A/RES/72/50 GA

United Nations A/RES/72/50 General Assembly Distr.: General 12 December 2017 17-21728 (E) 141217 *1721728* Seventy-second session Agenda item 99 (z) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 4 December 2017 [on the report of the First Committee (A/72/409)] 72/50. United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons The General Assembly, Reaffirming its commitment towards a peaceful and secure world free of nuclear weapons, Recalling its resolution 71/49 of 5 December 2016, 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 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, Recalling the Final Documents of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons2 and the 20003 and 20104 Review Conferences of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, __________________ 1 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 729, No. 10485. 2 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 NPT/CONF.1995/32 (Part I)/Corr.2). 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 and II), NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Part III) and NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Part 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 (Vol. I), NPT/CONF.2010/50 (Vol. II) and NPT/CONF.2010/50 (Vol. III)). A/RES/72/50 United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons 17-21728 2/6 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, Emphasizing the crucial importance of rebuilding trust and enhancing cooperation among all States in order to make substantive progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, bearing in mind there are various approaches towards the realization of a world free of nuclear weapons, Reaffirming that the enhancement of international peace and security and the promotion of nuclear disarmament are mutually reinforcing, Expressing grave concern over the recent developments in regional security situations and the growing dangers posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, and by related proliferation networks, Recalling, in this context, that the repeated and frequent unlawful nuclear tests and the launches using ballistic missile technology conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including its nuclear test of 3 September 2017, which it announced as a hydrogen bomb for an intercontinental ballistic missile, and the two launches of ballistic missiles which flew over Japan on 29 August and 15 September 2017, pose unprecedented, grave and imminent threats to the peace and security of the region and the world, present grave challenges to the regime centred on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and constitute clear and repeated violations of the relevant Security Council resolutions, and reiterating the resolute opposition of the international community to the possession of nuclear weapons by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Recognizing that the relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2375 (2017) of 11 September 2017, express the Council’s firm opposition to the unlawful nuclear and missile programmes of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in violation of the relevant Council resolutions and the Council’s determination to take further significant measures in the event of a further nuclear test or ballistic missile launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Reaffirming that further consolidation of the international regime for nuclear non-proliferation, 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, 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 Weapons and the Final Documents of the 2000 and 2010 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, United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons A/RES/72/50 3/6 17-21728 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, Commending the accomplishments of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization since the opening for signature of the Treaty,5 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 nuclear weapons use, 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, Recalling that nuclear and radiological terrorism remains a pressing and evolving challenge to the international community, and reaffirming the central role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in nuclear security, 1. Renews the determination of all States to take united action towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons through the easing of international tension and the strengthening of trust between States as envisioned in the preamble to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons1 in order to facilitate disarmament and through strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime; 2. Reaffirms, in this regard, the unequivocal undertaking of the nuclear- weapon States to fully implement the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, towards a safer world for all and a peaceful and secure world free of nuclear weapons; 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; 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, welcoming the successful convening of the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference, which was 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; __________________ 5 See resolution 50/245 and A/50/1027. A/RES/72/50 United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons 17-21728 4/6 7. Encourages all States to further engage in meaningful dialogue that facilitates practical, concrete and effective measures on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation; 8. Emphasizes that deep concerns about the humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons continue to be a key factor that underpins efforts by all States towards a world free of nuclear weapons; 9. Encourages the Russian Federation and the United States of America to take steps to create conditions that would allow for the commencement of 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 States to ease international tension, strengthen trust between States, and create conditions that would allow for further reduction of nuclear weapons, and 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; 11. Also 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 creating the necessary environment for and thereby implementing further nuclear disarmament, and to build upon and expand their efforts to enhance transparency and to increase mutual confidence, including, inter alia, 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 all States to ease international tension and strengthen trust between States, and create the necessary environment that would allow for further consideration of, and 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, taking into account the security environment; 14. Recognizes the legitimate interest of non-nuclear-weapon States that are party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and in compliance with their nuclear non-proliferation obligations 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 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,6 and recognizes that, by signing and ratifying relevant protocols that contain negative security assurances, nuclear-weapon States would undertake __________________ 6 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 42 (A/54/42). United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons A/RES/72/50 5/6 17-21728 individual legally binding commitments with respect to the status of such zones and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against States that are party 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, 7 and the resumption of dialogue towards that end involving the States concerned; 19. Stresses the vital importance and urgency of universal adherence to the moratoria on nuclear-weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions in the light of the tests conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, recognizing that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is an annex 2 State and that the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty5 will not be possible while such testing by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues, and urges the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to sign and ratify that Treaty without further delay and without waiting for any other State to do so; 20. Also stresses the vital importance and urgency for all States who have not done so to declare and maintain moratoria on the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, pending commencement of negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices and its early conclusion, as called for in document CD/1299 of 24 March 1995 and the mandate contained therein, and welcomes in this context the recent efforts of the high-level expert preparatory group established by the General Assembly in its resolution 71/259 of 23 December 2016 in order to attain recommendations on substantial elements of a future fissile material cut-off treaty, including by examining the report of the Group of Governmental Experts contained in document A/70/81; 21. Acknowledges the widespread call for the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, while recalling that all States, in particular the eight remaining States in annex 2 thereof, have been urged to take individual initiatives to sign and ratify that Treaty without waiting for any other State to do so, and the immediate commencement of negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; 22. 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; 23. 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; 24. Condemns in the strongest terms all 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 __________________ 7 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 NPT/CONF.1995/32 (Part I)/Corr.2), annex. 8 A/57/124. A/RES/72/50 United action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons 17-21728 6/6 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, with special emphasis on Council resolutions 2356 (2017) of 2 June 2017, 2371 (2017) of 5 August 2017 and, most recently, resolution 2375 (2017) of 11 September 2017 adopted since the seventy-first session of the General Assembly, to 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; 25. Calls upon all States to make utmost efforts to address the unprecedented, grave and imminent 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, including Council resolution 2375 (2017); 26. 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 any obligations undertaken to forswear nuclear weapons; 27. 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; 28. 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; 29. Calls upon all States to fully implement relevant Security Council resolutions, including Council resolutions 1540 (2004) of 28 April 2004 and 2325 (2016) of 15 December 2016, based on the outcome of the comprehensive review of the status of implementation of Council resolution 1540 (2004); 30. Encourages all States to attach more importance to, and enhance the security of, nuclear and other radiological materials, and to further strengthen the global nuclear security architecture; 31. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-third 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”. 62nd plenary meeting 4 December 2017

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