Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

1. The changes that the world underwent in the late 1980s and early 1990s have radically reshaped the environment for the development of international relations thus opening up a prospect for their global transformation. It is crucial, however, that this process should develop progressively to allow the world community to adapt itself to the new environment. Continuity should consist in preservation and consolidation of the universal and regional organizations established in the second half of the 20th century, primarily the United Nations that ensures global security and stability.

Today, an agreed strategy is an imperative resulting from the interdependence of States. The attainment of this objective should be accompanied by democratization of international relations. This is in line with the realities of civilization at the end of the 20th century. The assertion of democratic norms and principles of social organization and formation of civil society exercises a salutary influence on international relations as long as democratic States project their prevailing social values onto them.

2. The balance of these and other factors requires a closer and multifaceted political interaction among States. This should be taken into account in drafting and adopting a concept of the world - international relations in the 21st century.

A concept of the world constitutes an agreed set of principles of interstate relations in the international arena, which should bring about a world without violence in the 21st century.

The concept of the world presupposes an aggregate potential of all States to be used to respond to the challenges, risks and threats on the eve of the 21st century. The objective is to form a new culture of peace which would embrace the development of a system of values, a pattern of behavior and a way of life where a world free of wars and conflicts would constitute a top priority for nations and peoples; and the establishment of national and international environment conducive to a lasting and enduring peace.

With globalization, international security is becoming increasingly indivisible. In this context, a political structure of the world order should meet the requirements of its practical implementation. It is important that all States be equally protected against modern risks and threats and bear common responsibility for their elimination. Thus, the world community faces the imperative of establishing a cooperative mechanism to manage the globalization processes.

Such a mechanism can be effective only if it is based on harmonized national and international efforts.

It is vital to ensure a comprehensive international monitoring of the current international relations and crises. A "coordinated ideology" is necessary for ensuring sustainable development.

3. A special role in this process is assigned to the United Nations which is the single universal mechanism to maintain international peace and security. The UN Charter serves as a foundation of the concept of a world in the 21st century. It is vital to enhance the potential of the Organization and its consolidating role. In doing so, it is also important not only to preserve the primary responsibility of the Security Council for the maintenance of peace but to reinforce its control over emergence and management of conflict situations.

Simultaneously, the objective of reforming and adapting the United Nations to a new environment and improving its activities should also be attained. The goal is to equip the United Nations with a capability to efficiently respond to the ongoing world developments. It should in particular include an increase in the Security Council membership, strengthening of all components of the UN peacekeeping potential, including the capability of rapid deployment of peacemaking operations, also through the system of the UN stand-by agreements.

Strengthening the international legal basis of the world order, ensuring supremacy of law in international affairs should be a priority task of the world community. It presupposes the following:

- strict observance of the universally recognized principles of international law and international obligations, elaboration of their agreed and integral interpretation for the common benefit of mankind, and progressive development of international law;

- wider use of verification and implementation as well as judicial mechanisms and procedures to ensure additional guarantees against circumvention of international law; and

- more active use and strengthening of the procedures and mechanisms of peaceful settlement of disputes, including the enhancement of the role of the International Court of Justice, as well as all possible encouragement of the practice of the UN Secretary-General's good offices and intermediary efforts of his representatives.

4. The world order of the 21st century means multipolarity based on integration capabilities of the regions and their interaction in the interests of stability and security. The movement to multipolarity reflects the will of the majority of the members of the world community, and its real and potential centers of influence.

The enhancement of the regional factor in the development of international relations should be accompanied by the regions' openness to cooperation.

International and regional stability should be provided through partnership interaction of the United Nations with regional organizations. Being the most developed regional organization and the sole Pan-European peace-keeping and security institution the OSCE could play a special role in this respect under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter. This could mean the adjustment of the universal (through the United Nations) and regional (through the OSCE) vectors of influence shaping the character and configuration of a future security architecture. The United Nations' interaction with security and cooperation structures in other regions of the world should follow the same pattern.

5. Democratization of international relations constitutes an integral part of the world in the 21st century and presupposes the following:

- renunciation of claims to global dominance and achievement of general accord on progress towards shaping a multipolar world order;

- renunciation of excessive military capabilities, creation, under the UN auspices, of a global system to monitor non-proliferation of missiles and missile technologies;

- encouragement of establishment of efficient international and national mechanisms and procedures to ensure national minorities' rights in sovereign States; and

- active involvement of "civil society's" potential in resolving international problems.

6. Humanization of international relations is a prerequisite for the achievement of a world free from violence. Its main elements are the following:

- minimizing coercive measures permitted under international law, including improvement of the practice of imposition, application and lifting of sanctions and a clear delineation of their humanitarian limits;

- minimizing human sufferings, inter alia, in the course of armed conflicts, including assistance to victims of violations of international humanitarian law;

- human rights for all, including higher awareness of the population about human rights issues and humanitarian law; and

- transparency and accountability of international financial institutions and their enhanced interaction with the United Nations with a view to better taking into account social factors.

