Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
          Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons
                      and on Their Destruction
 
 
     The General Assembly,
 
     Recalling the long-standing determination of the international community
to achieve the effective prohibition of the development, production,
stockpiling and use of chemical weapons, and their destruction, as well as the
continuing support for measures to uphold the authority of the Protocol for
the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases,
and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, signed at Geneva on 17 June 1925,
as expressed by consensus in many previous resolutions,
 
     Recalling in particular its resolution 46/35 C of 6 December 1991, in
which the Assembly strongly urged the Conference on Disarmament, as a matter
of the highest priority, to resolve outstanding issues so as to achieve a
final agreement on a convention on the prohibition of the development,
production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and on their destruction
during its 1992 session,
 
     Bearing in mind the Final Declaration of the Conference of States Parties
to the 1925 Geneva Protocol and Other Interested States, held in Paris from 7
to 11 January 1989, in which participating States stressed their determination
to prevent any recourse to chemical weapons by completely eliminating them,
 
     Determined to make progress towards general and complete disarmament
under strict and effective international control, including the prohibition
and elimination of all types of weapons of mass destruction,
 
     Convinced, therefore, of the urgent necessity of a total ban on chemical
weapons, so as to abolish an entire category of weapons of mass destruction,
and thus to eliminate the risk to mankind of renewed use of these inhumane
weapons,
 
     Welcoming the draft Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction,
adopted by the Conference on Disarmament and contained in its report, the
result of many years of intensive negotiations, which constitutes an historic
achievement in the field of arms control and disarmament,
 
     Also convinced that the Convention, particularly as adherence to it
approaches universality, will contribute to the maintenance of international
peace and improve the security of all States and that it therefore merits the
strong support of the entire international community,
 
     Further convinced that the implementation of the Convention should
promote expanded international trade, technological development and economic
cooperation in the chemical sector, in order to enhance the economic and
technological development of all States parties,
 
     Determined to ensure the efficient and cost-effective implementation of
the Convention,
 
     Recalling the support for the prohibition of chemical weapons expressed
in the declaration by representatives of the world's chemical industry at the
Government-Industry Conference against Chemical Weapons, held at Canberra from
18 to 22 September 1989,
 
     Bearing in mind the relevant references to the Convention in the final
documents of the Tenth Conference of Heads of State or Government of
Non-Aligned Countries, held at Jakarta from 1 to 6 September 1992,
 
     Welcoming the invitation of the President of the French Republic to
participate in a ceremony to sign the Convention in Paris on 13 January 1993,
 
     1.   Commends the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction,
as contained in the report of the Conference on Disarmament;
 
     2.   Requests the Secretary-General, as depositary of the Convention, to
open it for signature in Paris on 13 January 1993;
 
     3.   Calls upon all States to sign and, thereafter, according to their
respective constitutional processes, to become parties to the Convention at
the earliest possible date, thus contributing to its rapid entry into force
and to the early achievement of universal adherence;
 
     4.   Also calls upon all States to ensure the effective implementation of
this unprecedented, global, comprehensive and verifiable multilateral
disarmament agreement, thereby enhancing cooperative multilateralism as a
basis for international peace and security;
 
     5.   Also requests the Secretary-General to provide such services as may
be requested by the signatory States to initiate the work of the Preparatory
Commission for the Organization on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons;
 
     6.   Further requests the Secretary-General, as depositary of the
Convention, to report to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session on
the status of signatures and ratifications of the Convention.