DYB2011-Part-II-web

Disarmament resolutions and decisions listed by chapter
66/66. Revitalizing the work of the Conference on Disarmament
and taking forward multilateral disarmament negotiations
Building upon resolution 65/93, the General
Assembly called upon States to intensify efforts
aimed at creating an environment conducive to
multilateral disarmament negotiations, invited
States to explore, consider and consolidate
options, proposals and elements for revitalization
of the United Nations disarmament machinery as
Introduced by: South Africa (24 Oct.)
GA vote: w/o vote (2 Dec.)
1st Cttee vote: w/o vote (28 Oct.)
For text and sponsors, see Yearbook,
Part I, pp. 195-197.
a whole, including the CD, urged the CD to adopt and implement a programme of
work to enable it to resume substantive work on its agenda early in its 2012 session,
and recognized the need to take stock, during the sixty-sixth session of the General
Assembly, of all relevant efforts to take forward multilateral disarmament negotiations.
First Committee. After the action on the draft resolution, the following States
that joined the consensus took the floor.
Pakistan said it was in full accord with the need to revitalize the work of the
CD, but that the lack of political will was not unique to the CD and was equally
manifest in the Disarmament Commission and the First Committee. Some States had
claimed that they supported nuclear disarmament but they continued to vote against
the resolutions on the subject. Therefore, parallel and complementary efforts were
required to reinvigorate the entire disarmament machinery. Pakistan suggested that
the problems may not necessarily be with the machinery and that States must work
towards reconciling the differences in the priorities and subjects that could form the
basis of an agreed disarmament agenda. For those reasons, Pakistan had been calling
for a balanced disarmament agenda that not only took into account the security
interests of all States, but also advocated a reinvigorated machinery to promote that
agenda. It also supported the proposal to convene the fourth special session of the
General Assembly devoted to disarmament in an effort to try to break the current
deadlock.
The Syrian Arab Republic affirmed that the most appropriate body to consider
the revitalization of disarmament mechanisms and taking forward multilateral
disarmament negotiations was the fourth special session of the General Assembly
devoted to disarmament.
The Islamic Republic of Iran expressed its belief that the major problem
facing multilateral disarmament negotiations was the lack of genuine political will on
the part of certain Western countries, not the structure or working methods of such
bodies. The Islamic Republic of Iran stressed that the CD should remain the sole
multilateral negotiating body on disarmament, and its role in the field of nuclear
disarmament should be strengthened. It supported the convening of the fourth special
session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament. In its view, the international
community should avoid exclusive and discriminatory approaches and must take into
consideration the security interests of all States.
Brazil expressed its apprehension concerning the wording of paragraph 8,
which it believed created, if not encouraged, the possibility of direct action by the
First Committee on the reform of the CD. As discussed during the high-level
meeting and the follow-up plenary meeting, States had addressed all issues regarding
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