7. Civilized international relations rest on inadmissibility of armed encroachments upon States, on its adequate realization in international legal principles and norms at global, regional, and bilateral levels, as well as on application of this ban to intrastate conflicts. Arbitrary military measures in circumvention of the UN Security Council, including for prevention of a so-called humanitarian catastrophe are inadmissible.

Legal aspects of the use of force in international relations in the context of globalization should be clearly defined and additional criteria applicable to the use of force under the UN Charter, including in humanitarian emergencies, should be developed. A clear interpretation of humanitarian crises under international law should be worked out.

Human rights issues cannot be considered as falling under the exclusive internal jurisdiction of States. Obligations of States in this field arising from general norms of international law constitute obligations to the world community as a whole.

The international community is not only entitled but also obliged to respond to violations by a State of its obligations in the sphere of human rights. However, in each particular case such a response should be based on norms of international law, be adequate, proportionate and undertaken on behalf of the international community embodied in the United Nations Security Council whose representative character and competence in this regard are beyond doubt.

Prevention of conflicts and preventive diplomacy should become main instruments of removing tensions in international relations. It is necessary, in furtherance of the UN Charter, to develop a package of political and legal measures in this field. The practice of imposing sanctions against a State should be reviewed.

8. The concept of the world should rely on appropriate rules of conduct by States in the international arena. It is important to find a rational correlation between principles of international law and the mechanism of their implementation.

The issue of interrelation of generally recognized principles of international law acquires a particular significance. It is important to deepen the awareness that the exercise of rights under any of these principles should not prejudice the realization of the others. The right to self-determination, for one, with all its importance, can not and should not be interpreted as allowing or encouraging any actions violating or undermining, fully or partially, territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States. The idea of inadmissibility of encouraging or supporting separatist movements and international terrorism appears to be important, too. The contents of the new principles developed by the contemporary international practice should be exposed more thoroughly, in particular, those of equal partnership, indivisibility of security, solidarity and transparency.

9. The extent of threats capable of destroying international security, plunging the world into a state of chaos and instability remains considerable. These threats include the danger of proliferation of nuclear, biological, chemical and other types of weapons of mass destruction; regional conflicts whose numbers keep growing; the danger of a new spiral of the arms race on a higher technological and information basis; the widening gap between rich and poor countries; organized crime and international terrorism; illicit traffic in drugs; vulnerability of the natural systems, environment, etc. There have emerged conflicts of a new generation, indicative of current structural changes in international relations, which require an adequate response from the international community.

10. These events are developing against the background of globalization that exerts an ever stronger influence on the system of international relations, structure of international, regional and national security. While contributing to world and national progress, the globalization poses great risks. Not every State can gain today from its advantages and benefits. The political task now on the world community's agenda consists in providing access to it to as many countries as possible, protecting their economies against the world market fluctuations and creating conditions for social progress.

In the context of globalization, the implementation of a common, harmonized international policy of sustainable development, including the settlement of the debt problem and the liberalization of world commodity, technology and financial markets becomes especially urgent. What is needed is a set of measures to eradicate poverty, increase employment, create additional economic opportunities for women and protect the rights of children. One of the most serious problems of the 21st century - the removal of essential disparities in the levels of social and economic development among countries and regions of the world - will have to be resolved.

It is necessary to secure maximum transparency and openness in exchanging the results of the third scientific and technological revolution. They should benefit all mankind.

The continuing population growth in the third world in the 21st century can spill over national borders and become a factor of global threat. Counteracting this threat and controlling the population growth should become an integral component of political planning in the 21st century.

11. Demilitarization of international relations is also a major political issue. Limitation of, reduction in, and control over arms and armed forces constitute a material prerequisite for assuring security of States.

Objectively, the political significance of the military factor has decreased which is an important outcome of the end of the global cold-war confrontation. Increasing interdependence and inter-penetration of economies and financial systems significantly reduce the risk of a large-scale military confrontation or local armed conflicts. The importance of economic and other non-military dimensions of international and national security and stability is growing. This creates vital preconditions for further steps to be taken in the disarmament area. The following issues are to be considered:

- preservation and strengthening in the 21st century of the system of international legal regimes regulating the activities of States in the field of disarmament control. Universalization of treaties and agreements underlying such regimes, primarily the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and others;

- continuation and intensification of measures to ensure regional stability, including the creation of zones free from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction as well as provision of security guarantees in international conflicts;

- overcoming the impasse in the process of multilateral disarmament, primarily nuclear disarmament;

- use of space exclusively for peaceful purposes, ensuring observance of the principle of non-use of force or threat of force from the outer space;

- promotion of information and technological security;

- substantial enhancement of the role of the UN Security Council and the Conference on Disarmament in the management of these processes. Multipolarity objectively calls for shifting emphases to multilateral security fora.

The disarmament process should be implemented at the global and regional levels.

12. The concept of the world, following the development of its strategic political parameters, should be further elaborated in the economic, environmental, information and other dimensions vital for the international community. It is an indispensable condition for the preservation of stability in all its aspects.