improvement of the multilateral institutions devoted to disarmament, as well as facilitating the full and proper utilization of the existing international machinery in this field. The Brazilian delegation attaches the utmost value to the reinforcement of the central role recognized for the United Nations in the common task of reducing, controlling and eliminating armaments, especially those with the highest destructive power. Accordingly, it will examine the current agenda of the First Committee with special emphasis on the questions of the prevention of nuclear .war, the cessation of nuclear-weapon testing, the prevention of the arms race in outer space and the cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament. we shall also devote particular attention to items bearing on the need to curb the growing proliferation of nuclear weapons in its vertical and geographical dimensions. On the issues related to the prevention of nuclear war, the Brazilian delegation hopes that the General Assembly will finally be enabled to give clear guidelines for the action of the appropriate negotiating body, the Conference on Disarmament. While it would perhaps be unrealistic to expect nuclear war to be prevented by a single agreement, the First Committee is certainly the proper place to achieve the broad political understanding that would permit the Conference to identify the areas where multilateral action is needed. MLG/emv A/C.l/40/PV.S 6 (Mr. Maciel, Brazil) From such a basis, it could proceed to the actual negotiation of specific instruments for the prevention of nuclear war. I believe our approach to this question has been and remains very practical and very clear. We shall therefore not support attempts such as those made in the recent past in this hall to condone and justify the very attitudes and doctrines that have been responsible for the 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the role of the United Nations in reducing and eliminating armaments, specifically nuclear weapons, and the need for multilateral action to prevent nuclear war. It highlights the importance of the Conference on Disarmament and the need for clear guidelines for its actions. The text does not mention any specific economic, environmental, or social issues, but rather focuses on the political and diplomatic aspects of disarmament.

**Category**
International relations, Security and defense