UN Wraps Up First Committee Voting, Approves Two More Nuclear-Weapon Draft Resolutions

Concluding a historic session, the UN First Committee on Tuesday wrapped up its annual voting on nuclear and conventional disarmament nonbinding draft resolutions, pushing through an agreement that calls for bringing nuclear disarmament under “strict and effective” international control, and another resolution that urges the UN General Assembly to call for negotiations by the Conference on Disarmament to ban the production of fissile materials. Resolution L.23, “Follow-up to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons,” which underscores an effort to bring nuclear disarmament under international control, was approved by a vote of 109 to 24, with 18 abstentions. Resolution L. 31, which calls for the resumption of FMCT negotiations in the CD, also advises nuclear-weapon states to deactivate their nuclear weapons, and “immediately stop” the improvement, development, production and stocking of nuclear warheads and their delivery systems. In a more contentious vote, that resolution was approved by a vote of 102 in favour to 41 against, with 17 abstentions. Starting Oct. 7, the committee session ended a day sooner than expected, saw a record-breaking 70 speakers during the nuclear weapons cluster thematic debate and played host to the approval of 63 drafts, the most since 2004.