DYB2011-Part-II-web

United Nations Disarmament Yearbook 2011: Part II
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After the action on the draft resolution, France provided an explanation of its
position also on behalf of the United Kingdom, whereby they did not see any direct
link between the general rules that were enforced regarding environmental protection
and arms control agreements.
66/32. Promotion of multilateralism in the area of disarmament
and non-proliferation
Beginning in 2002, this resolution has been
introduced on an annual basis. This year, the
General Assembly again adopted the resolution
and reaffirmed multilateralism as the core principle
in disarmament and non-proliferation negotiations
and once again called upon all Member States to
renew and fulfil their individual and collective
commitments to multilateral cooperation as an
important means of pursuing and achieving their
common disarmament and non-proliferation
objectives. It also requested the Secretary-General
to seek the views of Member States on the issue and to submit a report thereon to the
General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session.
First Committee. In a general statement, Cuba said that it aligned itself with
the Non-Aligned Movement, which introduced the draft resolution. It noted that the
complex international situation required tackling in unison the various problems
that affected humankind. It believed that the draft resolution made an important
contribution to the quest for effective lasting multilateral solutions in the area of
disarmament and non-proliferation.
After abstaining in the vote, Canada took the floor on behalf of Australia,
Canada and New Zealand. They could not agree that multilateralism was the sole
principle in negotiations on disarmament and non-proliferation, as is implied in
paragraphs 1 and 2 of the draft resolution. A combination of multilateral, plurilateral,
regional, bilateral and unilateral measures were needed to achieve concrete results.
The matters at stake were simply too vital and the world could not afford not to make
use of all the measures available to improve the international security environment.
66/50. Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of
mass destruction
In this annual resolution, the General
Assembly called upon all Member States to
support international efforts to prevent terrorists
from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and
in this regard urged them to strengthen national
measures. It also appealed to all Member States to
consider early accession to and ratification of the
International Convention for the Suppression of
Introduced by: Indonesia, on behalf of
the States Members of the United Nations
that are members of the Movement of
Non-Aligned Countries (20 Oct.)
GA vote: 125-5-48 (2 Dec.)
1st Cttee vote: 120-4-49 (27 Oct.)
For text, sponsors and voting pattern,
see Yearbook, Part I, pp. 47-51.
Introduced by: India (17 Oct.)
GA vote: w/o vote (2 Dec.)
1st Cttee vote: w/o vote (26 Oct.)
For text and sponsors, see Yearbook,
Part I, pp. 133-135.
Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and requested the Secretary-General to compile a report
on measures already taken by international organizations on issues relating to the
linkage between the fight against terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass