Resolution adopted by the General Assembly  on 12 December 2019          [on the report of the First Committee (A/74/368)]        74/46. Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the  implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments        The General Assembly,    Recalling its resolutions 1 (I) of 24 January 1946, 71/54 of 5 December 2016,  72/39 of 4 December 2017 and 73/70 of 5 December 2018,    Noting the twenty-first anniversary of the launch of the New Agenda Coalition  and the joint declaration outlining a new agenda for disarmament, adopted in Dublin  on 9 June 1998,1    Recalling the political declaration adopted at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit  on 24 September 2018,2 in which Summit attendees recalled the firm plea made by  Nelson Mandela in favour of the total elimination of nuclear weapons, and  underscoring commitments towards that goal,    Welcoming the Secretary-General’s disarmament agenda, Securing Our Common  Future: An Agenda for Disarmament, and its implementation plan,    Reiterating its grave concern at the danger to humanity posed by nuclear  weapons, which should inform all deliberations, decisions and actions relating to  nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation,    Recalling the expression of deep concern by the 2010 Review Conference of the  Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the catastrophic  humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and its resolve to seek a  __________________    1 A/53/138, annex.    2 Resolution 73/1.   A/RES/74/46  Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the  implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments   19-21833 2/7    safer world for all and to achieve the peace and security of a world without nuclear  weapons,3    Noting with satisfaction the renewed attention to the catastrophic humanitarian  consequences and risks associated with nuclear weapons that has been generated by  the international community since 2010 and the growing awareness that these  concerns should underpin the need for nuclear disarmament and the urgency of  achieving and maintaining a nuclear-weapon-free world, and noting with satisfaction  also the prominence accorded to the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons in  multilateral disarmament forums,    Recalling the discussions held at the Conferences on the Humanitarian Impact  of Nuclear Weapons, hosted by Norway, on 4 and 5 March 2013, Mexico, on 13 and  14 February 2014, and Austria, on 8 and 9 December 2014, aimed at understanding  and developing a greater awareness of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear  weapon detonations which further reinforce the urgency of nuclear disarmament,    Emphasizing the compelling evidence, including that presented at the  Conferences on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, that has detailed the  catastrophic consequences that would result from any nuclear weapon detonation,  reaching well beyond national borders and also imperilling the achievement of the  Sustainable Development Goals, 4  the lack of capacity of States and international  organizations to deal with the aftermath and the risk of an occurrence, including an  occurrence due to an accident, systems failure or human error,    Noting the strongly disproportionate and gendered impact of exposure to  ionizing radiation for women and girls,    Welcoming the commemoration and promotion of 26 September as the  International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons,    Welcoming also the adoption on 7 July 2017 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of  Nuclear Weapons, negotiated by the United Nations conference to negotiate a legally  binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total  elimination, pursuant to resolution 71/258 of 23 December 2016,5    Underlining the importance of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation  education,    Reaffirming that transparency, verifiability and irreversibility are cardinal  principles applying to nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, which are  mutually reinforcing processes,    Recalling the decisions and the resolution adopted at the 1995 Review and  Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear  Weapons,6 the basis upon which the Treaty was indefinitely extended, and the Final  __________________    3 See 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear  Weapons, Final Document, vol. I (NPT/CONF.2010/50 (Vol. I)), part I, Conclusions and  recommendations for follow-on actions.    4 See resolution 70/1.    5 A/CONF.229/2017/8.    6 See 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation  of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, Part I (NPT/CONF.1995/32 (Part I) and  NPT/CONF.1995/32 (Part I)/Corr.2), annex.   Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the  implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments  A/RES/74/46   3/7 19-21833    Documents of the 2000 7  and the 2010 8  Review Conferences of the Parties to the  Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and in particular the unequivocal  undertaking by the nuclear-weapon States to accomplish the total elimination of their  nuclear arsenals, leading to nuclear disarmament, in accordance with commitments  made under article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,9    Reaffirming the commitment of all States parties to the Treaty on the  Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to applying the principles of irreversibility,  verifiability and transparency in relation to the implementation of their treaty  obligations,    Recognizing the continued vital importance of the entry into force of the  Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty 10  to the advancement of nuclear  disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation objectives,    Recalling that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only absolute  guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons and the legitimate  interest of non-nuclear-weapon States in receiving unequivocal and legally binding  negative security assurances from nuclear-weapon States pending the total  elimination of nuclear weapons,    Reaffirming the conviction that, pending the total elimination of nuclear  weapons, the establishment and maintenance of nuclear-weapon-free zones enhances  global and regional peace and security, strengthens the nuclear non-proliferation  regime and contributes towards realizing the objectives of nuclear disarmament, and  welcoming the Conferences of States Parties and Signatories to Treaties that Establish  Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and Mongolia,    Urging States to continue to make real progress towards strengthening all  existing nuclear-weapon-free zones, inter alia, through the ratification of existing  treaties and relevant protocols and the withdrawal or revision of any reservations or  interpretative declarations contrary to the object and purpose of the treaties  establishing such zones,    Recalling the encouragement expressed at the 2010 Review Conference for the  establishment of further nuclear-weapon-free zones, on the basis of arrangements  freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned, reaffirming the expectation  that this will be followed by concerted international efforts to create such zones in  areas where they do not currently exist, especially in the Middle East, in this context  noting with deep disappointment the non-fulfilment of the agreement at the 2010  Review Conference on practical steps to fully implement the 1995 resolution on the  Middle East,6 and disappointed that no agreement could be reached at the 2015  Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear  Weapons on this issue,    Acknowledging its decision 73/546 of 22 December 2018, in which it decided  to entrust to the Secretary-General the convening of a conference aimed at elaborating  a treaty on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all  other weapons of mass destruction, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by  the States of the region,  __________________    7 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear  Weapons, Final Document, vols. I–III (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I and II), NPT/CONF.2000/28  (Part III) and NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Part IV)).    8 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear  Weapons, Final Document, vols. I–III (NPT/CONF.2010/50 (Vol. I), NPT/CONF.2010/50  (Vol. II) and NPT/CONF.2010/50 (Vol. III)).    9 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 729, No. 10485.    10 See resolution 50/245 and A/50/1027.   A/RES/74/46  Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the  implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments   19-21833 4/7      Deeply disappointed at the continued absence of progress towards multilateral  nuclear disarmament at the Conference on Disarmament, which has been unable for  the past 23 years to agree upon and implement a programme of work, and  disappointed that the Disarmament Commission has not produced a substantive  outcome on nuclear disarmament since 1999,    Deeply regretting the lack of any substantive outcome of the 2015 Review  Conference,    Disappointed that the 2015 Review Conference missed an opportunity to  strengthen the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, enhance progress  towards its full implementation and universality and monitor the implementation of  commitments made and actions agreed upon at the 1995, 2000 and 2010 Review  Conferences, and deeply concerned about the impact of this failure on the Treaty and  the balance between its three pillars,    Noting with serious concern the rising tensions in international relations and the  increased prominence being given by some States to nuclear weapons in their security  doctrines, as well as the extensive modernization programmes under way, all of which  contribute to the erosion of the disarmament and non-proliferation regime,    Noting the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review  Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,  held in New York from 29 April to 10 May 2019,    Emphasizing the importance of holding a constructive meeting that results in a  substantive outcome at the 2020 Review Conference, urging all Member States to step  up their efforts in this regard, and emphasizing also the vital importance of ensuring  that the 2020 Review Conference contributes to the strengthening of the Treaty on the  Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and making progress towards achieving its full  implementation and universality, and monitors the implementation of commitments  made and actions agreed upon at the 1995, 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences,    Welcoming that the Russian Federation and the United States of America have  completed the nuclear weapon reductions agreed under the Treaty on Measures for  the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, while  re-emphasizing the encouragement of the 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences to both  States to continue discussions on follow-on measures in order to achieve deeper  reductions in their nuclear arsenals, and urging in this regard both States to extend  this Treaty and conclude negotiations on a successor agreement as soon as possible,    Underlining the importance of multilateralism in relation to nuclear  disarmament, while recognizing the value of unilateral, bilateral and regional  initiatives and the importance of compliance with the terms of these initiatives,    1.  Reiterates that each article of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of  Nuclear Weapons9 is binding on the States parties at all times and in all circumstances  and that all States parties should be held fully accountable with respect to strict  compliance with their obligations under the Treaty, and calls upon all States parties  to comply fully with all decisions, resolutions and commitments made at the 1995,  2000 and 2010 Review Conferences;    2.  Also reiterates the deep concern expressed by the 2010 Review  Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons  at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and the  need for all States at all times to comply with applicable international law, including  international humanitarian law;3    3.  Acknowledges the evidence presented at the Conferences on the  Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, and calls upon Member States, in their   Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the  implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments  A/RES/74/46   5/7 19-21833    relevant decisions and actions, to give due prominence to the humanitarian imperatives  that underpin nuclear disarmament and to the urgency of achieving this goal;    4.  Recalls the reaffirmation of the continued validity of the practical steps  agreed to in the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the  Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 11  including the specific  reaffirmation of the unequivocal undertaking of the nuclear-weapon States to  accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear  disarmament, to which all States parties are committed under article VI of the Treaty,  recalls the commitment of the nuclear-weapon States to accelerating concrete  progress on the steps leading to nuclear disarmament, and calls upon the nuclear- weapon States to take all steps necessary to accelerate the fulfilment of their  commitments;    5.  Calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to fulfil their commitment to  undertaking further efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate all types of nuclear  weapons, deployed and non-deployed, including through unilateral, bilateral, regional  and multilateral measures;    6.  Urges all States possessing nuclear weapons to decrease the operational  readiness of nuclear-weapon systems in a verifiable and transparent manner with a  view to ensuring that all nuclear weapons are removed from high alert status;    7.  Encourages the nuclear-weapon States to make concrete reductions in the  role and significance of nuclear weapons in all military and security concepts,  doctrines and policies, pending their total elimination;    8.  Encourages all States that are part of regional alliances that include  nuclear-weapon States to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in their collective  security doctrines, pending their total elimination;    9.  Underlines the recognition by States parties to the Treaty on the  Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of the legitimate interest of non-nuclear- weapon States in the constraining by the nuclear-weapon States of the development  and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and their ending the development of  advanced new types of nuclear weapons, and calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to  take steps in this regard;    10. Notes with concern recent policy statements by nuclear-weapon States  relating to the modernization of their nuclear weapon programmes, which undermine  their commitments to nuclear disarmament and increase the risk of the use of nuclear  weapons and the potential for a new arms race;    11.  