United Nations General Assembly A/RES/59/60 Distr.: General 16 December 2004 Fifty-ninth session Agenda item 59 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 3 December 2004 [on the report of the First Committee (A/59/453)] 59/60. Verification in all its aspects, including the role of the United Nations in the field of verification The General Assembly, Noting the critical importance of and the vital contribution that has been made by effective verification measures in non-proliferation, arms limitation and disarmament agreements and other similar obligations, Reaffirming its support for the sixteen principles of verification drawn up by the Disarmament Commission, 1 Recalling its resolutions 40/152 O of 16 December 1985, 41/86 Q of 4 December 1986, 42/42 F of 30 November 1987, 43/81 B of 7 December 1988, 45/65 of 4 December 1990, 47/45 of 9 December 1992, 48/68 of 16 December 1993, 50/61 of 12 December 1995, 52/31 of 9 December 1997, 54/46 of 1 December 1999 and 56/15 of 29 November 2001, as well as its decision 58/515 of 8 December 2003, Recalling also the reports of the Secretary-General of 11 July 1986, 28 August 1990, 16 September 1992, 26 July 1993, 22 September 1995, 6 August 1997, 9 July 1999, 10 September 2001 and 10 July 2003, and the addenda thereto, 2 1. Reaffirms the critical importance of and the vital contribution that has been made by effective verification measures in non-proliferation, arms limitation and disarmament agreements and other similar obligations; Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its 2. sixtieth session on further views received from Member States; 3. Also requests the Secretary-General, with the assistance of a panel of government experts to be established in 2006 on the basis of equitable geographic distribution, to explore the question of verification in all its aspects, including the role of the United Nations in the field of verification, and to transmit the report of _______________ 1 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifteenth Special Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/S-15/3), para. 60 (para. 6, sect. I, of the quoted text). 2 A/41/422 and Add.1 and 2, A/45/372 and Corr.1, A/47/405 and Add.1, A/48/227 and Add.1 and 2, A/50/377 and Corr.1, A/52/269, A/54/166, A/56/347 and Add.1 and A/58/128. 04-47986