A/RES/78/47 GA

United Nations A/RES/78/47 General Assembly Distr.: General 6 December 2023 23-24499 (E) 191223 *2324499* Seventy-eighth session Agenda item 99 (u) General and complete disarmament: problems arising from the accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 4 December 2023 [on the report of the First Committee (A/78/409, para. 89)] 78/47. Through-life conventional ammunition management The General Assembly, Recalling its decision 59/515 of 3 December 2004 and its resolutions 60/74 of 8 December 2005, 61/72 of 6 December 2006, 63/61 of 2 December 2008, 64/51 of 2 December 2009, 66/42 of 2 December 2011, 68/52 of 5 December 2013, 70/35 of 7 December 2015, 72/55 of 4 December 2017 and 74/65 of 12 December 2019, its decision 75/552 of 31 December 2020, its resolution 76/233 of 24 December 2021 and its decisions 76/568 of 21 June 2022 and 77/547 of 30 December 2022, Recalling also the reports of the Group of Governmental Experts established pursuant to resolution 72/55, 1 of the Group of Governmental Experts established pursuant to resolution 61/72,2 and of the Group of Experts established pursuant to resolution 52/38 J,3 Expressing grave concern over the risks posed by the diversion of conventional ammunition of all types and calibres to unauthorized recipients, including criminals, organized criminal groups and terrorists, their trafficking into illicit markets, including their subsequent use in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices, as well as their contribution to the intensity and duration of armed conflict, armed violence, including gender-based armed violence, around the world, and the threat that their diversion and illicit trafficking poses to peace, security, stability and sustainable development at the national, subregional, regional and global levels, Expressing grave concern also over the destruction caused by unplanned explosions of conventional ammunition at ammunition sites, which claim thousands __________________ 1 See A/76/324. 2 See A/63/182. 3 See A/54/155. A/RES/78/47 Through-life conventional ammunition management 23-24499 2/5 of lives, disrupt communities’ livelihoods, and can generate severe humanitarian, human rights, socioeconomic, environmental and public health impacts, Recognizing that gaps exist to achieving a discernible reduction in the risks and impacts arising from the ineffective through-life management of conventional ammunition around the world, extending from the point of manufacture, through pre-transfer, transfer, relocation and transport, stockpiling and recovery, to their eventual use or disposal, and to this end stressing the importance of addressing the safety and security risks and impacts emanating from the ineffective through-life management of conventional ammunition at the global level in a comprehensive manner to contribute to maintaining international peace and security, Recognizing also the need for the full, equal, meaningful and effective participation of women in decision-making and implementation processes related to through-life conventional ammunition management, and encouraging mainstreaming a gender perspective into policy and practice to address the differential impacts of the safety and security aspects of conventional ammunition on women, men, girls and boys, Reaffirming the right of each State to legally manufacture, acquire, stockpile, manage and transfer conventional ammunition, including for its self-defence and security needs, as well as for its capacity to participate in peace operations, in a manner consistent with the Charter of the United Nations, Recognizing the importance of international cooperation and assistance in pursuing and supporting safe, secure and sustainable through-life conventional ammunition management nationally, subregionally, regionally and globally, Stressing the need for international cooperation among all States and other relevant stakeholders on through-life conventional ammunition management, and acknowledging the support that they can provide, where appropriate and feasible, to States in addressing the risks posed by ineffective through-life conventional ammunition management, Recognizing the urgent necessity for assistance, where requested, appropriate and feasible, including technology transfers, technical, material, financial, legal assistance, or expertise for capacity-building and knowledge management, to support and facilitate efforts at national, subregional, regional and global levels to assess and address the risks associated with ineffective through-life conventional ammunition management, and in this regard underscoring the importance of a comprehensive and sustainable approach, Recalling with appreciation the work of the SaferGuard programme,4 managed by the Office for Disarmament Affairs of the Secretariat, to improve the safe, secure and sustainable through-life management of conventional ammunition, and encouraging the use, as appropriate, of the voluntary International Ammunition Technical Guidelines, Noting with appreciation the ongoing work of the Ammunition Management Advisory Team to support interested States in the safe and secure management of ammunition through the provision of technical advice and services, Taking note of discussions with regard to the issue of conventional ammunition in the framework of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects 5 and the __________________ 4 A/63/182, paras. 72 and 73. 5 Report of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, New York, 9–20 July 2001 (A/CONF.192/15), chap. IV, para. 24. Through-life conventional ammunition management A/RES/78/47 3/5 23-24499 International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons,6 Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War (Protocol V)7 to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects,8 and of the requirement of the Arms Trade Treaty9 that States parties thereto shall designate competent national authorities in order to have an effective and transparent national control system to regulate the transfer of relevant ammunition and munitions, as well as the work and measures pursued at the regional and subregional levels, Recognizing the relevance of regional and subregional mechanisms that address through-life conventional ammunition management, Taking note of the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace 10 and of the actions proposed therein to reduce the human cost of weapons, Welcoming the conclusion of the work of the open-ended working group, established pursuant to resolution 76/233, to elaborate a set of political commitments as a new global framework that will address existing gaps in through-life ammunition management, and the submission of its final report, 11 1. Welcomes the final report of the open-ended working group, established pursuant to resolution 76/233, contained in document A/78/111, and the recommendations contained therein; 2. Decides to adopt the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management,12 which is a cooperative framework that is voluntary and contains a set of political commitments for strengthening and promoting existing initiatives on, and addressing existing gaps in, through-life conventional ammunition management, as contained in the annex to the final report of the open-ended working group; 3. Calls upon all States to implement the Global Framework on the basis of the guiding principles expressed