The General Assembly,
Having considered the annual report of the Disarmament Commission,
Recalling its resolutions 47/54 A of 9 December 1992 and 47/54 G of 8 April 1993,
Recalling also the proposal to include a new item in the agenda of the Disarmament Commission entitled "General guidelines for non-proliferation, with special emphasis on weapons of mass destruction",
Considering the role that the Disarmament Commission has been called upon to play and the contribution that it should make in examining and submitting recommendations on various problems in the field of disarmament and in the promotion of the implementation of the relevant decisions of the tenth special session of the General Assembly,
1. Takes note of the annual report of the Disarmament Commission;
2. Commends the Disarmament Commission for its adoption by consensus of a set of guidelines and recommendations for regional approaches to disarmament within the context of global security, which were recommended to the General Assembly for consideration, pursuant to the adopted "Ways and means to enhance the functioning of the Disarmament Commission";
3. Endorses the guidelines and recommendations for regional approaches to disarmament within the context of global security as adopted by the Disarmament Commission at its 1993 substantive session;
4. Notes with satisfaction that the Disarmament Commission has made significant progress in achieving agreement on guidelines and recommendations under its agenda item entitled "The role of science and technology in the context of international security, disarmament and other related fields", which is to be concluded in 1994;
5. Notes the continuing consideration by the Disarmament Commission of its agenda item entitled "Process of nuclear disarmament in the framework of international peace and security, with the objective of the elimination of nuclear weapons", which is to be concluded in 1994;
6. Reaffirms the importance of further enhancing the dialogue and cooperation among the First Committee, the Disarmament Commission and the Conference on Disarmament;
7. Recommends that the Conference on Disarmament consider, within its competence, the guidelines and recommendations for regional approaches to disarmament within the context of global security;
8. Reaffirms also the role of the Disarmament Commission as the specialized, deliberative body within the United Nations multilateral disarmament machinery that allows for in-depth deliberations on specific disarmament issues, leading to the submission of concrete recommendations on those issues;
9. Encourages the Disarmament Commission to continue to make every effort to enhance its working methods so as to enable it to give focused consideration to a limited number of priority issues in the field of disarmament, bearing in mind the decision it has taken to move its agenda towards a three-item phased approach;
10. Requests the Disarmament Commission to continue its work in accordance with its mandate, as set forth in paragraph 118 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, and with paragraph 3 of resolution 37/78 H of 9 December 1982, and to that end to make every effort to achieve specific recommendations on the items on its agenda, taking into account the adopted "Ways and means to enhance the functioning of the Disarmament Commission";
11. Notes that the Disarmament Commission, at its 1993 organizational session, adopted the following items for consideration and conclusion at its 1994 substantive session:
(1) Process of nuclear disarmament in the framework of international peace and security, with the objective of the elimination of nuclear weapons;
(2) The role of science and technology in the context of international security, disarmament and other related fields;
12. Notes also that the Disarmament Commission, at its 1993 organizational session, included in the agenda of its 1994 substantive session an item entitled "International arms transfers, with particular reference to resolution 46/36 H of 6 December 1991";
13. Also requests the Disarmament Commission to meet for a period not exceeding four weeks during 1994 and to submit a substantive report to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session;
14. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit to the Disarmament Commission the annual report of the Conference on Disarmament, together with all the official records of the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly relating to disarmament matters, and to render all assistance that the Commission may require for implementing the present resolution;
15. Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure full provision to the Commission and its subsidiary bodies of interpretation and translation facilities in the official languages and to assign, as a matter of priority, all the necessary resources and services to that end;
16. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-ninth session the item entitled "Report of the Disarmament Commission".
81st plenary meeting
16 December 1993
The General Assembly,
Having considered the report of the Conference on Disarmament,
Convinced that the Conference on Disarmament, as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community, has the primary role in substantive negotiations on priority questions of disarmament,
Considering, in this respect, that the present international climate should give additional impetus to multilateral negotiations with the aim of reaching concrete agreements,
Taking note of the decision of the Conference on Disarmament to give to its Ad Hoc Committee on a Nuclear Test Ban a mandate to negotiate such a ban,
Noting with satisfaction the results achieved so far on the subject of improved and effective functioning of the Conference on Disarmament, as well as the decision to carry out inter-sessional consultations with a view to achieving consensus on the issue of its membership during the inter-sessional period, and the decision to continue consultations on the issue of the agenda at its 1994 session,
1. Reaffirms the role of the Conference on Disarmament as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community;
2. Welcomes the determination of the Conference on Disarmament to fulfil that role in the light of the evolving international situation with a view to making early substantive progress on priority items of its agenda;
3. Also welcomes the decision of the Conference on Disarmament to give to its Ad Hoc Committee on a Nuclear Test Ban a mandate to negotiate such a ban;
4. Urges the Conference on Disarmament to reach a consensus that would result in the expansion of its membership before the start of its 1994 session;
5. Encourages the ongoing review of the agenda, membership and methods of work of the Conference on Disarmament;
6. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the provision to the Conference on Disarmament of additional administrative, substantive and conference support services for its negotiations;
7. Requests the Conference on Disarmament to submit a report on its work to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session;
8. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-ninth session the item entitled "Report of the Conference on Disarmament".
81st plenary meeting
16 December 1993
