Threat of Mass-Destruction Weapons in Space, New Technology in Military Domain Inform General Assembly’s Adoption of 72 First Committee Texts
The General Assembly, in two meetings today, acted on the recommendation of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), adopting 72 texts requiring nearly 200 separate recorded votes.
Passage eluded consensus, as several delegations in the Committee had renounced multilateralism in favour of domestic political interests. Some described the volatility on the world stage as greater than at the height of the cold war and asserted that the logic of deterrence and nuclear-sharing arrangements impeded achievement of general and complete disarmament. Widening conflict in the Middle East, the ongoing war in Ukraine and nuclear rhetoric — explicit and implicit — culminated in a record number of debate statements, recorded votes, explanations of position and rights of reply.
Drawing much attention was a new resolution on weapons of mass destruction in outer space (documents A/79/406 and A/C.1/79/L.7/Rev.1), adopted by a recorded vote of 167 in favour to 4 against (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Russian Federation, Syria), with 6 abstentions (Belarus, Bolivia, China, Cuba, Lebanon, Nicaragua). It affirms the obligation of all Outer Space Treaty States parties not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of mass destruction weapons, install such weapons on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner.
It emphasizes the need to advance measures with effective verification as early as possible to prevent an outer space arms race. Those could involve a combination of legally binding obligations and political commitments, and could relate to, inter alia, the threat or use of force against outer space objects, prohibiting the placement of weapons in outer space, preventing the possibility of the extension of armed conflict into outer space, as well as measures and efforts to reduce the risk of tensions arising from misperceptions and miscalculations. Prior to adoption of the resolution as a whole, operative paragraph 3 was retained by a separate recorded vote, while two amendments (documents A/79/L.29 and A/79/L.30) were defeated.
By 161 in favour to 9 against (China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Russian Federation, Syria, Zimbabwe), with 15 abstentions, the Assembly adopted an expansive text on the Chemical Weapons Convention (documents A/79/408 and A/C.1/79/L.65), by which it condemned in the strongest possible terms the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon against Alexei Navalny in the Russian Federation, and the use, since 2012, of chemical weapons in Iraq, Malaysia, Syria and the United Kingdom.
The Assembly expressed grave concern that despite the verified destruction of all 27 chemical weapons production facilities in Syria, the assessment by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) Director General in September 2024 states that Syria’s declaration still cannot be considered accurate and complete. A conclusion was reached earlier that Syria failed to declare and destroy all its chemical weapons and related facilities. Recalling that three possessor States parties — Libya, Russian Federation and United States — have not fully met the extended deadline of 29 April 2012 for the destruction of their chemical weapons stocks, the Assembly underlined that the Treaty’s objectives will not be fully realized as long as there remains even a single State not party to it that could possess, produce or acquire those weapons. Prior to the resolution’s adoption as a whole, the Assembly retained, by separate recorded votes, the sixth preambular paragraph, and operative paragraphs 2-10 and 24.
A new resolution on strengthening and institutionalizing the Convention on Biological Weapons was adopted without a vote (documents A/79/415 and A/C.1/79/L.73). By its terms, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General seek the views and proposals of Member States and observer States on strengthening the Convention, including the feasibility of establishing an international agency for biological safety and security and other institutional arrangements. It also called on the Convention’s States parties to actively engage in its implementation.
Addressing the threat from new technologies to international security, the Assembly adopted a resolution on lethal autonomous weapons systems (documents A/79/408 and A/C.1/79/L.77) by a recorded vote of 166 in favour to 3 against (Belarus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russian Federation), with 15 abstentions. By the text, the Assembly expressed concern about the possible negative consequences and impact of lethal autonomous weapons systems on global security and regional and international stability. This includes concern over the risk of an emerging arms race, exacerbation of existing conflicts, humanitarian crises and miscalculations, lowering the threshold for an escalation of conflicts and proliferation, including to unauthorized recipients such as non-State actors.
The Assembly underlined that a comprehensive and inclusive approach will be required to address the full range of concerns, stating that consideration of legal, technological, ethical, humanitarian and security perspectives will be necessary to safeguard international peace and security. It affirmed that international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights and criminal law applies to autonomous weapons systems and reaffirmed that any weapon which cannot be used in compliance with international humanitarian law must not be used. Prior to adopting the resolution as a whole, the following provisions were retained by separate recorded votes: preambular paragraphs 1-4, 9-13 and 15, and operative paragraphs 1, 2 and 6-12.
