Reaching Critical Will

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Conference on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee

UN Disarmament Commission

Special Session on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security

First Committee
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

World Summit 2005

First Committee 2008
6–31 October

Chairperson: Marco Antonio Suazo Fernández (Honduras)
Vice-Chairpersons: Martin Zvachula (Federated States of Micronesia), Ivan Mutavdzic (Croatia) and Miguel Graca (Portugal)
Rapporteur: Coly Seck (Senegal)

UN General Assembly 2008

2008 Disarmament Index by Country and by Topic
All references made to disarmament and other aspects of international security during the General Assembly General Debate, catalogued by country and topic by Reaching Critical Will. This reference tool will help identify country positions and anticipate developments in the First Committee by showing what topics are, and are not, most important to member states.
2008 Gender Index
All references made to gender, women, and girls during the General Assembly General Debate, compiled by PeaceWomen.
Opening statement by the president of the 63rd session of the General Assembly, 16 September 2008

First Committee 2007

Fact sheet and background information on the General Assembly First Committee

Chairperson: Mr. Paul Badji (Senegal)
Vice-Chairpersons: Mr. Bassam Darwish (Syria), Mr. Ricardo Morote (Peru), Mr. Roman Hunger (Switzerland)
Rapporteur: Mr. Dainius Baublys (Lithuania)

Program of Work and Timetable of the First Committee
Indicative Timetable for Thematic Debate in the First Committee
Calendar of Events
The First Committee Monitor: a summary of what happened on each issue covered by the First Committee
Governmental Statements to the First Committee
Non-papers and other documentation to the First Committee
Draft Resolutions, Voting Results, and Explanations of Votes (EOVs) from the First Committee and General Assembly
Voting Results Chart: Security Council P5 and CD Member States
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Disarmament Index by Country: an index of all references made to disarmament (and other aspects of International Security) during the General Debate to help you identify country positions and anticipate developments in the First Committee by showing what topics are, and are not, most important to Member States.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Disarmament Index by Topic: an index of all references to various disarmament, peace and security topics during the General Debate listed by topic.

First Committee 2006

Chair: Ambassador Mona Juul (Norway)
Vice-chairs: Andy Rachmianto (Indonesia), Federico Perazza (Uruguay), Bosjan Malovrh (Slovenia)
Rapporteur: Abdelhamid Gharbi (Tunisia)

Proposed timetable and schedule for the 61st session of the First Committee, 2006
Indicative Timetable of Thematic Debate
Calendar of events
The First Committee Monitor: a summary of what happened on each issue covered by the First Committee
Governmental Statements to the First Committee
Non-papers and other documentation to the First Committee
Draft Resolutions, Voting Results, and Explanations of Votes (EOVs) from the First Committee and General Assembly
Disarmament Index by Country: an index of all references made to disarmament (and other aspects of International Security) during the General Debate to help you identify country positions and anticipate developments in the First Committee by showing what topics are, and are not, most important to Member States.
Disarmament Index by Topic: an index of all references to various disarmament, peace and security topics during the General Debate listed by topic. Click on the one you care about, and see what governments share your passion!

World Summit 2005

From September 14-16 the highest levels of the world's governments convened in the Millennium + 5 Summit, to review the Millennium Development Goals, the report of the Secretary-General, In Larger Freedom, and the proposals to strengthen and reform the United Nations. In a process designed to address new global challenges to security the Final Outcome Document, agreeed to unanimously by the world's governments, did not contain a section on disarmament and non-proliferation.

Although prior Draft Outcome Documents contained sections on disarmament, the governments deleted the section because they could not agree on it. They were able to agree on nearly everything else.

As negotiations came down to the wire, the disarmament and non-proliferation section of the September 6 version of the Outcome Document was scrapped and a small group of governments drafted a more bare bones Negotiating Text on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. However, this too was deleted.

The former Draft Outcome Document of the World Summit (Aug 5) contained much more substantive text on disarmament and non-proliferation, even though it could have been stronger, as elaborated in this NGO letter to governments urging stronger disarmament language in the document. However, the United States made 750 edits to the take it or leave it document and opened the door to all states wanting to make cuts.

Analysis of the changes to the disarmament and non-proliferation section of the document between July 22 and August 5
The Secretary-General's report, In Larger Freedom
Compilation of NGO Language Suggestions on World Summit Outcome Document
WILPF Statement at the NGO Hearings on the World Summit
Draft Outcome on Elements Relating to Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, as submitted by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Chile, Indonesia, Norway, Romania, South Africa and the United Kingdom (Seven Nation Initiative)
Op-Ed published by the Seven Nation Initiative
Declaration by the Seven Nation Initiative
Reaching Critical Will analysis of the report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change
More great resources at ReformTheUN.org

First Committee 2005

The First Committee on Disarmament and International Security of the 60th session (2005) of the General Assembly concluded on November 1. Read what happened there in the First Committee Monitor.

