A/RES/72/37. Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, 2017

• Resolution Number: A/RES/72/37
• Year: 2017
• Session: 72nd
• Issuer: General Assembly of the United Nation

United Nations

A

/RES /72/ 37

General Assembly

Distr. : Genera l

11 De cember 2017

17-2171 2 (E) 131217

*1721712*

Seventy -secon d session

Agen da item 99 (gg)

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly

on 4 December 2017

[on th e report of the First Committ ee (A/72 /409 )]

72/37. Ethica l imperatives for a nucle ar-weapon-f ree world

The General Assembly ,

Reca llin g i ts resol ution 70/50 o f 7 Dece mber 20 15, ad opted o n the o ccasion of

the se ventieth a nnivers ary of the U nited Nat ions, whic h was esta blished to save

succ eeding ge neratio ns from th e untold s uffering o f the s courge of war, an d its

resol ution 71/55 o f 5 Dece mber 20 16,

Reca lling also th at the United N ations emer ged at the time of th e i mmense

trail of deat h and d estructi on resul ting fro m the Se cond Worl d War, 72 years a go,

Reca lling furth er the noble pr inciple s o f t he Charter of th e United Nat ions,

whic h enjoi n the interna tional communi ty, indiv idually and c ollectiv ely, to spare no

effor t in p romoting the ethical imperat ive of “in la rger fr eedom”, so tha t all peop les

may enjoy fr eedom f rom wan t, freedo m from fear and the fr eedom to live in dignity,

Conv ince d that , g iven the cat astrophi c humanit arian cons equences a nd risks

asso ciated with a nuclea r we apon detona tion, Membe r St ates have long envi saged

nucl ear di sarmame nt and nucle ar non -prolife ration as urg ent an d inte rlinked ethic al

impe ratives in ach ieving the ob jective s of t he Char ter, whi ch is reflecte d in the fir st

resol ution, resol ution 1 (I), adop ted by t he G eneral Assemb ly o n 24 January 1946 ,

aimed at the elimi nation fr om nationa l armamen ts of atomic weapons an d of all

othe r major weapons adaptab le to ma ss dest ruction,

Ackn owle dgin g, in this connec tion, t he ethi cal impe ratives outlin ed in t he

prov isions of its resol utions an d report s and tho se of othe r rela ted inter national

initi atives on t he cata strophic humani tarian cons equence s and r isks po sed by a

nucl ear weap on deto nation, incl uding th e d eclarati on t hat the use of n uclear

weap ons woul d cause i ndiscri minate su ffering an d as such is a viol ation of t he

Char ter and the l aws of hum anity and inte rnation al law,

1

the conde mnation of

nucl ear war as contr ary to human c onscienc e and a violati on of the funda mental

__________________

1

See resolut ion 16 53 (XVI ).