General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

13 December 1982

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                      A/RES/37/95
                                                      13 December 1982
 
                            Reduction of military budgets
 
                                      A
     The General Assembly,
 
     Expressing its deep concern about the ever-spiralling arms race and
growing military expenditures, which constitute a heavy burden for the
economies of all nations and have extremely harmful effects on world peace and
security,
 
     Recalling that at its twelfth special session, the second special session
devoted to disarmament, all Member States unanimously and categorically
reaffirmed the validity of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of
the General Assembly, the first special session devoted to disarmament, as
well as "their solemn commitment" to it,
 
     Reaffirming the provisions of the Final Document of the Tenth Special
Session of the General Assembly, according to which the gradual reduction of
military budgets on a mutually agreed basis, for example in absolute figures
or in terms of percentage points, particularly by nuclear-weapon States and
other militarily significant States, would be a measure that would contribute
to curbing the arms race and would increase the possibilities for the
reallocation of resources now being used for military purposes to economic and
social development, particularly for the benefit of the developing
countries,
 
     Recalling also the Declaration of the 1980s as the Second Disarmament
Decade, which provides that during this period renewed efforts should be
made to reach agreement on the reduction of military expenditures and the
reallocation of resources thus saved to economic and social development,
especially for the benefit of developing countries,
 
     Recalling further its resolution 34/83 F of 11 December 1979, in which it
considered that a new impetus should be given to endeavours to achieve
agreements to freeze, reduce or otherwise restrain, in a balanced manner,
military expenditures, including adequate measures of verification
satisfactory to all parties concerned,
 
     Having considered the report of the Disarmament Commission on the work
accomplished during its session in 1982 on the item "Reduction of military
budgets",
 
     Convinced that the identification and elaboration of a set of principles
that should govern further actions of States in freezing and reducing military
budgets could contribute to harmonizing the views of States and create
confidence among them conducive to achieving international agreements on the
reduction of military budgets,
 
     Considering that the identification and elaboration of the principles
that should govern further actions of States in freezing and reducing military
budgets and the other current activities within the framework of the United
Nations related to the question of the reduction of military budgets should be
regarded as having the fundamental objective of reaching international
agreements on the reduction of military expenditures,
 
     Aware of the various proposals submitted by Member States and of the
activities carried out so far within the framework of the United Nations in
the field of the reduction of military budgets,
 
     1.   Declares once again its conviction that it is possible to achieve
international agreements on reduction of military budgets without prejudice to
the right of all States to undiminished security, self-defence and
sovereignty;
 
     2.   Reaffirms that human and material resources released through the
reduction of military expenditures could be reallocated for economic and
social development, particularly for the benefit of the developing countries;
 
     3.   Reiterates the urgent need to reinforce the endeavours of all States
and international action in the reduction of military budgets, with a view to
reaching international agreements to freeze, reduce or otherwise restrain
military expenditures;
 
     4.   Urges all States, in particular the most heavily armed States,
pending the conclusion of agreements on the reduction of military
expenditures, to exercise self-restraint in their military expenditures with a
view to reallocating the funds thus saved to economic and social development,
particularly for the benefit of developing countries;
 
     5.   Requests the Disarmament Commission to continue, at its session to
be held in 1983, the consideration of the item entitled "Reduction of military
budgets", including consideration of the background paper as well as other
proposals and ideas on that subject, with a view to identifying and
elaborating the principles that should govern further actions of States in
freezing and reducing military expenditures, keeping in mind the possibility
of embodying such principles in a suitable document at an appropriate stage;
 
     6.   Also requests the Disarmament Commission to consider, at its next
substantive session, other proposals and ideas, as well as recommendations
submitted by Member States, for reducing military budgets;
 
     7.   Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-eighth
session the item entitled "Reduction of military budgets".
 
