United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/69/38

by the United Nations

United Nations

A/RES/69/38

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General Assembly

Distr.: General 11 December 2014

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Sixty-ninth session
Agenda item 96 (ee)

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 2 December 2014

[on the report of the First Committee (A/69/440)]

69/38. Transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 60/66 of 8 December 2005, 61/75 of 6 December 2006, 62/43 of 5 December 2007, 63/68 of 2 December 2008, 64/49 of 2 December 2009, 65/68 of 8 December 2010 and 68/50 of 5 December 2013, as well as its decision 66/517 of 2 December 2011,

Recalling also the report of the Secretary-General of 15 October 1993 to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session, the annex to which contains the study by governmental experts on the application of confidence-building measures in outer space,^[1]

Reaffirming the right of all countries to explore and use outer space in accordance with international law,

Reaffirming also that preventing an arms race in outer space is in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and is an essential condition for the promotion and strengthening of international cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes,

Recalling, in this context, its resolutions 45/55 B of 4 December 1990 and 48/74 B of 16 December 1993, in which, inter alia, the General Assembly recognized the need for increased transparency and confirmed the importance of confidence-building measures as a means of reinforcing the objective of preventing an arms race in outer space,

Noting the constructive debates that the Conference on Disarmament has held on this subject and the views expressed by Member States,

Noting also the introduction by China and the Russian Federation at the Conference on Disarmament of the draft treaty on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space and of the threat or use of force against outer space objects^[2] and the submission of its updated version^[3] in 2014,

Noting further that, since 2004, several States^[4] have introduced a policy of not being the first State to place weapons in outer space,

Noting the presentation by the European Union of a draft of a non-legally binding international code of conduct for outer space activities,

Recognizing the work that takes place within the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and its Legal Subcommittee, which makes a significant contribution to the promotion of the long-term sustainability of outer space activities,

Noting the contribution of Member States that have submitted to the Secretary-General concrete proposals on international outer space transparency and confidence-building measures pursuant to paragraph 1 of resolution 61/75, paragraph 2 of resolution 62/43, paragraph 2 of resolution 63/68 and paragraph 2 of resolution 64/49,

Welcoming the work done in 2012 and 2013 by the group of governmental experts convened by the Secretary-General, on the basis of equitable geographical distribution, to conduct a study on outer space transparency and confidence-building measures,

1. Stresses the importance of the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Transparency and Confidence-building Measures in Outer Space Activities,^[5] considered by the General Assembly on 5 December 2013;

2. Encourages Member States to continue to review and implement, to the greatest extent practicable, the proposed transparency and confidence-building measures contained in the report, through relevant national mechanisms, on a voluntary basis and in a manner consistent with the national interests of Member States;

3. Decides, in order to further advance transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space, to refer the recommendations contained in the report to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the Disarmament Commission and the Conference on Disarmament for consideration, as appropriate;

4. Requests the relevant entities and organizations of the United Nations system, to which, in accordance with resolution 68/50, the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Transparency and Confidence-building Measures in Outer Space Activities was circulated, to assist in effectively implementing the conclusions and recommendations contained therein, as appropriate;

5. Encourages relevant entities and organizations of the United Nations system to coordinate, as appropriate, on matters related to the recommendations contained in the report;

6. Decides to convene, within existing resources, a joint ad hoc meeting of the Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee) and the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) to address possible challenges to space security and sustainability, and to include in the provisional agenda of its seventieth session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, a sub-item entitled “Joint ad hoc meeting of the First and Fourth Committees on possible challenges to space security and sustainability”;

7. Also decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventieth session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, the sub-item entitled “Transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities”.

62nd plenary meeting
2 December 2014

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1. A/48/305 and Corr.1.
2. See CD/1839.
3. See CD/1985.
4. Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan.
5. A/68/189.