World disarmament conference

Abstract

The idea of convening a world disarmament conference was initiated at the First Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Belgrade in 1961. That Conference, in its Declaration, recommended, inter alia, that the General Assembly take a decision either to convene a special session of the Assembly devoted to disarmament or a world disarmament conference under the auspices of the United Nations. The non-aligned States considered that a world disarmament conference, convened at an appropriate time, with the participation of all States, would be useful. They reiterated that view at their subsequent summit conferences, including the most recent one, held at Havana, Cuba, in 1979. In 1965, on the basis of an initiative of a group of non-aligned countries, the General Assembly adopted resolution 2030 (XX) by which it endorsed the idea of convening a world disarmament conference. The proposal was not taken up further in the General Assembly until 1971 when the Soviet Union revived the idea and, on the basis of its proposal, the Assembly adopted resolution 2833 (XXVI), in which it expressed the conviction that careful consideration should be given to the convening, following adequate preparation, of a world disarmament conference open to all States. The item has appeared on the agenda each year since that time.