Adopting a wide-ranging resolution on countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices (documents A/79/408 and A/C.1/79/L.62), the Assembly expressed profound concern at the indiscriminate use and effects of those devices and at the increasing humanitarian impact of such attacks on civilians worldwide, particularly through the perpetration of terrorist acts, and noted the need for a comprehensive approach. It recognized that the wide spectrum of materials that can be used for the manufacture of those devices, including those sourced from the military and civilian industry, contributes to their diverse nature and their deployment methods, which thus requires an appropriate approach to the formulation of measures to counter them.
It expressed concern over the increased use of and sophistication of the design and means of detonation of improvised explosive devices, including new trends and the use of new technological advancements by illegal armed groups to design, manufacture and deliver those devices. It underlined that to effectively address the issue, it is essential to comprehend the importance of action at the local and community levels, and for all Member States to comply fully with all relevant UN resolutions, including those related to preventing terrorist groups from using and accessing materials that can be used in the making of those devices. Prior to adopting the resolution as a whole without a vote, the Assembly voted to retain preambular paragraphs 7, 8, 16, 20 and 25, and operative paragraph 3.
A resolution on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East (documents A/79/404 and A/C.1/79/L.1), adopted by a recorded vote of 176 in favour to 1 (Israel) against, with 3 abstentions (Argentina, Cameroon, United States), calls on all parties concerned in the region to consider taking the practical and urgent steps required for implementing the proposal for such a zone. Pending its establishment, it declares that all parties will refrain, on a reciprocal basis, from producing, acquiring or in any other way possessing nuclear weapons and nuclear explosive devices and from permitting the stationing of nuclear weapons on their territory by any third party, to agree to place their nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and to declare their support for the zone.
A resolution on the risk of nuclear proliferation in that region (documents A/79/411 and A/C.1/79/L.2) calls for immediate steps towards the full implementation of the Middle East resolution adopted by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It calls on Israel to accede to the Treaty without further delay, not to develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons, to renounce possession of those weapons and to place all its unsafeguarded nuclear facilities under full-scope IAEA safeguards as an important confidence-building measure among all States of the region and as a step towards enhancing peace and security.
It was adopted by a recorded vote of 153 in favour to 5 against (Argentina, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Palau, United States), with 27 abstentions. Prior to its adoption as a whole, separate recorded votes retained preambular paragraphs 5 and 6.
By a recorded vote of 137 in favour to 35 against, with 15 abstentions, the Assembly adopted an extensive text titled, “Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments” (documents A/79/408 and A/C.1/79/L.34). It condemns unequivocally all nuclear threats, whether explicit or implicit, and irrespective of the circumstances, calls on all States, in particular the nuclear-weapon States, to reject any normalization of nuclear rhetoric. It urges concrete reductions in the role and significance of nuclear weapons in all military and security concepts, doctrines and policies, pending those weapons’ total elimination as agreed by the parties to the NPT, and calls for the inclusion of such information in the nuclear-weapon States’ reporting regarding progress towards this end.
Additionally, the text urges all nuclear-weapon States to immediately lower the operational readiness of nuclear-weapon systems in a verifiable and transparent manner with a view to ensuring that all nuclear weapons are removed from high alert status. It encouraged all States that are part of regional alliances that include nuclear-weapon States to diminish the role of those weapons in their collective security doctrines, pending their total elimination. Prior to adoption of the resolution as a whole, separate recorded votes retained preambular paragraphs 2, 3, 23 and 25, and operative paragraphs 1, 6, 10, 25, 26 and 29.
According to a resolution on steps to building a common road map towards a world without nuclear weapons (documents A/79/408 and A/C.1/79/L.41), the Assembly urged all States, especially the nuclear-weapon States, to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again. It called on all States, particularly nuclear-weapon States, to commit to further identifying, exploring and implementing effective measures needed to mitigate risks relating to nuclear weapons use that arise from miscalculation, misperception, miscommunication or accidents and, among other steps, to maintain the practice of not targeting each other with nuclear weapons, and keep them at the lowest possible alert levels.
It was adopted by a recorded vote of 152 in favour to 6 against (China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Syria), with 28 abstentions. Prior to adoption of the resolution as a whole, separate recorded votes retained preambular paragraphs 3, 5, 6, 8, 11-13, 15, 19, 20, 21 and 23, and operative paragraphs 3, 5-7, 10 and 11.
In total, the Assembly adopted 25 texts on nuclear weapons, six on other weapons of mass destruction, seven on disarmament aspects of outer space, 10 on conventional weapons, 14 on other disarmament measures and international security, five on regional disarmament and security and five on the UN disarmament machinery. Five texts were postponed pending consideration by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).
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