A/RES/71/49 GA

United Nations A/RES/71/49 General Assembly Distr.: General 12 December 2016 Seventy-first session Agenda item 98 (hh) 16-21057 (E) *1621057* Please recycle Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 5 December 2016 [on the report of the First Committee (A/71/450)] 71/49. United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons The General Assembly, Reaffirming its commitment to achieving a peaceful and secure world free of nuclear weapons, Recalling its resolution 70/40 of 7 December 2015, Reaffirming the crucial importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons1 as the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and an essential foundation for the pursuit of the three pillars of the Treaty, namely, nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Reaffirming also its determination to further strengthen the universality of the regime of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and recalling that nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy are mutually reinforcing and are essential for strengthening the Treaty regime, Stressing the importance of the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to be held in 2020, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty, and of its review cycle towards the 2020 Review Conference, Reaffirming that the enhancement of international peace and security and the promotion of nuclear disarmament are mutually reinforcing, Expressing concern over the recent developments in regional security situations, Reaffirming that further advancement in nuclear disarmament will contribute to consolidating the international regime for nuclear non-proliferation, which is, inter alia, essential to international peace and security, Noting that the ultimate objective of the efforts of States in the disarmament process is general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control, _______________ 1 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 729, No. 10485. A/RES/71/49 United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons 2/6 Stressing the importance of the decisions and the resolution on the Middle East of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons2 and the Final Documents of the 20003 and 20104 Review Conferences of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and reaffirming its support for the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by the States of the region and in accordance with the 1995 resolution on the Middle East, and for the resumption of dialogue towards this end involving the States concerned, Welcoming the efforts undertaken towards the development of nuclear disarmament verification capabilities that can contribute to the pursuit of a world free of nuclear weapons, including the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification, and stressing in this regard the importance of cooperation between nuclear-weapon States and non-nuclear-weapon States, Stressing the need to continue to explore possibilities for overcoming the ongoing deadlock of two decades in the Conference on Disarmament, Welcoming the continuing successful 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, Welcoming also the successful convening of the ministerial meeting on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, held in Vienna in June 2016, and the eighth ministerial meeting in support of the Treaty, held in New York in September 2016, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Treaty, and commending the accomplishments of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization over the past 20 years, in particular the significant progress made in the establishment of the International Monitoring System and the International Data Centre, Expressing deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and reaffirming the need for all States to comply at all times with applicable international law, including international humanitarian law, while convinced that every effort should be made to avoid the use of nuclear weapons, Recognizing that the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from the use of nuclear weapons should be fully understood by all, and noting in this regard that efforts should be made to increase such understanding, Welcoming the recent visits of political leaders to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in particular the visit to Hiroshima by the President of the United States of America, Expressing deep concern regarding the growing dangers posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons and related proliferation networks, _______________ 2 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. 3 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)). 4 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)). United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons A/RES/71/49 3/6 Recalling, in this context, that the international community faces grave challenges to the regime centred on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, such as the repeated nuclear tests and the launches using ballistic missile technology conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, most recently in September 2016, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, and reiterating the resolute opposition of the international community to its possession of nuclear weapons, Recalling also that nuclear and radiological terrorism remains a pressing and evolving challenge to the international community, and welcoming in this context the success of the Nuclear Security Summit process, including the fourth Nuclear Security Summit, held in Washington, D.C., on 31 March and 1 April 2016, at which the central role of the International Atomic Energy Agency was reaffirmed, 1. Renews the determination of all States to take united action towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, with a view to achieving a safer world for all and a peaceful and secure world free of nuclear weapons; 2. Reaffirms, in this regard, 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 to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons1 are committed under article VI thereof; 3. Calls upon all States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to comply with their obligations under all the articles of the Treaty and to implement the steps agreed to in the Final Documents of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference2 and the 20003 and 20104 Review Conferences; 4. Encourages all States to exert their utmost efforts towards the success of the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, bearing in mind that the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference will be held in Vienna in May 2017; 5. Calls upon all States not parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to accede as non-nuclear-weapon States to the Treaty promptly and without any conditions to achieve its universality and, pending their accession to the Treaty, to adhere to its terms and to take practical steps in support of the Treaty; 6. Calls upon all States to take further practical steps and effective measures towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, based on the principle of undiminished and increased security for all; 7. Encourages nuclear-weapon States and non-nuclear-weapon States to further engage in meaningful dialogue that facilitates practical and concrete measures on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation; 8. Emphasizes that deep concerns about the humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons continue to underpin efforts by all States towards a world free of nuclear weapons; 9. Encourages the Russian Federation and the United States of America to commence negotiations at an early date to achieve greater reductions in