Bilateral Reductions of Strategic Nuclear Arms and the New Framework for Strategic Relations

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 97 General and complete disarmament, published in 2011.

What subjects does this mandate have?

18 subjects

Arms Limitation Confidence-Building Measures Consultations Disarmament Agreements Fissionable Materials Information Exchange International Obligations International Security Nuclear Non-Proliferation Plutonium Russian Federation Strategic Nuclear Weapons Systems Transparency in Armaments Treaty Compliance United States Uranium Weapons Destruction Working Groups

What’s in this document?

11 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the signing of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the New START Treaty) on 8 April 2010;

Notes that the Russian Federation and the United States of America are committed to continuing the development of a new strategic relationship based on mutual trust, openness, predictability and cooperation by following up on the successful negotiation of the New START Treaty, and expresses the hope for continuation of a constructive dialogue between the two countries on the basis of fundamental principles stated in the preamble of the New START Treaty;

Supports the consistent commitment of the Russian Federation and the United States of America to the continuation of efforts for reducing strategic offensive arms, and recognizes that the New START Treaty will foster the development of more favourable conditions for actively promoting security and cooperation and strengthening international stability;

Recognizes the importance of the contributions made by Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States of America, as States parties to the START Treaty,Error: Reference source not found to nuclear disarmament as part of their commitment to fulfilling their obligations under article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;Error: Reference source not found

Welcomes the fact that the successful implementation of the START Treaty by the parties resulted in the reduction of their deployed strategic nuclear weapons by approximately 30 per cent during the fifteen-year span of the Treaty, thereby promoting security and cooperation and strengthening international stability;

Expresses the hope that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty,⁵ which opened for signature on 24 September 1996, will enter into force at an early date;

⁵See resolution 50/245.

Notes with approval that the Russian Federation and the United States of America have stopped the production of fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, expresses support for the early commencement of international negotiations within the framework of an approved programme of work of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva for the conclusion of a verifiable treaty to end the production of fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and encourages the nuclear-weapon States to engage the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor fissile material designated by each of those States as no longer required for military purposes;

Deeply appreciates, in this context, the implementation of the 1993 Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the United States of America concerning the Disposition of Highly Enriched Uranium Extracted from Nuclear Weapons, under which more than 400 tons of Russian highly enriched uranium have been blended down for use as power reactor fuel in the United States of America, and the fact that, in accordance with this Agreement, the quantity of highly enriched uranium blended down will total 500 tons;

Welcomes the commitment of the Russian Federation and the United States of America to the implementation, given dependable funding, of the 2000 Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the United States of America concerning the Management and Disposition of Plutonium Designated as No Longer Required for Defence Purposes and Related Cooperation, as reflected in the Protocol to amend the Agreement, signed by the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Hillary Clinton, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey V. Lavrov, on 13 April 2010;

Notes the intentions of the Russian Federation and the United States of America to continue appropriately to notify other States Members of the United Nations concerning their nuclear arms reduction activities;

Also notes the growing expectations of the international community that progress will continue to be made on nuclear disarmament, expresses support for current and future efforts in this area, and calls upon all States Members of the United Nations to make an active contribution to the disarmament process.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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