In the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which Brazil signed and ratified, and the provisions of which we vowed to respect even before its full entry into force, the Latin American nations undertook to achieve a forward-looking objective: to utilize nuclear energy exclusively for peaceful purposes. AW/gmr A/C.l/40/PV.S 11 (Mr. Maciel, Brazil) To this end, they also decided to prohibit the acquisition of nuclear weapons and their introduction in the zone defined by the Treaty, and they accepted a verification system designed to ensure compliance with their obligations towards one another. Unfortunately, no comparable system exists to verify compliance by the nuclear-weapon Powers with the obligations they assumed toward the Latin American parties. As a result, the countries situated in the zone of application of the instrument are unable to ascertain the fulfilment of those obligations. The question of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, however, has many aspects, of which not the least important is precisely their unchecked proliferation by the nuclear-weapon Powers. Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is too broad and important a question to be used simply as a pretext for the maintenance of technological dependence, or as justification for the over-armament of a few privileged Powers. For developing nations, as well as for the industrially advanced, access to the full range of scientific and technological benefits has now become a crucial question of survival, and all efforts must be made in the United Nations to prevent the fragmentation of the world into closed technological blocs. Those are the main concerns of the Brazilian delegation, at this fortieth session of the General Assembly, among the issues to be examined by the First Committee. We shall have the opportunity to discuss them further during the course of our work, as well as to present our views on other items of the long agenda 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the Treaty of Tlatelolco and its implications on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, as well as the importance of access to scientific and technological benefits for developing nations. These themes suggest a strong connection to the fields of science, technology, and international relations.

**Category**
Science and technology, International trade