UN General Assembly
1982

disarmament cannot be achieved in isolation, without simultaneously setting into motion the system of international security through the United Nations. Only after collective security establishes confidence and States are no more victims of aggression, can disarmament be effectively dealt with. Such confidence is at present lacking and, as a result, the arms race continues unabated. The world lives constantly under the threat of a holocaust. Mankind is confronted with new, more sophisticated and more destructive weapons, posing an unprecedented threat of annihilation and extinction. 12. The colossal amounts laid out on armaments is an additional important element of strain and also a continuous drain on the economies of nations. A considerable part of mankind, living under conditions of deprivation and starvation, is compelled to watch helplessly while vast amounts and resources are diverted to the accumulation of deadly nuclear weapons. Thus we have the paradox of man adopting and fostering the means of destruction in his effort to survive. 13. The nuclear arms control talks between the two super-Powers, which were resumed last week in Geneva following their two-month summer