their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, with a view to concluding such negotiations as soon as possible; 10. Calls upon all nuclear-weapon States 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; A/RES/71/49 United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons 4/6 11. Calls upon all States to apply the principles of irreversibility, verifiability and transparency in relation to the process of nuclear disarmament and non- proliferation; 12. Encourages the nuclear-weapon States to continue to convene regular meetings, with a view to facilitating nuclear disarmament actions, to build upon and expand their efforts to enhance transparency and to increase mutual confidence, including by providing more frequent and further detailed reporting on nuclear weapons and delivery systems dismantled and reduced as part of nuclear disarmament efforts throughout the review process of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons towards the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty; 13. Calls upon States concerned to continue to review their military and security concepts, doctrines and policies, with a view to reducing further the role and significance of nuclear weapons therein; 14. Recognizes the legitimate interest of non-nuclear-weapon States in receiving unequivocal and legally binding security assurances from nuclear-weapon States which could strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime; 15. Recalls Security Council resolution 984 (1995) of 11 April 1995, noting the unilateral statements by each of the nuclear-weapon States, and calls upon all nuclear-weapon States to fully respect their existing commitments with regard to security assurances; 16. Encourages the establishment of further nuclear-weapon-free zones, where appropriate, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by the States of the region concerned and in accordance with the 1999 guidelines of the Disarmament Commission,5 and recognizes that, by signing and ratifying relevant protocols that contain negative security assurances, nuclear-weapon States would undertake individual legally binding commitments with respect to the status of such zones and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against States parties to such treaties; 17. Urges all States possessing nuclear weapons to continue to undertake all efforts necessary to comprehensively address the risks of unintended nuclear detonations; 18. Encourages further efforts towards the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by the States of the region and in accordance with the 1995 resolution on the Middle East, and the resumption of dialogue towards that end involving the States concerned; 19. Urges all States, in particular the eight remaining States listed in annex 2 to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty,6 to take individual initiatives to sign and ratify that Treaty without further delay and without waiting for any other State to do so, and to maintain all existing moratoriums on nuclear-weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and declare their political will to do so pending the entry into force of the Treaty, and also urges all States to redouble their efforts to promote the entry into force of the Treaty through the article XIV process and other mutually reinforcing undertakings; _______________ 5 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 42 (A/54/42). 6 See resolution 50/245 and A/50/1027. United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons A/RES/71/49 5/6 20. Urges all States concerned to immediately commence negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices and its early conclusion on the basis of document CD/1299 of 24 March 1995 and the mandate contained therein, taking into consideration the report of the Group of Governmental Experts 7 requested in paragraph 3 of resolution 67/53 of 3 December 2012, and to declare and maintain moratoriums on the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, pending the entry into force of the treaty; 21. Encourages all States to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education,8 in support of achieving a world free of nuclear weapons; 22. Encourages every effort to raise awareness of the realities of the use of nuclear weapons, including through, among others, visits by leaders, youth and others to and interactions with communities and people, including atomic bomb survivors, the hibakusha, that pass on their experiences to the future generations; 23. Condemns in the strongest terms the recent nuclear tests and launches using ballistic missile technology by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which cannot have the status of a nuclear-weapon State in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, strongly urges the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to refrain from conducting further nuclear tests and to abandon all ongoing nuclear activities immediately in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, and calls upon the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to fully comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions and implement the joint statement of the Six-Party Talks of 19 September 2005, and to return at an early date to full compliance with the Treaty, including that of the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards; 24. Calls upon all States to intensify efforts to address the threat posed by the nuclear and missile programmes of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including through the full implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions; 25. Also calls upon all States to redouble their efforts to prevent and curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery and to fully respect and comply with obligations undertaken to forswear nuclear weapons; 26. Further calls upon all States to establish and enforce effective domestic controls to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons and encourages cooperation among States and technical assistance to enhance international partnership and capacity-building in non-proliferation efforts; 27. Stresses the fundamental role of the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and the importance of the universalization of the comprehensive safeguards agreements, and, while noting that it is the sovereign decision of any State to conclude an additional protocol, strongly encourages all States that have not done so to conclude and bring into force as soon as possible an additional protocol based on the Model Additional Protocol to the Agreement(s) between States and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards, approved by the Board of Governors of the Agency on 15 May 1997; _______________ 7 A/70/81. 8 A/57/124. A/RES/71/49 United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons 6/6 28. Calls upon all States to fully implement relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 1540 (2004) of 28 April 2004 and 1977 (2011) of 20 April 2011, based on the outcome of the comprehensive review of the status of implementation of resolution 1540 (2004); 29. Encourages all States to attach more importance to and enhance the security of nuclear and other radiological materials, to further strengthen the global nuclear security architecture and to work together for the success of the International Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Nuclear Security, to be held in Vienna in December 2016; 30. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-second session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, the sub-item entitled “United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons”. 51st plenary meeting 5 December 2016

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