A/RES/59/77
Noting with appreciation also the unilateral measures taken by the nuclearweapon States for nuclear arms limitation, and encouraging them to take further
such measures,
Recognizing the complementarity of bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral
negotiations on nuclear disarmament, and that bilateral negotiations can never
replace multilateral negotiations in this respect,
Noting the support expressed in the Conference on Disarmament and in the
General Assembly for the elaboration of an international convention to assure nonnuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, and the
multilateral efforts in the Conference on Disarmament to reach agreement on such
an international convention at an early date,
Recalling the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the
Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, issued on 8 July 1996, 10 and
welcoming the unanimous reaffirmation by all Judges of the Court that there exists
an obligation for all States to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion
negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and
effective international control,
Mindful of paragraph 74 and other relevant recommendations in the Final
Document of the Thirteenth Conference of Heads of State or Government of NonAligned Countries, held at Kuala Lumpur from 20 to 25 February 2003, 11 calling
upon the Conference on Disarmament to establish, as soon as possible and as the
highest priority, an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament and to commence
negotiations on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear
weapons with a specified framework of time,
Recalling paragraph 61 of the Final Document of the Fourteenth Ministerial
Conference of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, held in Durban, South
Africa, from 17 to 19 August 2004,
Reaffirming the specific mandate conferred by the General Assembly in its
decision 52/492 of 8 September 1998 upon the Disarmament Commission to discuss
the subject of nuclear disarmament as one of its main substantive agenda items,
Recalling the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 12 in which heads of
State and Government resolve to strive for the elimination of weapons of mass
destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, and to keep all options open for
achieving this aim, including the possibility of convening an international
conference to identify ways of eliminating nuclear dangers,
Reaffirming that, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, States
should refrain from the use or the threat of use of nuclear weapons in settling their
disputes in international relations,
Seized of the danger of the use of weapons of mass destruction, particularly
nuclear weapons, in terrorist acts and the urgent need for concerted international
efforts to control and overcome it,
_______________
10
A/51/218, annex; see also Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J.
Reports 1996, p. 226.
11
A/57/759-S/2003/332, annex I.
12
See resolution 55/2.
3