UN committee sends 14 regional security and disarmament texts to General Assembly

The UN General Assembly’s First Committee has sent 14 texts on regional security and disarmament machinery to the full Assembly, concluding its voting on this year’s proposals. The texts include calls for regional arms-control principles and measures to strengthen international security, but the committee’s approval is a recommendation, not a decision by the Assembly.

Three draft resolutions and two draft decisions concerned regional disarmament and security. One resolution on regional and subregional confidence-building measures was approved without a vote. A draft on conventional arms control at regional and subregional levels passed 180 votes to two, with India and Israel opposed and no abstentions.

A resolution on security and cooperation in the Mediterranean passed 169 to five, with three abstentions. The United States and Israel were among those voting against it. Two decisions, on regional disarmament and security in south-eastern Europe, were approved without a vote; they would add those subjects to the Assembly’s agenda.

The remaining nine resolutions concerned the UN’s disarmament machinery. The United States voted against six of them, including proposals on the Disarmament Commission and UN regional centres for peace and disarmament. Israel joined the US in opposing two further texts, on confidence-building in Central Africa and a special General Assembly session devoted to disarmament.

Ukraine cast the only vote against a resolution on prohibiting new types of weapons of mass destruction, which passed with 177 votes in favour and four abstentions. The day’s most divided result was on the report of the Conference on Disarmament: it passed 135 to five, with 36 abstentions. Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway voted against.

The committee’s earlier votes advanced 14 texts on outer space and conventional weapons and 13 on other disarmament and international-security issues. The latest package completes its voting for the year; the General Assembly will consider the recommendations.