A/RES/68/39 GA

United Nations A/RES/68/39 General Assembly Distr.: General 10 December 2013 Sixty-eighth session Agenda item 99 (l) 13-44179 *1344179* Please recycle Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 5 December 2013 [on the report of the First Committee (A/68/411)] 68/39. Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 1 (I) of 24 January 1946 and 67/34 of 3 December 2012, Reiterating its grave concern at the danger to humanity posed by nuclear weapons, which should inform all deliberations, decisions and actions relating to nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, Recalling the expression of deep concern by the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and its resolve to seek a safer world for all and to achieve the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,1 Bearing in mind the discussions held at the Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, hosted by Norway on 4 and 5 March 2013, aimed at developing a greater awareness and understanding of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons detonations, and welcoming the announcement by Mexico of its intention to convene a meeting on 13 and 14 February 2014 on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, Welcoming the convening on 26 September 2013 of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on nuclear disarmament, which was aimed at bolstering efforts towards a nuclear-weapon-free world, Welcoming also the convening of the Open-ended Working Group established by the General Assembly in its resolution 67/56 of 3 December 2012 to develop _______________ 1 See 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, vol. I (NPT/CONF.2010/50 (Vol. I)), part I, Conclusions and recommendations for follow-on actions. A/RES/68/39 Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments 2/5 proposals to take forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations for the achievement and maintenance of a world without nuclear weapons, and acknowledging the final report of the Working Group,2 Underlining the importance of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation education, Reaffirming that nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation are mutually reinforcing processes requiring urgent irreversible progress on both fronts, Recalling the decisions and the resolution adopted at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,3 the basis upon which the Treaty was indefinitely extended, and the Final Documents of the 20004 and the 20105 Review Conferences of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and in particular the unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear-weapon States to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals, leading to nuclear disarmament, in accordance with commitments made under article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,6 Reaffirming the commitment of all States parties to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to apply the principles of irreversibility, verifiability and transparency in relation to the implementation of their treaty obligations, Recalling that the 2010 Review Conference reaffirmed and recognized that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons and the legitimate interest of non-nuclear- weapon States in receiving unequivocal and legally binding negative security assurances from nuclear-weapon States pending the total elimination of nuclear weapons, Recognizing the continued vital importance of the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty 7 to the advancement of nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation objectives, and welcoming the recent ratification of the Treaty by Brunei Darussalam, Chad, Guinea-Bissau and Iraq, Reaffirming the conviction that, pending the total elimination of nuclear weapons, the establishment and maintenance of nuclear-weapon-free zones enhances global and regional peace and security, strengthens the nuclear non- proliferation regime and contributes towards realizing the objectives of nuclear disarmament, urging further concrete progress towards strengthening all existing nuclear-weapon-free zones, including through the withdrawal of any reservations or interpretative declarations contrary to the object and purpose of the treaties establishing these zones, recognizing the second preparatory meeting for the third Conference of States Parties and Signatories to Treaties that Establish Nuclear- _______________ 2 A/68/514. 3 See 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, Part I (NPT/CONF.1995/32 (Part I) and Corr.2), annex. 4 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, vols. I–III (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I–IV)). 5 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, vols. I–III (NPT/CONF.2010/50 (Vols. I–III)). 6 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 729, No. 10485. 7 See resolution 50/245 and A/50/1027. Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments A/RES/68/39 3/5 Weapon-Free Zones and Mongolia, held in Geneva on 26 April 2013, and welcoming the announcement by Indonesia of its intention to host the third Conference in 2015, Recalling the encouragement expressed at the 2010 Review Conference for the establishment of further nuclear-weapon-free zones, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned, reaffirming the expectation that this will be followed by concerted international efforts to create such zones in areas where they do not currently exist, especially in the Middle East, and in that context recognizing the agreement at the 2010 Review Conference on practical steps to fully implement the 1995 resolution on the Middle East, Acknowledging the ongoing efforts towards the full implementation of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, while re-emphasizing the encouragement of the 2010 Review Conference to both States to continue discussions on follow-on measures in order to achieve deeper reductions in their nuclear arsenals, Deeply disappointed at the continued absence of progress towards multilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament issues, in particular in the Conference on Disarmament, despite intensive efforts during its 2013 session to agree on a programme of work, and underlining the importance of multilateralism in relation to nuclear disarmament, while recognizing also the value of bilateral and regional initiatives, Acknowledging the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, held in Geneva from 22 April to 3 May 2013, and emphasizing the importance of a constructive and successful preparatory process leading to the 2015 Review Conference, which should contribute to strengthening the Treaty and making progress towards achieving its full implementation and universality, and monitor the implementation of commitments made and actions agreed at the 1995, 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences, 1. Reiterates that each article of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons6 is binding on the States parties at all times and in all circumstances and