Sixty-seventh General Assembly

First Committee

1^st Meeting (PM)

First Committee Prepares for Annual Debate with Approval of Agenda,

 

Work Programme for Sixty-Seventh Session

 

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved its agenda and work programme for the sixty-seventh General Assembly session at a brief organizational meeting.

During the Committee’s session, the seven broad thematic debate clusters up for discussion would be nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, disarmament aspects of outer space, conventional weapons, regional disarmament and security, other disarmament measures and international security, and the disarmament machinery.  Examination of those broad themes would focus on, among many others, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, a fissile material ban, the illicit small arms trade, and the functioning of the disarmament machinery, in particular, the Conference on Disarmament.    

Committee Chair Desra Percaya ( Indonesia) said that the Committee, according to its work programme, would hold its general debate on all disarmament and international security-related agenda items during seven meetings from 8 to 16 October.  Ten meetings would then be devoted to thematic discussions on specific subjects, from 17 to 30 October.  At those meetings, delegates would introduce and consider all draft resolutions submitted under the agenda items.

During that period, delegates would also deliberate in an informal mode when considering the following topics:  panel discussion on regional disarmament and security as well as follow-up of resolutions and decisions adopted by the Committee at its past session and the presentation of reports on 24 October; panel discussion on disarmament machinery on 25 October; and meeting with non-governmental organization participation on 29 October.

Following the thematic debates, the Committee would take action on all draft resolutions and decisions during six meetings, from 31 October to 7 November.  Upon completion of the Committee’s work, the package of resolutions and decisions would be forwarded to the General Assembly for its consideration before the end of the sixty-seventh session.

The Committee’s Bureau comprised Vice-Chairs Salim Mohamed Salim ( Kenya) from the African Group, Dovydas Spokauskas ( Lithuania) and Alexis Aquino ( Peru).  Knut Langeland ( Norway) would be the Rapporteur for the session.

The First Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 8 October, to begin its general debate.

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For information media • not an official record