Distr.
GENERAL
A/RES/51/45 H
10 January 1997
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Fifty first session
Agenda item 71
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
[on the report of the First Committee (A/51/566/Add.11)]
51/45. General and complete disarmament
H
Transparency in armaments
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 46/36 L of 9 December 1991, 47/52 L of 15 December 1992, 48/75 E of 16 December 1993, 49/75 C of 15 December 1994 and 50/70 D of 12 December 1995,
Continuing to take the view that an enhanced level of transparency in armaments contributes greatly to confidence-building and security among States and that the establishment of the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms constitutes an important step forward in the promotion of transparency in military matters,
Welcoming the consolidated report of the Secretary-General on the Register [A/51/300 and Add.1 and 2], which includes the returns of Member States for 1995,
Welcoming also the response of Member States to the requests contained in paragraphs 9 and 10 of resolution 46/36 L to provide data on their imports and exports of arms, as well as available background information regarding their military holdings, procurement through national production and relevant policies,
Welcoming further the report of the Disarmament Comission at its 1996 session on the subject of international arms transfers, [Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-first Session, Supplement No.42 (A/51/42, annex 1)] which was adopted by consensus,
Stressing that the continuing operation of the Register and its further development should be reviewed in order to secure a Register that is capable of attracting the widest possible participation,
1. Reaffirms its determination to ensure the effective operation of the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms as provided for in paragraphs 7, 8, 9 and 10 of resolution 46/36 L;
2. Calls upon Member States to provide the requested data and information for the Register, on the basis of resolutions 46/36 L and 47/52 L and the annex and appendices to the 1994 report of the Secretary-General on the continuing operation of the Register and its further development, [A/49/316] to the Secretary-General by 30 April annually;
3. Reaffirms its decision, with a view to further development of the Register, to keep the scope of and participation in the Register under review, and, to that end:
(a) Recalls its request to Member States to provide the Secretary-General with their views on the continuing operation of the Register and its further development and on transparency measures related to weapons of mass destruction;
(b) Recalls its request to the Secretary-General, with the assistance of a group of governmental experts to be convened in 1997, on the basis of equitable geographical representation, to prepare a report on the continuing operation of the Register and its further development, taking into account the report of the Disarmament Commission at its 1996 session on the subject of international arms transfers, the work of the Conference on Disarmament, the views expressed by Member States and the 1994 report of the Secretary-General on the continuing operation of the Register and its further development, with a view to a decision at its fifty-second session;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that sufficient resources are made available for the Secretariat to operate and maintain the Register;
5. Invites the Conference on Disarmament to consider continuing its work undertaken in the field of transparency in armaments;
6. Reiterates its call upon all Member States to cooperate at the regional and subregional levels, taking fully into account the specific conditions prevailing in the region or subregion, with a view to enhancing and coordinating international efforts aimed at increased openness and transparency in armaments;
7. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session on the progress made in implementing the present resolution;
8. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-second session the item entitled "Transparency in armaments".
79th plenary meeting
10 December 1996