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,
 
      Noting with satisfaction the results achieved so far on the subject of a
comprehensive test ban, as well as the commitment to complete the negotiations
on the issue as soon as possible and not later than 1996,
 
      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.    Urges the Conference on Disarmament to continue as the highest
priority task its negotiations to conclude a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban
treaty;
 
      4.    Acknowledges decision CD 1356 taken by the Conference on
Disarmament on 21 September 1995 regarding its composition and the commitment
to implement that decision at the earliest possible date;
 
      5.    Encourages the review of the agenda and methods of work of the
Conference on Disarmament;
 
      6.    Urges the Conference on Disarmament to make every effort to reach
a consensus on its programme of work at the beginning of its 1996 session;
 
      7.    Requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure the provision
to the Conference on Disarmament of adequate administrative, substantive and
conference support services;
 
      8.    Requests the Conference on Disarmament to submit a report on its
work to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session;
 
      9.    Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first
session the item entitled "Report of the Conference on Disarmament".
 
 
                                       B
 
                               Disarmament Week
 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Noting the fundamental change that has been brought about by the end of
the cold war and bipolar confrontation, and welcoming the important
achievements of late in the areas of arms limitation and disarmament,
 
      Noting with satisfaction that this year's observance of Disarmament Week
coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations,
 
      Stressing the increasing role and prestige of the United Nations as a
focal point for coordinating and harmonizing the efforts of States,
 
      Emphasizing anew the need for and the importance of world public opinion
in support of disarmament efforts in all their aspects,
 
      Noting with satisfaction the broad and active support by Governments and
international and national organizations of the decision taken by the General
Assembly at its tenth special session, the first special session devoted to
disarmament, regarding the proclamation of the week starting 24 October, the
day of the founding of the United Nations, as a week devoted to fostering the
objectives of disarmament,
 
      Recalling the recommendations concerning the World Disarmament Campaign
contained in annex V to the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session
of the General Assembly, the second special session devoted to disarmament, in
particular the recommendation that Disarmament Week should continue to be
widely observed,
 
      Noting the support for the further observance of Disarmament Week
expressed by Member States at the fifteenth special session of the General
Assembly, the third special session devoted to disarmament,
 
      Recognizing the significance of the annual observance of Disarmament
Week, including by the United Nations,
 
      1.    Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the
observance of Disarmament Week;
 
      2.    Commends all States, international and national governmental and
non-governmental organizations for their active support for and participation
in Disarmament Week;
 
      3.    Invites all States that so desire, in carrying out appropriate
measures at the local level on the occasion of Disarmament Week, to take into
account the elements of the model programme for Disarmament Week prepared by
the Secretary-General;
 
      4.    Invites Governments and international and national
non-governmental organizations to continue to take an active part in
Disarmament Week;
 
      5.    Invites the Secretary-General to continue to use the United
Nations informational organs as widely as possible to promote better
understanding among the world public of disarmament problems and the
objectives of Disarmament Week;
 
      6.    Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fifth
session the item entitled "Disarmament Week".
 
 
                                       C
 
         Expansion of the membership of the Conference on Disarmament
 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Having considered the report of the Conference on Disarmament, and in
particular the part concerning expansion of the membership of the Conference,
 
      Stressing the role of the Conference on Disarmament as the sole
multilateral global negotiating body on disarmament,
 
      Emphasizing the fact that, notwithstanding dramatic changes in the
international situation and continuous consultations, there has been no
expansion of the membership of the Conference during the last seventeen years,
 
      Fully convinced that an enlarged membership is desirable in order to
take advantage of the current propitious international climate to negotiate
and conclude, on the solid basis of a more representative participation, a
comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty and other important agreements requiring
universal adherence,
 
      Recognizing the legitimate aspirations of all candidate countries to
participate fully in the work of the Conference on Disarmament, and recalling
relevant decisions taken to review the composition of the Conference,
including the agreement reached among Member States during the first special
session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament on a further expansion
and on the wish to review the membership of the then Committee on Disarmament
at regular intervals,
 
