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UNITED
NATIONS
General Assembly
Distr.
GENERAL
A/RES/52/47
31 December 1997
Fifty-second session
Agenda item 80
RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
[on the report of the First Committee (A/52/609)]
52/47. Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological
(Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their
Destruction
The General Assembly,
Recalling its previous resolutions relating to the complete and
effective prohibition of bacteriological (biological) and toxin weapons
and to their destruction,
Noting with satisfaction that there are one hundred and forty States
parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin
Weapons and on Their Destruction, 1/ including all the permanent members
of the Security Council,
Bearing in mind its call upon all States parties to the Convention to
participate in the implementation of the recommendations of the Review
Conferences, including the exchange of information and data agreed to in
the Final Declaration of the Third Review Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and
Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on
Their Destruction, 2/ and to provide such information and data in
conformity with standardized procedure to the Secretary-General on an
annual basis and no later than 15 April,
Recalling its resolution 46/35 A, adopted without a vote on
6 December 1991, in which it welcomed, inter alia, the establishment,
proceeding from the recommendations of the Third Review Conference, 3/
of an ad hoc group of governmental experts open to all States parties to
identify and examine potential verification measures from a scientific
and technical standpoint,
Recalling also its resolution 48/65, adopted without a vote on
16 December 1993, in which it commended the final report of the Ad Hoc
Group of Governmental Experts to Identify and Examine Potential
Verification Measures from a Scientific and Technical Standpoint, 4/
agreed to by consensus at the last meeting of the Ad Hoc Group at Geneva
on 24 September 1993,
Recalling further its resolution 49/86, adopted without a vote on
15 December 1994, in which it welcomed the final report of the Special
Conference of the States Parties to the Convention, 5/ adopted by
consensus on 30 September 1994, in which the States parties agreed to
establish an ad hoc group, open to all States parties, whose objective
should be to consider appropriate measures, including possible
verification measures, and draft proposals to strengthen the Convention,
to be included, as appropriate, in a legally binding instrument to be
submitted for the consideration of the States parties,
Recalling the provisions of the Convention related to scientific and
technological cooperation and the related provisions of the final report
of the Ad Hoc Group of Governmental Experts, the final report of the
Special Conference of the States Parties to the Convention, held from 19
to 30 September 1994, and the final documents of the Review Conferences,
1. Welcomes the information and data provided to date, and reiterates
its call upon all States parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of
the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological
(Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction to participate
in the exchange of information and data agreed to in the Final
Declaration of the Third Review Conference of the Parties to the
Convention; 2/
2. Also welcomes the progress made by the Ad Hoc Group towards
fulfilling the mandate established by the Special Conference of the
States Parties to the Convention on 30 September 1994, and urges the Ad
Hoc Group to intensify its work with a view to completing it as soon as
possible before the commencement of the Fifth Review Conference and to
submit its report, which shall be adopted by consensus, to the States
parties to be considered at a special conference;
3. Further welcomes in this context the steps taken by the Ad Hoc
Group, as encouraged by the Fourth Review Conference, to review its
methods of work and, in particular, the start of negotiations on a
rolling text of a protocol to the Convention;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to render the necessary
assistance to the depositary Governments of the Convention and to provide
such services as may be required for the implementation of the decisions
and recommendations of the Review Conferences, as well as the decisions
contained in the final report of the Special Conference, including all
necessary assistance to the Ad Hoc Group;
5. Calls upon all signatory States that have not yet ratified the
Convention to do so without delay, and also calls upon those States that
have not signed the Convention to become parties thereto at an early
date, thus contributing to the achievement of universal adherence to the
Convention;
6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-third
session the item entitled "Convention on the Prohibition of the
Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological)
and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction".
67th plenary meeting
9 December 1997
Notes
1/ Resolution 2826 (XXVI), annex.
2/ BWC/CONF.III/23, part II.
3/ See BWC/CONF.III/23.
4/ BWC/CONF.III/VEREX/9 and Corr.1.
5/ BWC/SPCONF/1.
.