UN First Committee Forwards 28 Draft Resolutions to General Assembly

During its third day of voting on nuclear and conventional disarmament initiatives, the United Nations First Committee on Friday forwarded 28 draft resolutions to the General Assembly, including a resolution urging all states to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and another containing the Hague Code of Conduct, which expresses concern about the increasing regional and global security challenges posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles. Resolution L.56, a nonbinding draft titled “Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty,” urged states to sign and ratify the CTBT “without delay and without conditions,” and called on all states to refrain from explosive nuclear tests. 170 states approved the measure, with North Korea being the only one to oppose it. The First Committee also submitted to the wider General Assembly a resolution calling for accession to the Hague Code of Conduct, which calls on states to take steps against proliferating any type of ballistic missile. The Committee approved that resolution, L.25, by a vote of 152 to one (Iran), with 19 abstentions.