NEW DELHI: The United Nations General Assembly has adopted two resolutions sponsored by India which call to reduce risk of nuclear accidents and prohibition on the use of such weapons. The UNGA’s first committee adopted the two resolutions.
The first committee of the UNGA looks after disarmament and works in collaboration with the Conference on Disarmament and UN Disarmament Commission. The two resolutions which have been adopted are titled ‘Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons’ and ‘Reducing Nuclear Danger’ under the ‘Nuclear weapons’ cluster.
The “Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons” was backed by a majority of UN Members and has been tabled by India since 1982. It calls for Conference on Disarmament to start negotiations on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
According to the resolution, the aim to provide a universal and legally binding agreement that would generate the necessary global political will for total elimination of nuclear weapons. The resolution on “Reducing Nuclear Danger” which was tabled since 1998 puts focus on unintentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons and underscores the need for a review of doctrines.
The resolution urges concrete steps to reduce such risks, including through de-alerting and de-targeting of nuclear weapons. A treaty in this regard has also been on the negotiation table at the Conference on Disarmament. The proposed treaty outlaws nuclear weapons but discussions on it have been shelved.