General Assembly resolution A/RES/42/37C (30 November 1987) establishes the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Mechanism (UNSGM) to carry out investigations in response to reports by Member States concerning the possible use of chemical, biological, or toxin weapons. This resolution also mandates that the UN Secretary General develop further technical guidelines and procedures for the management of biological weapons with relevant experts. These experts are to be nominated by the Member States and then listed in a roster maintained by the UN Secretary General. This resolution is a key basis for the UN’s authority to investigate chemical and biological weapons. The UNSGM is the only mechanism to investigate (internationally) the alleged use of biological weapons. Regarding chemical weapons, the UNSGM can only be triggered when a country is not State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention. Otherwise, these investigations are carried out by the OPCW. In 2013, Syria was the first country to request an investigation, followed by several other countries. 

The General Assembly issued resolution A/RES/42/37C (30 November 1987). The resolution applies to the UN Secretary General, the chief administrative officer of the UN. Like many UN documents, the text of this resolution is available in English, Arabic, French, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.