United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/69/81

Sixty-ninth session

Agenda item 102

The General Assembly,

Reiterating that the cessation of nuclear-weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions constitutes an effective nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation measure, and convinced that this is a meaningful step in the realization of a systematic process for achieving nuclear disarmament,

Recalling that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, adopted by the General Assembly by its resolution 50/245 of 10 September 1996, was opened for signature on 24 September 1996,

Stressing that a universal and effectively verifiable Treaty constitutes a fundamental instrument in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and that, after more than 15 years, its entry into force is more urgent than ever before,

Encouraged by the signing of the Treaty by 183 States, including 41 of the 44 whose ratification is needed for its entry into force, and welcoming the ratification of the Treaty by 163 States, including 36 of the 44 whose ratification is needed for its entry into force, among which there are 3 nuclear-weapon States,

Recalling its resolution 68/68 of 5 December 2013,

Welcoming the adoption by consensus of the conclusions and recommendations for follow-on actions of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, in which the Conference, inter alia, reaffirmed the vital importance of the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty as a core element of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime and included specific actions to be taken in support of the entry into force of the Treaty,

Welcoming also the Final Declaration adopted by the eighth Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, held in New York on 27 September 2013, convened pursuant to article XIV of the Treaty, and recalling the Joint Ministerial Statement on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, adopted at the ministerial meeting held in New York on 26 September 2014,

Noting the establishment of a group of eminent persons to complement efforts to secure ratifications from the remaining Annex 2 countries and to support the article XIV process, and noting also that the group met in Stockholm on 10 and 11 April 2014 and decided to establish three subgroups to focus on the promotion of ratification by countries whose ratification is needed for the entry into force of the Treaty,

1. Stresses the vital importance and urgency of signature and ratification, without delay and without conditions, in order to achieve the earliest entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty;

2. Welcomes the contributions by the signatory States to the work of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, in particular its efforts to ensure that the verification regime of the Treaty will be capable of meeting the verification requirements of the Treaty upon its entry into force, in accordance with article IV of the Treaty;

3. Underlines the need to maintain momentum towards completion of all elements of the verification regime;

4. Urges all States not to carry out nuclear-weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions, to maintain their moratoriums in this regard and to refrain from acts that would defeat the object and purpose of the Treaty, while stressing that these measures do not have the same permanent and legally binding effect as the entry into force of the Treaty;

5. Shares the grave concern of the Security Council about the nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 12 February 2013, expressed in Council resolution 2094 (2013) of 7 March 2013, recalls Council resolutions 1718 (2006) of 14 October 2006 and 1874 (2009) of 12 June 2009, calls for full compliance with the obligations under the relevant resolutions, and reaffirms its support for the Six-Party Talks;

6. Urges all States that have not yet signed the Treaty, in particular those whose ratification is needed for its entry into force, to sign and ratify it as soon as possible;

7. Urges all States that have signed but not yet ratified the Treaty, in particular those whose ratification is needed for its entry into force, to accelerate their ratification processes with a view to ensuring their earliest successful conclusion;

8. Welcomes, since its previous resolution on the subject, the ratification of the Treaty by the Congo and Niue, since every ratification is a significant step towards the early entry into force of the Treaty;

9. Also welcomes the recent expressions from among the remaining States whose ratification is needed for the Treaty to enter into force of their intention to pursue and complete the ratification process;

10. Urges all States to remain seized of the issue at the highest political level and, where in a position to do so, to promote adherence to the Treaty through bilateral and joint outreach, seminars and other means;

11. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, to prepare a report on the efforts of States that have ratified the Treaty towards its universalization and on possibilities for providing assistance on ratification procedures to States that so request it and to submit such a report to the General Assembly at its seventieth session;

12. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventieth session the item entitled “Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty”.

62nd plenary meeting 2 December 2014