UN First Committee

2007 First Committee Resolutions

Regional Security and Disarmament

Back to the Index of Resolutions

UNGA 62/38 (L.31)
Regional Disarmament

Introduced by Pakistan.

This annual resolution notes recent proposals for disarmament at the regional and sub-regional levels and reaffirms the need for efforts to promote regional disarmament to incorporate the specific characteristics and requirements of each region. It asserts that efforts towards disarmament must be taken both regionally and globally, welcomes existing initiatives, and encourages efforts aimed at promoting confidence building measures at the regional and sub-regional levels.

First Committee: without a vote
UNGA: without a vote

Back to the top of page

UNGA 62/44 (L.42)
Conventional arms control at the regional and sub-regional levels

Introduced by Pakistan.

This annual resolution emphasizes the special responsibility of states "with larger military capabilities" to promote conventional arms control in the interest of regional peace and security, in part, out of the belief that in the post-Cold War era threats to the peace arise mainly among states located in the same region. The resolution requests the Conference on Disarmament to consider the formulation of principles that can serve as a framework for regional agreements, and requests the Secretary-General to seek the views of governments on this subject and to submit a report to the next session of the General Assembly.

First Committee: 167-1-1
UNGA: 177-1-1

As the subtext of this otherwise innocuous resolution very plainly points a finger at India, as in past years India cast the lone vote against and Bhutan abstained. India explained that it opposed the resolution because the CD has a global-rather than regional-jurisdiction and that the Disarmament Commission has recently taken action on the same issue. Despite the dubious provenance of this resolution, its wide support can be attributed to its extremely moderate approach and, more importantly, that the issue has wider implications for other regions. In this context, the resolution's reference to the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe continues to have resonance as the Treaty, concluded by NATO and the Warsaw Pact in 1990, has continued to demonstrate its usefulness, despite the dramatic and ongoing political and economic reconfiguration in the region-both within and between states.

Back to the top of page

UNGA 62/58 (L.48)
Strengthening of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region

Introduced by Algeria.

This annual resolution, unchanged from last year, recognizes the "indivisible nature" of security in the Mediterranean, in particular urging further cooperation between Europe and Mediterranean states with a view toward easing tensions within the region. The resolution affirms the connection between European and Mediterranean security, applauds existing efforts to ease tension in promotion of regional peace and security, noting that elimination social and economic disparities would be beneficial in this context. The resolution calls on regional states to adhere to all multilaterally negotiated disarmament and non-proliferation as necessary conditions for strengthening regional peace and cooperation, encourages all states to provide data to the UN Register for Conventional Arms, and further encourages states to increase cooperation on combating terrorism taking into account relevant UN resolutions. It requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the means to strengthen security and cooperation in the region.

First Committee: without a vote
UNGA: without a vote

The bulk of the EU member states signed onto this resolution as co-sponsors in 2007. In a general statement, the EU welcomed the inclusion of language regarding prevention of terrorist acquisition of weapons of mass destruction, specifically citing steps taken by Lebanon toward this end. Despite this, several key Mediterranean states that have not signed onto various treaties pertaining to nuclear, biological, and chemical arms-notably Israel, Libya, and Syria-continue to not appear on the list of co-sponsors.

Back to the top of page

UNGA 62/52 (L.52/Rev.1)
Regional confidence-building measures: activities of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa

Introduced by Cameroon on behalf of the Economic Community of Central African States.

This annual resolution, more concise than in previous years but largely unchanged in its content, focuses on the Central Africa sub-region and supports the work of the UN Standing Advisory Committee. It calls for confidence building measures at the regional and subregional levels in order to ease tension and to support peace, stability, and sustainable development. The resolution encourages regional states to bring into effect the early warning mechanism to monitor the political situation in the region and to continue efforts to promote peace and security in the region. It requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue performing a number of tasks including providing support for the Standing Advisory Committee, the Subregional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, and assistance with refugees. It also emphasizes the importance of providing members of the Standing Advisory Committee with necessary support and appeal for voluntary contributions from UN member states, intergovernmental, and non-government organizations.

First Committee: without a vote
UNGA: without a vote

The Standing Advisory Committee was established in 1992 by the Secretary-General, pursuant to GA resolution 46/37 B (1991) and at the request of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), to encourage arms limitation, disarmament, non-proliferation, and development in the sub-region. The members of the Committee-also members of ECCAS-are Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe.

Back to the top of page

Back to the Index of Resolutions

© 2007 The Acronym Institute.