therein; 4. Encourages the United Nations, including under the SaferGuard programme with, inter alia, its quick-response mechanism, and international, regional and subregional organizations, as well as other relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations and civil society, academia, research institutions and industry, to promote and support the implementation of the Global Framework, and calls upon all relevant stakeholders to consider using the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines when supporting national authorities; 5. Encourages all States to develop, strengthen and implement measures, mechanisms and initiatives, within national, regional and subregional frameworks, as appropriate, to address the safety and security risks associated with conventional ammunition, including diversion, illicit trafficking and unplanned explosions of conventional ammunition, in line with the Global Framework; 6. Requests the Secretary-General to implement the new mandates assigned to the Secretariat in the Global Framework as contained in section IV, paragraphs 22 __________________ 6 See decision 60/519 and A/60/88 and A/60/88/Corr.2, annex. 7 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2399, No. 22495. 8 Ibid., vol. 1342, No. 22495. 9 Ibid., vol. 3013, No. 52373. 10 A/77/CRP.1/Add.8. 11 See A/78/111. 12 Ibid., annex. A/RES/78/47 Through-life conventional ammunition management 23-24499 4/5 and 26, and section V, paragraphs 29, 34 and 37, thereof, 13 and to strengthen the SaferGuard programme to implement the assigned mandates as contained in section IV, paragraph 23, and section V, paragraph 36, thereof, and to present the respective budgetary requirements in his next proposed programme budget; 7. Decides to convene a meeting of States in 2027 for two weeks (20 meetings), in New York, to review the implementation of the Global Framework, in line with section V, paragraph 31 thereof, with the participation, as observers, of relevant international and regional organizations and other relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations and civil society, academia, research institutions and industry, and further decides that the Chair may hold informal consultations ahead of the Meeting of States; 8. Also decides to convene a preparatory meeting of States in 2025 for five days (10 meetings), in New York, to explore possible options for the development of the process and modalities for the effective implementation of the Global Framework and to prepare for the Meeting of States in 2027, with the participation, as observers, of relevant international and regional organizations and other relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations and civil society, academia, research institutions and industry; 9. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the support necessary to convene the preparatory meeting of States and the Meeting of States; 10. Encourages States to provide voluntary information, in line with section V, paragraphs 30 and 34 of the Global Framework, on steps taken to implement the Global Framework, and requests the Secretary-General to receive and circulate such information; 11. Decides to establish a new standing dedicated fellowship training programme on through-life conventional ammunition management in order to strengthen the technical and practical knowledge and expertise of government officials directly responsible for the implementation of the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, particularly in developing countries, to be substantively developed and designed in 2025 and implemented annually starting in 2026 for a duration of four weeks in-person in four regions, respectively, preceded by a preparatory self-paced online course, with the participation of 15 fellows from each of the four regions, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and other regions, ensuring the full, equal, meaningful and effective participation of women and equitable geographic representation, and requests the Secretary-General to present the budgetary requirements in his next proposed programme budget to operationalize this decision and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its eightieth session, and periodically thereafter for follow-up; 12. Requests the Secretary-General to strengthen the SaferGuard programme, which serves as the custodian of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines, and to include the budgetary requirements in his next proposed programme budget and, in this regard, also requests the Secretary-General to review, update and translate into other official languages the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines, on an ongoing basis, and to develop voluntary operational guidelines related to security aspects of the through-life management of conventional ammunition in the framework of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines under the SaferGuard programme, with the assistance of technical experts from interested States, while ensuring the full, equal, meaningful and effective participation of women and __________________ 13 Ibid. Through-life conventional ammunition management A/RES/78/47 5/5 23-24499 equitable geographic representation and taking into account and complementing relevant existing standards, guidelines and good practices, without duplicating them; 13. Invites relevant regional and subregional organizations to establish, where needed, and to maintain regional and subregional rosters of experts validated according to the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines, as appropriate; 14. Encourages States in a position to do so to assist interested States within a bilateral framework or through international or regional organizations, including through activities conducted under the umbrella of the SaferGuard programme, on a voluntary and transparent basis, in elaborating and implementing programmes to improve the safe, secure and sustainable through-life management of conventional ammunition; 15. Encourages States, as appropriate, to consider through-life conventional ammunition management as an intrinsic part of their actions for achieving relevant targets of the Sustainable Development Goals related to the reduction of illicit arms flows and the prevention of violence through strengthened national institutions, 14 and to consider, where relevant, developing national, regional and subregional indicators based on this understanding; 16. Encourages consideration of the integration of through-life conventional ammunition management measures, where relevant, in the mandates of peacekeeping operations, including through the training of personnel of national authorities and peacekeepers, utilizing the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines; 17. Reiterates its decision to address the issue of through-life conventional ammunition management in a comprehensive manner; 18. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its eightieth session on the implementation of the present resolution, including on the implementation of the Global Framework; 19. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-ninth session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, a sub-item entitled “Through-life conventional ammunition management”. 42nd plenary meeting 4 December 2023 __________________ 14 See resolution 70/1.

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