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Reduction of Military Budgets Resolutions

A/RES/44/114View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 61 Reduction of military budgets, published in 1990.

What else is in this group?

25 documents · 1977–1990
YearSymbolTitleWord lengthText similarity
1990
A/RES/44/114

Reduction of military budgets resolutions

415–
1990
A/RES/44/114B

Reduction of military budgets resolutions

—–
1990
A/RES/44/114A

Reduction of military budgets resolutions

—–
1989
A/RES/43/73

Reduction of military budgets

—–
1987
A/RES/42/36

Reduction of military budgets

751–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 subjects
GuidelinesMilitary BudgetsMilitary ExpendituresPrinciplesReporting ProceduresStandardization

What’s in this document?

5 operative paragraphs

A

1
Welcomes the work of the Disarmament Commis sion on the identification and elaboration of a set of princi pies that should govern further actions of States in the field of the freezing and reduction of military budgets;3()
2
Tak.es note of these principles, as annexed to tht· present resolution, and decides to bring them to the atten tion of Member States and of the Conference on Disarma ment as useful guidelines for further action in the field of the freezing and reduction of military budgets;
3
Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Cieneral Assembly at its forty-sixth session a progress re port on the implementation of the present resolution: 4.
Decides to include in the provisional agenda or ih forty-sixth session the item entitled "Reduction of mili tary budgets".
81 st plenarv meeting 15 December /989
duced in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 35/142 B of 12 December 1980, and that national reports on military expenditures have been received from a num­ ber of Member States belonging to different geographic re­ gions and having different budgeting and accounting sys­ tems.
Convinced that more transparency and comparability could be reached through broader participation in the standardized system of the United Nations for reporting military expenditures,
Considers that transparency requires also agreed 1.
methods of measuring and comparing military expendi­ tures between specified periods of time and between coun­ tries with different budgeting systems;
2
Accordingly calls upon all States to make use of the reporting system adopted by the General Assembly;
3
Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-sixth session an item entitled "Transparency and re­ duction of military budgets".
A:'INEX
Principles that should govern further actions of States in the field of the freezing and reduction of military budgets
Concerted efforts should be made by all States, 111 particular hnj those States with th,· largest military arsenals and hy the appropnat.· negotiating forums, with the objective of concluding international agree ments to freeze and reduce military budgets, including ade4uate venfica 11011 measures acceptable to all parties. Such agreements should cont rib Ilk to genuine reductions of armed forces and armaments of State, parties, with the aim ,if strengthening international peace and security at lower levels of armed forces and armaments. Definite agreements 011 th, freezing and reduction of military expenditures are assuming special im portance and should he reached within the shortest period of time 111 01 der to contribute to the curbing of the arms race, alleviate internatwnal tensions and increase the possibilities of reallo,·ation of resources now br mg used fot 1nilita1) purposes to economic and social development. pai 11,·ularly for the benefit of the developing countries.
2 All efforts in the field of the freezing and reduction of military n penditurcs ,hould take into account the principles and purposes of th, Charter of the United Nations and the relevant paragraphs of the Fmal Document ,,f the Tc11th Special Session of the General Asscmhly. 17
J.
Pending the u >nclusion of agreements to freeze and reduce mih tary expenditures, all States, in particular the most heavily armed State, ,hould cxc1 cise self., cstramt in their military expc11d1ttms
The reductio11 of military expenditures nn a mutually agreed basi,, ,hould be implemented gradually and in a balanced manner, either 011 " percentage or on an absolute basis, so as to ensure that no individual State or group of States may obtain advantages over others at any stagr. a11d without prejudice to the right of all States to undiminished securit, a11d sovereignty and t,, undertake the necessary measure, of scllǍdeti.·nc,· REDllCTION OF MILITARY BUDGETS 5.
While the free,ing and reduction of military budget, is the respon ,1hility of all States, to be implemented in stages in accordance with the prmciple ol greatest responsibility, the process should begin with t hos,· nuclear-weapon States with the largest military arsenals and the biggesi military expenditures, to be followed immediately by ()thcr nuclear weapon States and militarily significant States. This should not prt'vent nther State, frnm in11iat111g negotiations and reaching agreements 011 the halanced reduction ,f their respective militan budgct, at anǎ tmw du, 1t1g tlns pn,t'C'-iǏ
JQ See Official Re, ord.1 of the General Assemblv. Forrv. /,wrrh Se,,ion \upplemn1 \'o. 4:' , \/44/42), para. 41
Human and material resources released through the reduction of military expenditures should be devoted to economic and social develop­ ment, particularly for the benefit of the developing countries.
Meaningful negotiations on the freezing and reduction of military budgets would require that all parties to Čuch negotiations have accepted and implemented transparency and comparability. The elaboration of agreed methods of measuring and comparing military expenditures be­ tween specified periods of time and between countries with different bud­ geting systems would be required. To this end States should utilize the re­ porting system adopted by the General Assembly in 1980. 40
Armaments and military activities that would be the subject of physical reductions within the limits provided for in any agreement to reduce military expenditures will be identified by every State party to such agreements.
The agreements to freeze and reduce military expenditures should contain adequate and efficient measures of verification, satisfactory to all parties, in order to ensure that their provisions are strictly applied and fulfilled by all States parties. The specific methods of verification or other compliance procedure should be agreed upon in the process of negotia­ tion depending upon the purposes, scope and nature of the agreement.
Unilateral measures undertaken by States concerning the freez­ ing and reduction of military expenditures, especially when they are fol­ lowed by similar measures adopted by other States on the basis of mutual example, could contribute to favourable conditions for the negotiation and conclusion of international agreements to freeze and reduce military expenditures.
Confidence-building measures could help to create a political cli­ mate conducive to the freezing and reduction of military expenditures. Conversely, the freezing and reduction of military expenditures could contribute to the increase of confidence among States.
The United Nations should play a central role in orienting, stimulating and initiating negotiations on freezing and reducing military CHEMICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL (BIOLOGICAL) expenditures, and all Member States should co-operate with the Organi­ WEAPONS zation and among themselves, with a view to solving the problems im­ plied by this process.
The freezing and reduction of military expenditures may be achieved, as appropriate, on a global, regional or subregional level, with the agreement of all States concerned.
The agreements on the freezing and reduction of military bud­ gets should be viewed in a broader perspective, including respect for and implementation of the security system of the United Nations, and be in­ terrelated with other measures of disarmament, within the context of progress towards general and complete disarmament under effective in­ ternational control. The reduction of military budgets should therefore be complementary to agreements on the limitation of armaments and disarmament and should not be considered as a substitute for such agree­ ments.
The adoption of the above principles should be regarded as a means of facilitating meaningful negotiations on concrete agreements on the freezing and reduction of military budgets
MILITARY BUDGETS
40 See Reduction of Military Budgets: International reporting of 41 League of Nations, Tm11y Series, vol. XCIV ( JQ29), No. 21 .č8. military expenditures (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.81.I.9),
4-' A 144/88, annex. para. 98.
4' Sec \IC 1/44 -I and A C I 44/5

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