                                      B
     The General Assembly,
 
     Deeply concerned about the arms race and present tendencies to increase
further the rate of growth of military expenditures, its deplorable waste of
human and economic resources and its potentially harmful effects on world
peace and security,
 
     Considering that a gradual reduction of military expenditures on a
mutually agreed basis would be a measure that would contribute to curbing the
arms race and would increase the possibilities of reallocating resources now
being used for military purposes to economic and social development,
particularly for the benefit of the developing countries,
 
     Convinced that such reductions could and should be carried out on a
mutually agreed basis without detriment to the national security of any
country, 
 
     Reaffirming its conviction that provisions for defining, reporting,
comparing and verifying military expenditures will have to be basic elements
of any international agreement to reduce such expenditures,
 
     Recalling that an international system for the standardized reporting of
military expenditures has been introduced in pursuance of General Assembly
resolution 35/142 B of 12 December 1980 and that annual reports on military
expenditures are now being received from a number of Member States,
 
     Considering that a wider participation in the reporting system would
promote its further refinement and would, by contributing to greater openness
in military matters, increase confidence between States,
 
     Considering that new initiatives are called for to give a fresh impetus
towards achievement of the broadest possible participation of States from
different geographic regions and representing different budgeting systems in
the reporting of military expenditures to the Secretary-General,
 
     Noting that among such initiatives is a proposal to convene an
international conference on military expenditures,
 
     Noting with appreciation that, in pursuance of resolution 35/142 B, the
Secretary-General has submitted his report on the reduction of military
budgets, which deals, inter alia, with the question of comparing and
verifying military expenditures and contains several useful conclusions and
recommendations for the promotion of further progress in this field,
 
     Considering also that the study of this question should be followed by a
practical exercise in order to explore it further with a view to facilitating
future negotiations on the reduction of military expenditures,
 
     Emphasizing that all the above-mentioned activities and initiatives, as
well as other ongoing activities within the United Nations related to the
reduction of military budgets, should have the fundamental objective of
facilitating future negotiations aimed at the conclusion of international
agreements on the reduction of military expenditures,
 
     1.   Stresses the need to increase the number of reporting States with a
view to the broadest possible participation from different geographic regions
and representing different budgeting systems and requests the
Secretary-General to invite Member States to submit their views and
suggestions on practical means of promoting this goal and to report to the
General Assembly at its thirty-eighth session on the results of this
consultation;
 
     2.   Reiterates its recommendation that all Member States should report
annually, by 30 April, to the Secretary-General, using the reporting
instrument, their military expenditures for the latest fiscal year for which
data are available;
 
     3.   Requests the Secretary-General to modify the instructions of the
reporting instrument in the manner suggested in paragraph 59 of his report
and to circulate this revised instrument among all Member States so that they
may use it in their reporting in 1983;
 
     4.   Requests the Secretary-General to make the collecting and assembling
of data on military expenditures, reported by States on the basis of the
reporting instrument, an integral part of his normal statistical services and
to arrange and publish these data according to statistical practice;
 
     5.   Requests the Secretary-General, with the assistance of a group of
qualified experts and with the voluntary co-operation of States, to undertake
the task of constructing price indices and purchasing-power parities for the
military expenditures of participating States; this task should encompass a
study of the problem as a whole, which would include the following:
 
     (a)  To assess the feasibility of such an exercise;
 
     (b)  To design the project and methodology to be employed;
 
     (c)  To determine the types of data required, such as production
descriptions, prices and statistical weights;
 
     (d)  To construct military price indices and purchasing-power parities;
 
     6.   Requests the Secretary-General to ascertain the willingness of
States to participate and to enlist their voluntary co-operation;
 
     7.   Invites Member States to participate in the above-mentioned
     exercise;
 
     8.   Requests the Secretary-General to submit progress reports to the
General Assembly at its thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth sessions and a final
report to the Assembly at its fortieth session;
 
     9.   Requests the Secretary-General to provide the group of experts with
the necessary assistance and secretariat services;
 
     10.  Requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary arrangements
for the report on the reduction of military budgets to be issued as a
United Nations publication and widely distributed;
 
     11.  Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-eighth
session the item entitled "Reduction of military budgets".