Chair: Choi Young-jin (Republic of Korea)
Vice-chairs: Loffi Bouchaara (Morocco), Detlev Wolter (Germany); Gabriela Martinic (Argentina).
Rapporteur: Elvina Jusufaj (Albania)
Secretary: Cheryl Stoute (DDA)

Proposed timetable and schedule for the 60th session of the First Committee, 2005
Timetable and Schedule for Thematic Debate at the 60th Session of the First Committee, 2005
Calendar of Events
The First Committee Monitor: a summary of what happened on each issue covered by the First Committee
Governmental Statements to the First Committee
Non-papers and other documentation to the First Committee
Draft Resolutions, Voting Results, and Explanations of Votes (EOVs) from the First Committee and General Assembly
Disarmament Index: an index of all references made to disarmament (and other aspects of International Security) during the General Debate to help you identify country positions and anticipate developments in the First Committee by showing what topics are, and are not, most important to Member States.
Summit Disarmament Index: an index of all references made to disarmament (and other aspects of International Security) during the World Summit where governments really focused in on their top issues in speeches by their heads of state. Who has disarmament as one of their priorities? Who was appalled that there was no section on disarmament in the Summit Outcome Document, which is supposed to address the 'new security environment'? Find out here.

First Committee 2004

The First Committee on Disarmament and International Security of the 59th session (2004) of the General Assembly will begin on October 4.

Chairman: Luis Alfonso de Alba (Mexico)
Vice-Chairmen: Dziunik Aghajanian (Armenia), Alon Bar (Israel), and Sylvester Ekundayo Rowe (Sierra Leone)
Rapporteur: Mohamed Ali Saleh Alnajar (Yemen)

Provisional Agenda
Calendar of Events

Disarmament Index: an index of all references made to disarmament during the General Debate

Statements (General, Thematic and Closing)
Non-papers and other documentation
First Committee Monitor archives
First Committee Press Releases
Draft Resolutions, Voting Results and Explanations of Votes (EoV)
Draft letter from the Chairman of the First Committee to the President of the 59th session of the GA

First Committee 2003

The First Committee on Disarmament and International Security session for the 58th session (2003) of the General Assembly began on October 6.

(A/58/100) Provisional Agenda (click here and then scroll down to Provisional Agenda)
Statements, including The Chairman's Final Statement
Non-Papers
First Committee Monitor Archives: NGO Reporting on the First Committee, available in PDF and HTML
Draft Resolutions and Voting Results and Explanation of Votes
Acronym Institute Commentary on the Draft Resolutions
Calendar of Events
UN Documents
Timetable Agenda for First Committee
Timetable Voting Order (final versions are available only the day prior; contact us to receive the final voting order)
Press Releases
Disarmament Index of General Assembly Statements: References to Disarmament in General Debate 58th Session

First Committee 2002

The First Committee on Disarmament and International Security session for the 57th session (2002) of the General Assembly took place from September 30- November 1 at the United Nations in New York.

Statements
Draft Resolutions and Voting Results and Explanation of Votes
Press Releases
NGO Report breaks down the voting results (html) (pdf)
UN Documents
Calendar of Events
NGO Reports
General Assembly Disarmament Index: References to Disarmament in General Debate 57th Session (2002) (pdf)
(A/C.1/57/CRP.1) Tentative Programme of work and timetable for First Committee
(A/C.1/57/1) Allocation of agenda items to the First Committee
NGO Strategy Summit for Disarmament NGOs- October 18-20, 2002- "Moving from What to How"

First Committee 2001

UN Department for Disarmament Affairs First Committee page
Defining Terrorism & its Root Causes: References in the UNGA debate "Measures to eliminate international terrorism," October 1-5, 2001
References to Disarmament and Security in 56th General Assembly General Debate in speeches made by Heads of State and Foreign Ministers
Weekly NGO Reports - starting 12 October 2001
Update on the votes in the General Assembly on First Committee resolutions and the decision to continue the negotiations over the draft comprehensive and nuclear terrorism conventions over to next year (since November 2001), by Jim Wurst, Lawyer's Committee for Nuclear Policy
Summary of Voting Records of First Committee 2001, for the 66 members of the Conference on Disarmament

First Committee 2000

NOTE: For the First Committee meetings of 2000 we collected all statements, resolutions, UN reports, voting records from the First Committee. It is too much to keep on line, so we have removed everything except the resolutions and voting so comparisons can be made to the language used in 2000. If you wish to see any other documents from 2000, request them from info@reachingcriticalwill.org.

Year 2000 (and previous years) GA resolutions on disarmament and international security- text and voting