 1 A/54/447. 2 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III. 3 A/53/650, annex. 4 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 634, No. 9068. 5 See A/50/426, annex. 6 A/53/78, annex. 7 A/54/424, annex II, decision AHG/Dec. 137 (XXXV). 8 A/54/488–S/1999/1082, annex; see Official Records of the Security Council, Fifty-fourth Year, Supplement for October, November and December 1999, document S/1999/1082. /... those objectives and with the Charter of the United Nations and relevant resolutions of the Organization, in particular actions that may create or aggravate situations of tension and potential conflict in the region; 3. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General, 1 submitted in accordance with its resolution 53/34 of 25 November 1998; 4. Recalls the agreement reached at the third meeting of the States members of the zone, held in Brasilia in 1994, to encourage democracy and political pluralism and, in accordance with the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993,2 to promote and defend all human rights and fundamental freedoms and to cooperate towards the achievement of those goals; 5. Welcomes with satisfaction the holding of the fifth meeting of the States members of the zone in Buenos Aires, on 21 and 22 October 1998, and takes note of the Final Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at the meeting;3 6. Welcomes the progress towards the full entry into force of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco)4 and of the African Nuclear-Weapon- Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Pelindaba);5 7. Also welcomes the entry into force of the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials,6 adopted in November 1997, and the adoption of the Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Weapons Acquisitions by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States in June 1999; 8. Further welcomes the decision on the illicit proliferation, circulation and trafficking of small arms and light weapons7 taken by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its thirty-fifth ordinary session, held in Algiers in July 1999, as well as the decisions on the prevention and combating of illicit trafficking in small arms and related crimes8 taken by the Council of the Southern African Development Community at its nineteenth Summit of Heads of State or Government, held in Maputo in August 1999, and the initiatives taken by States members of the Economic Community of West African A/RES/54/35 Page 3 9 Official Records of the Security Council, Fifty-fourth Year, Supplement for July, August and September 1999, document S/1999/777, annex. 10 Ibid., document S/1999/815, annex. /... States to conclude their agreement on a moratorium on the importing, exporting and manufacture of light weapons; 9. Welcomes the restoration of democracy in Nigeria and the commitment of the present Nigerian Government to transparency and good governance; 10. Also welcomes the signing of the Peace Agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front,9 in Lomé on 7 July 1999, calls upon the respective parties to implement the agreement fully, commends in this regard the President of Togo and the Economic Community of West African States, together with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sierra Leone and all those involved in facilitating the negotiations in Lomé, on their contribution to this achievement, and welcomes the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1270 (1999) of 22 October 1999 on the establishment of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone; 11. Further welcomes the decision taken by the Government of Liberia to destroy arms and ammunition collected during the disarmament exercise and the completion in Liberia in October of 1999 of the weapons destruction programme, an important step in the fight against the proliferation of arms, which would promote peace, confidence and cooperation in the region; 12. Welcomes the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,10 in Lusaka on 10 July 1999, and the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1258 (1999) of 6 August 1999, commends in that context the Organization of African Unity and the Southern African Development Community and, in particular, the President of Zambia, for their efforts to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict, and also commends the Secretary-General, the Special Envoy of the Secretary- General for the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Representative of the Secretary- General to the Great Lakes Region and all those who contributed to the peace process; 13. Calls for the full implementation of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, urges all the parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to engage in a process of political dialogue and negotiation without delay, and calls upon the international community to extend the necessary support to the Organization of African Unity, the United Nations and the Joint Military Commission to enable them to carry out their mandate without further delay; 14. Reaffirms the importance for Member States to contribute by all means at their disposal to an effective and lasting peace in Angola, and in that context reiterates that the primary cause of the present situation in Angola is the failure of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola under the A/RES/54/35 Page 4 11 Ibid., Forty-sixth Year, Supplement for April, May and June 1991, document S/22609. 12 Ibid., Forty-ninth Year, Supplement for October, November and December 1994, document S/1994/1441. 13 Official Records of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, vol. XVII (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.84.V.3), document A/CONF.62/122. /... leadership of Jonas Savimbi to comply with its obligations under the “Acordos de Paz”,11 the Lusaka Protocol12 and relevant Security Council resolutions; 15. Views with concern the humanitarian effects on the civilian population of the present situation in Angola, commends in this regard the efforts of Member States, including the Government of Angola, and humanitarian organizations in rendering humanitarian assistance to Angola, and urges them to continue to provide and to increase such assistance; 16. Notes the commitment of the provisional Government of Guinea-Bissau to holding legislative and presidential elections on 28 November 1999, and calls upon the international community and the Government of Guinea-Bissau to support the economic reconstruction of, and to promote the consolidation of democracy in, Guinea-Bissau; 17. Affirms the importance of the South Atlantic to global maritime and commercial transactions and its determination to preserve the region for all peaceful purposes and activities protected by international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea;13 18. Calls upon Member States to continue their efforts towards the achievement of appropriate regulation of maritime transport of radioactive and toxic wastes, taking into account the interests of coastal States and in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the regulations of the International Maritime Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency; 19. Views with concern the increase in drug trafficking and related crimes, including drug abuse, and calls upon the international community and the States members of the zone to promote regional and international cooperation to combat all aspects of the problem of drugs and related offences; 20. Recognizes, in the light of the number, magnitude and complexity of natural disasters and other emergencies, the need to strengthen the coordination of humanitarian assistance by States members of the zone, so as to ensure a timely and effective response; 21. Welcomes the offer by Benin to host the sixth meeting of the States members of the zone; 22. Requests the relevant organizations, organs and bodies of the United Nations system to render all appropriate assistance that States members of the zone may seek in their joint efforts to implement the declaration of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic; A/RES/54/35 Page 5 23. Requests the Secretary-General to keep the implementation of resolution 41/11 and subsequent resolutions on the matter under review and to submit a report to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session, taking into account, inter alia, the views expressed by Member States; 24. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fifth session the item entitled “Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic”. 63rd plenary meeting 24 November 1999

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