G. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND CODES OF CONDUCT Thirty-fourth session Agenda items 48 and 49 RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY on the report of the Special Political Committee (A/34/664)7 34/68. Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the The General Assembly, Reaffirming the importance of international co-operation in the field of the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, and of promoting the rule of law in this field of human endeavour, Recalling its resolution 2779 (XXVI) of 29 November 1971, in which it requested the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its Legal Sub-Committee to consider the question of the elaboration of a draft international treaty concerning the moon, as well as its resolutions 2915 (XXVII) of 9 November 1972, 3182 (XXVIII) of 18 December 1973, 3234 (XXIX) of 12 November 1974, 3388 (XXX) of 18 November 1975, 31/8 of 8 November 1976, 32/196 A of 20 December 1977 and 33/16 of 10 November 1978, in which it, inter alia, encouraged the elaboration of the draft treaty relating to the moon, Recalling, in particular, that in resolution 33/16 it endorsed the recommendation of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space that the Legal Sub-Committee at its eighteenth session should continue as a matter of priority its efforts to complete the draft treaty relating to the moon, Having considered the relevant section of the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on its twenty-second session, 1/ in particular paragraphs 62, 63 and 65, 1/ Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/34/20). Noting with satisfaction that the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, on the basis of the deliberations and recommendations of the Legal Sub-Committee, has completed the text of the draft Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, Having considered the text of the draft Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, 1. Commends the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, the text of which is annexed to the present resolution: 2. Requests the Secretary-General to open the Agreement for signature and ratification at the earliest possible date; 3. Expresses its hope for the widest possible adherence to this Agreement. ANNEX Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon The States Parties to this Agreement, Noting the achievements of States in the exploration and use of the moon and other celestial bodies, Recognizing that the moon, as a natural satellite of the earth, has an important role to play in the exploration of outer space, Determined to promote on the basis of equality the further development of co-operation among States in the exploration and use of the moon and other celestial bodies, Desiring to prevent the moon from becoming an area of international conflict, Bearing in mind the benefits which may be derived from the exploitation of the natural resources of the moon and other celestial bodies, Recalling the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, 2/ the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space, 3/ the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, 4/ and the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, 5/ Taking into account the need to define and develop the provisions of these international instruments in relation to the moon and other celestial bodies, having regard to further progress in the exploration and use of outer space, Have agreed on the following: Article 1 1. The provisions of this Agreement relating to the moon shall also apply to other celestial bodies within the solar system, other than the earth, except 2/ General Assembly resolution 2222 (XXI), annex. ١٨ in so far as specific legal norms enter into force with respect to any of these celestial bodies. 2. For the purposes of this Agreement reference to the moon shall include orbits around or other trajectories to or around it. 3. This Agreement does not apply to extraterrestrial materials which reach the surface of the earth by natural means. Article 2 All activities on the moon, including its exploration and use, shall be carried out in accordance with international law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations, and taking into account the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, 6/ adopted by the General Assembly on 24 October 1970, in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international co-operation and mutual understanding, and with due regard to the corresponding interests of all other States Parties. 1. purposes. 2. Article 3 The moon shall be used by all States Parties exclusively for peaceful Any threat or use of force or any other hostile act or threat of hostile act on the moon is prohibited. It is likewise prohibited to use the moon in order to commit any such act or to engage in any such threat in relation to the earth, the moon, spacecraft, the personnel of spacecraft or man-made space objects. 3. States Parties shall not place in orbit around or other trajectory to or around the moon objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction or place or use such weapons on or in the moon. 4. The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on the moon shall be forbidden. The use of military personnel for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes shall not be prohibited. The use of any equipment or facility necessary for peaceful exploration and use of the moon shall also not be prohibited. 1. Article 4 The exploration and use of the moon shall be the province of all mankind and shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all Le countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development. 2. States Parties shall be guided by the principle of co-operation and mutual assistance in all their activities concerning the exploration and use of the moon. International co-operation in pursuance of this Agreement should be as wide as possible and may take place on a multilateral basis, on a bilateral basis or through international intergovernmental organizations. Article 5 1. States Parties shall inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations as well as the public and the international scientific community, to the greatest extent feasible and practicable, of their activities concerned with the exploration and use of the moon. Information on the time, purposes, locations, orbital parameters and duration shall be given in respect of each mission to the moon as soon as possible after launching, while information on the results of each mission, including scientific results, shall be furnished upon completion of the mission. In the case of a mission lasting more than sixty days, information on conduct of the mission, including any scientific results, shall be given periodically, at thirty-day intervals. For missions lasting more than six months, only significant additions to such information need be reported thereafter. 2. If a State Party becomes aware that another State Party plans to operate simultaneously in the same area of or in the same orbit around or trajectory to or around the moon, it shall promptly inform the other State of the timing of and plans for its own operations. 3. In carrying out activities under this Agreement, States Parties shall promptly inform the Secretary-General, as well as the public and the international scientific community, of any phenomena they discover in outer space, including the moon, which could endanger human life or health, as well as of any indication of organic life. Article 6 1. There shall be freedom of scientific investigation on the moon by all States Parties without discrimination of any kind, on the basis of equality and in accordance with international law. 2. In carrying out scientific investigations and in furtherance of the provisions of this Agreement, the States Parties shall have the right to collect on and remove from the moon samples of its mineral and other substances. |