that all States parties should be held fully accountable with respect to strict compliance with their obligations under the Treaty, and calls upon all States parties to comply fully with all decisions, resolutions and commitments made at the 1995, 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences; 2. Also reiterates the deep concern expressed by the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and the need for all States at all times to comply with applicable international law, including international humanitarian law; 3. Recalls the reaffirmation of the continued validity of the practical steps agreed to in the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 8 including the specific _______________ 8 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, vol. I (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I and II)), part I, section entitled “Article VI and eighth to twelfth preambular paragraphs”, para. 15. A/RES/68/39 Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments 4/5 reaffirmation of the unequivocal undertaking of the nuclear-weapon States to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament, to which all States parties are committed under article VI of the Treaty, recalls the commitment of the nuclear-weapon States to accelerate concrete progress on the steps leading to nuclear disarmament as envisaged in action 5 of the action plan on nuclear disarmament contained in the Final Document of the 2010 Review Conference,1 and calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to take all steps necessary to accelerate the fulfilment of their commitments, including the requirement to report to the Preparatory Committee in 2014; 4. Calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to fulfil their commitment to undertake further efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate all types of nuclear weapons, deployed and non-deployed, including through unilateral, bilateral, regional and multilateral measures; 5. Underlines the recognition by the 2010 Review Conference of the legitimate interests of non-nuclear-weapon States in the constraining by the nuclear- weapon States of the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and their ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, and calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to take steps in this regard; 6. Encourages further steps by all nuclear-weapon States, in accordance with the action plan on nuclear disarmament contained in the Final Document of the 2010 Review Conference, to ensure the irreversible removal of all fissile material designated by each nuclear-weapon State as no longer required for military purposes, and calls upon all States to support, within the context of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the development of appropriate nuclear disarmament verification capabilities and legally binding verification arrangements, thereby ensuring that such material remains permanently outside military programmes in a verifiable manner; 7. Calls upon all States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to work towards the full implementation of the resolution on the Middle East adopted at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,3 and recognizes the endorsement by the 2010 Review Conference of practical steps in a process leading to the full implementation of the 1995 resolution, including the convening of a conference in 2012 to be attended by all States of the region on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction; 8. Expresses its profound disappointment at the failure to convene a conference in 2012 on the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, and calls upon the Secretary- General and the co-sponsors of the 1995 resolution to convene the conference without any further delay; 9. Continues to emphasize the fundamental role of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in achieving nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, and calls upon all States parties to spare no effort to achieve the universality of the Treaty, and in this regard urges India, Israel and Pakistan to accede to the Treaty as non-nuclear-weapon States promptly and without conditions, and to place all of their nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards; Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments A/RES/68/39 5/5 10. Urges the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to fulfil its commitments under the Six-Party Talks, including those in the September 2005 joint statement, to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes, to return, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to adhere to its International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards agreement,9 with a view to achieving the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner, and reaffirms its firm support for the Six-Party Talks; 11. Urges all States to work together to overcome obstacles within the international disarmament machinery that are inhibiting efforts to advance the cause of nuclear disarmament in a multilateral context, and to immediately implement the three specific recommendations of the 2010 Review Conference action plan addressed to the Conference on Disarmament, and urges the Conference on Disarmament to commence without delay substantive work that advances the agenda of nuclear disarmament; 12. Calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to implement their nuclear disarmament commitments in a manner that enables the States parties to regularly monitor progress, and to agree as soon as possible on a standard reporting format to facilitate reporting and to enhance confidence not only among the nuclear-weapon States but also between the nuclear-weapon States and the non-nuclear-weapon States; 13. Welcomes the announcements made by some nuclear-weapon States providing information about their nuclear arsenals, policies and disarmament efforts, and urges those nuclear-weapon States that have not yet done so also to provide this information, which would build increased confidence and trust and would contribute to sustainable disarmament; 14. Calls upon all States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to implement all elements of the 2010 Review Conference action plan in a faithful and timely manner so that progress across all of the pillars of the Treaty can be realized; 15. Urges Member States to pursue multilateral negotiations in good faith towards a nuclear-weapon-free world, in keeping with the spirit and purpose of General Assembly resolution 1 (I) and article VI of the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; 16. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-ninth session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, the sub-item entitled “Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments” and to review the implementation of the present resolution at that session. 60th plenary meeting 5 December 2013 _______________ 9 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1677, No. 28986.

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