In 78 Recorded Votes, First Committee Approves 24 Drafts on Nuclear Weapons, Including Traditional Text on Road Map to Nuclear-Weapon-Free World

(Note:  Due to the financial liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations and the resulting constraints, the full press release will be published at a later time.)

A wide-ranging draft resolution on steps to building a common road map towards a world without nuclear weapons (document A/C.1/79/L.41) would have the General Assembly urge all States, especially the nuclear-weapon States, to make every effort to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today opened a week of action on nearly 80 proposals from delegations.

By a recorded vote of 145 in favour to 6 against (China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Syria), with 29 abstentions, the text calls 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.

The draft resolution attracted much attention, as evidenced by the requests of several delegations for separate recorded votes on 12 of its preambular paragraphs and six operative paragraphs, before it was approved as whole.

The Committee approved a new draft resolution on nuclear war effects and scientific research (document A/C.1/79/L.39), which would have the Assembly decide to establish an independent Scientific Panel on the effects of nuclear war. It took that action by a recorded vote of 144 in favour to 3 against (France, Russian Federation and United Kingdom), with 30 abstentions.

Another new draft resolution, on a comprehensive study of the question of nuclear-weapon-free zones in all its aspects (document A/C.1/79/L.68/Rev.1), was approved by a recorded vote of 172 in favour to 2 against (Argentina, Israel), with 3 abstentions (Armenia, Fiji, Central African Republic).

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