Encourages further steps by all nuclear-weapon States, in accordance with  the previous obligations and commitments on nuclear disarmament, to ensure the  irreversible removal of all fissile material designated by each nuclear-weapon State  as no longer required for military purposes, and calls upon all States to support, within  the context of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the development of  appropriate nuclear disarmament verification capabilities and legally binding  verification arrangements, thereby ensuring that such material remains permanently  outside military programmes in a verifiable manner;    12. Calls upon all States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of  Nuclear Weapons to work towards the full implementation of the resolution on the  Middle East adopted at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to  __________________    11 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear  Weapons, Final Document, vol. I (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I and II)), part I, section entitled  “Article VI and eighth to twelfth preambular paragraphs”, para. 15.   A/RES/74/46  Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the  implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments   19-21833 6/7    the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,6 which is inextricably linked  to the indefinite extension of the Treaty, and expresses disappointment and deep  concern at the lack of a substantive outcome of the 2015 Review Conference of the  Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, including on the  process to establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons  of mass destruction as contained in the 1995 resolution on the Middle East, which  remains valid until fully implemented;    13. Urges the co-sponsors of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East to exert  their utmost efforts with a view to ensuring the early establishment of a Middle East  zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction as contained  in the 1995 resolution on the Middle East, including through support for the  convening of the conference on the establishment of such a zone;    14. Stresses the fundamental role of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of  Nuclear Weapons in achieving nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation,  and looks forward to the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the  Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to be held in New York from 27 April to  22 May 2020;    15. Calls upon all States parties to spare no effort to achieve the universality  of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and in this regard urges  India, Israel and Pakistan to accede to the Treaty as non-nuclear-weapon States  promptly and without conditions, and to place all their nuclear facilities under  International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards;    16. Notes with encouragement the dialogue and discussions held with the  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including the recent inter-Korean summits,  and the summit between the United States of America and the Democratic People’s  Republic of Korea, urges the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to fulfil its  commitments, to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes, to  return, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons  and to adhere to its International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards agreement, 12 with  a view to achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner;    17. Urges all States to work together to overcome obstacles within the  international disarmament machinery that are inhibiting efforts to advance the cause  of nuclear disarmament in a multilateral context, and once again urges the Conference  on Disarmament to commence immediately substantive work that advances the  agenda of nuclear disarmament, particularly through multilateral negotiations;    18. Urges all States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear  Weapons to fully implement without delay their obligations and commitments under  the Treaty and as agreed to at the 1995, 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences;    19. Also urges all State parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of  Nuclear Weapons to move forward with urgency in implementing their article VI  obligations in order to ensure the good standing of the Treaty and its review process;    20. Urges the nuclear-weapon States to implement their nuclear disarmament  obligations and commitments, both qualitative and quantitative, in a manner that  enables all States parties to regularly monitor progress, including through a standard  detailed reporting format, thereby enhancing confidence and trust not only among the  nuclear-weapon States but also between the nuclear-weapon States and the  non-nuclear-weapon States and contributing to nuclear disarmament;  __________________    12 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1677, No. 28986.   Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the  implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments  A/RES/74/46   7/7 19-21833      21. Also urges the nuclear-weapon States to include in their reports to be  submitted during the 2020 review cycle of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of  Nuclear Weapons concrete and detailed information concerning the implementation  of their obligations and commitments on nuclear disarmament;    22. Encourages States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of  Nuclear Weapons to improve the measurability of the implementation of nuclear  disarmament obligations and commitments, including through tools such as a set of  benchmarks, timelines and/or similar criteria, in order to ensure and facilitate the  objective evaluation of progress;13    23. Urges Member States to pursue multilateral negotiations without delay in  good faith on effective measures for the achievement and maintenance of a nuclear- weapon-free world, in keeping with the spirit and purpose of General Assembly  resolution 1 (I) and article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear  Weapons;    24. Calls upon Member States to continue to support efforts to identify,  elaborate, negotiate and implement further effective legally binding measures for  nuclear disarmament, and welcomes in this regard the adoption on 7 July 2017 of the  Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;5    25. Recommends that measures be taken to increase awareness among civil  society of the risks and catastrophic impact of any nuclear detonation, including  through disarmament education;    26. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fifth session,  under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, the sub-item entitled  “Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear  disarmament commitments” and to review the implementation of the present  resolution at that session.    46th plenary meeting  12 December 2019    __________________    13 See NPT/CONF.2020/PC.I/WP.13.