      Noting that the Conference on Disarmament, which is funded from the
regular budget, was granted, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 48/77 B
of 16 December 1993, supplementary administrative, substantive and conference
support services, inter alia, in anticipation of its expansion,
 
      Recalling in particular its resolution 49/77 B of 15 December 1994,
adopted without a vote, urging the Conference on Disarmament to make every
effort to reach a solution resulting, by the beginning of 1995, in a
significant expansion of its composition, which would then include at least
sixty countries,
 
      Strongly regretting, nevertheless, that the decision of the Conference
on Disarmament to adopt the report of the then Special Coordinator for
Membership, and the recommended composition attached to it, taken at the end
of the 1995 session did not result in the immediate expansion of its
membership,
 
      1.    Recalls the report of 12 August 1993 of the Special Coordinator
for Membership designated by the Conference on Disarmament and the subsequent
statement made by the Special Coordinator on 26 August 1993, recommending a
dynamic solution to the question of membership;
 
      2.    Recognizes the legitimate aspirations of all countries that have
applied for membership to participate fully in the work of the Conference on
Disarmament;
 
      3.    Acknowledges decision CD/1356, taken at the 719th plenary meeting
of the Conference on Disarmament on 21 September 1995, including the
commitment to implement the decision at the earliest possible date;
 
      4.    Calls for the implementation of decision CD/1356 on the expansion
of membership of the Conference on Disarmament on an urgent basis;
 
      5.    Strongly urges that the new members should, in pursuance of
decision CD/1356 and with particular reference to the provisions contained in
the second paragraph of that decision, all assume together membership of the
Conference at the start of the 1996 session of the Conference;
 
      6.    Calls on the Conference on Disarmament, in accordance with its
decision CD/1356, to review the situation following the presentation of
progress reports by the President of the Conference on ongoing consultations
at the end of each part of its annual session;
 
      7.    Urges that, following the presentation of progress reports by the
President of the Conference, the other candidatures to date be further
considered by the Conference at its 1996 session.
 
                                       D
 
                     Report of the Disarmament Commission
 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Having considered the annual report of the Disarmament Commission,
 
      Recalling its resolutions 47/54 A of 9 December 1992, 47/54 G of 8 April
1993, 48/77 A of 16 December 1993 and 49/77 A of 15 December 1994,
 
      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 adopted by
the General Assembly at its tenth special session,
 
      1.    Takes note of the annual report of the Disarmament Commission;
 
      2.    Notes with regret that the Disarmament Commission was unable to
achieve agreement on guidelines and recommendations under 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"
and on recommendations under its agenda item entitled "Review of the
Declaration of the 1990s as the Third Disarmament Decade", both of which were
concluded in 1995;
 
      3.    Notes the progress made and continuing consideration by the
Disarmament Commission of its agenda item entitled "International arms
transfers, with particular reference to General Assembly resolution 46/36 H of
6 December 1991", which is to be concluded in 1996;
 
      4.    Reaffirms the importance of further enhancing the dialogue and
cooperation among the First Committee, the Disarmament Commission and the
Conference on Disarmament;
 
      5.    Also reaffirms 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;
 
      6.    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;
 
      7.    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 Assembly 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";
 
      8.    Recommends that, pursuant to the adopted three-item phased
approach, the Disarmament Commission, at its 1995 organizational session,
adopt the following items for consideration at its 1996 substantive session:
 
      (a)   International arms transfers, with particular reference to General
Assembly resolution 46/36 H of 6 December 1991;
 
      (b)   ;
 
      (c)   ;
 
      9.    Requests the Disarmament Commission to meet for a period not
exceeding four weeks during 1996 and to submit a substantive report to the
General Assembly at its fifty-first session;
 
      10.   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 fiftieth session of the General Assembly
relating to disarmament matters, and to render all assistance that the
Commission may require for implementing the present resolution;
 
      11.   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, including verbatim records, to that
end;
 
      12.   Further requests the Secretary-General to prepare a compilation,
in the format of a note by the Secretary-General, of all texts of principles,
guidelines or recommendations on subject items that have been unanimously
adopted by the Disarmament Commission since its inception in 1978;
 
      13.   Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first
session the item entitled "Report of the Disarmament Commission".