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UN First Committee

2008 First Committee Resolutions

Summary and Explanations

Compiled on behalf of the Acronym Institute by Michael Spies, Editor of the Arms Control Reporter; assisted by Ray Acheson, Project Associate for the Reaching Critical Will project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

Below is a comprehensive summary resolutions and decisions adopted by the 63rd First Committee and General Assembly compiled on behalf of the Acronym Institute. A fuller analysis will appear in Disarmament Diplomacy 89, due out in early 2009. Any queries or corrections should be emailed to info@acronym.org.uk.

Below is a table of the 54 resolutions and 4 decisions adopted by the 63rd UNGA First Committee. For each text the table indicates its draft number, full title, introducing state, and voting results. Voting is given as: for-against-abstention. The votes in the First Committee took place from 28-31 October 2008.

"Rev" denotes a revised version of the resolution was circulated subsequent to its introduction as an official UN draft resolution. We identify the state that introduced each resolution-normally this state would have taken the lead in drafting, consulting, and negotiating with others on the text. For lists of all co-sponsors, check the UN documents.

There may be discrepancies in voting figures due to requests by delegations for their votes to be recorded after missing or making mistakes during the electronic voting procedure. The vote tallies contained below are derived from UN records, taking into account delegations that subsequently recorded or modified their vote from the floor during the plenary session.

"Without a vote" denotes that the Committee adopted a text by consensus without a recorded vote taken. In some instances, delegation declare that they will not participate in the consensus, while others prefer not to vote at all and to be counted absent.

In some resolutions, delegations request separate votes be recorded on specific paragraphs or parts of paragraphs. In these cases, PP refers to preambular paragraph and OP refers to operative paragraph. The preambular paragraphs generally provide background and context on the subject of a resolution, identify and apply general principles of international law, and can broadly indicate the object and purpose of a resolution. Operative paragraphs contain decisions and requests, identifying action to be taken. General Assembly resolutions are non-legally binding on UN member states.

For all statements, resolutions and non-papers from the First Committee, see the Reaching Critical Will website: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com08/statements.html

For summaries of each week of the proceedings, see the First Committee Monitor: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/FCM.html

Index

Nuclear Weapons

Title	FC Votes	GA Votes
(L.5) Decreasing the operational readiness of nuclear weapons systems [Switzerland]	134-3-2
(L.7*) Conclusion of effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons [Pakistan]	110-1-55
(L.14) Nuclear disarmament [Myanmar (Burma)]	105-45-20
(L.15) Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons [India]	110-50-11
(L.16*) Reducing nuclear danger [India]	108-50-13
(L.19) Follow-up to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons [Malaysia]	118-30-22
(L.27) Missiles [Iran]	112-9-50
(L.30) Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments [South Africa]	Whole: 145-5-6 OP4: 141-4-5
(L.38) The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation [France]	146-1-19
Decision (L.54) United Nations conference to identify appropriate ways of eliminating nuclear dangers in the context of nuclear disarmament [Mexico]	121-3-45
(L.55) Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty [Mexico]	168-1-3
(L.58*) Renewed determination toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons [Japan]	163-4-6

Nuclear Weapon Free Zones

Title	FC Votes	GA Votes
(L.1) Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East [Egypt]	without a vote
(L.2) The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East [Egypt]	Whole: 161-5-5 PP6: 157-4-5
(L.28) Mongolia’s international security and nuclear-weapon-free status [Mongolia]	without a vote
(L.37) Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia [Kyrgyzstan]	129-3-36
(L.40) Nuclear-weapon-free southern hemisphere and adjacent areas [Brazil]	Whole: 161-3-8 OP6: 157-2-8

Other Weapons of Mass Destruction

Title	FC Votes	GA Votes
(L.11) Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction [Hungary]	without a vote
(L.12*) Prohibition of the development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons: report of the Conference on Disarmament [Belarus]	167-1-1
(L.17) Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction [Poland]	without a vote
(L.25) Measures to uphold the authority of the 1925 Geneva Protocol [Indonesia]	161-0-3
(L.34) Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction [India]	without a vote

Outer Space (Disarmament Aspects)

Title	FC Votes	GA Votes
(L.4) Prevention of an arms race in outer space [Egypt]	167-1-1
(L.44/Rev.1) Transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities [Russia]	167-1-1

Conventional Weapons

Title	FC Votes	GA Votes
(L.6) Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction [Jordan]	151-0-19
(L.29) Information on confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms [Argentina]	without a vote
(L.31) 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 [Sweden]	without a vote
(L.35) Problems arising from the accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus [Germany]	172-0-0
(L.39*) Towards an arms trade treaty: establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms [Argentina]	Whole: 147-2-18 OP3: 141-1-19 OP4: 142-1-18 OP5: 141-1-19
(L.41) Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them [Mali]	without a vote
(L.43) Preventing and combating illicit brokering activities [Republic of Korea]	without a vote
(L.56) Convention on Cluster Munitions [Ireland]	without a vote
(L.57) The illicit trade in small arms and lights weapons in all its aspects [Japan]	Whole: 168-1-0 OP4: 164-0-2 OP13: 164-1-1

Regional Disarmament & Security

Title	FC Votes	GA Votes
Decision (L.3) Maintenance of international security — good-neighbourliness, stability and development in South-Eastern Europe [Macedonia]	without a vote
(L.8) Regional disarmament [Pakistan]	without a vote
(L.9) Conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels [Pakistan]	166-1-1
(L.18) Strengthening of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region [Algeria]	without a vote
(L.46) Regional confidence-building measures: activities of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa [Angola]	without a vote

Other Disarmament Measures and International Security

Title	FC Votes	GA Votes
(L.10) Confidence-building measures in the regional and subregional context [Pakistan]	without a vote
(L.20) Promotion of multilateralism in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation [Indonesia]	115-5-49
(L.21) Observance of environmental norms in the drafting and implementation of agreements on disarmament and arms control [Indonesia]	without a vote
(L.23) Relationship between disarmament and development [Indonesia]	167-0-1
(L.26) Effects of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium [Indonesia]	127-4-34
(L.32/Rev.1) Compliance with non-proliferation, arms limitation and disarmament agreements and commitments [United States]	142-0-19
Decision (L.33) Role of science and technology in the context of international security and disarmament [India]	without a vote
(L.36) Consolidation of peace through practical disarmament measures [Germany]	Whole: 165-0-0 "and Third" in PP10: 159-0-1
(L.45) Developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security [Russia]	167-1-0
(L.51) Transparency in armaments [Netherlands]	Whole: 144-0-21 OP2: 142-0-21 OP3: 143-0-21 OP4: 143-0-21 OP5b: 143-0-21 OP5: 143-0-21 OP7: 143-0-21
(L.52) United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education [Mexico]	without a vote
(L.53) United Nations Disarmament Information Programme [Mexico]	without a vote

Disarmament Machinery

Title	FC Votes	GA Votes
(L.13) United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean [Peru]	without a vote
Decision (L.22) Convening of the fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament [Indonesia]	without a vote
(L.24) United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament [Indonesia]	without a vote
(L.42) United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific [Nepal]	without a vote
(L.47) Report of the Conference on Disarmament [Venezuela]	without a vote
(L.48) Report of the Disarmament Commission [Netherlands]	without a vote
(L.49) United Nations disarmament fellowship, training and advisory services [Nigeria]	without a vote
(L.50/Rev.1) United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa [Nigeria]	without a vote

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