Peru referred to his country's recent call for an agreement to curtail severely arms spending in his region in the interest of development as well as of increasing security, and this morning we have heard further details of this idea from the representative of Peru. There have been proposals in the same direction from other countries in the Latin American region. Similarly, the countries of the Organization of African Unity recently held a regional conference at Lome in the Republic of Togo where a declaration on security , disarmament and development in Africa, as well as a programme of action, were adopted. Steps of this sort demonstrate that relevant proposals can be pursued by countries and groups of countries outside the East-West context. The United Kingdom considers that the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, under the right conditions, can contribute to regional stability, to non-proliferation and to disarmament in general. We have noted with interest the conclusion of the South Pacific nuclear-free-zone Treaty. we look forward to discussion with interested parties in due course. Turning now to negotiations which are multilateral in the widest sense, the Conference on Disarmament has had a more useful year. There has been less time spent on sterile procedural debates, although regrettably there has still been some of that. On the positive side, the Conference was able this year to establish an Ad Hoc Committee on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space and to begin serious work on the subject under the able guidance of its Chairman, Ambassador Alfarargi of Egypt. This item was the newest and in many ways the most challenging issue confronting the Conference this year. work on it took place against a background of existing and potential military use of outer space, and of 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on international relations, disarmament, and security issues, which are related to the broader theme of global governance and international cooperation. While there are no explicit references to economic development or other specific sectors, the discussion on arms spending and disarmament may have implications for the economy and development in certain regions.

**Category**
International relations, Science and technology