Principle 12

Resources should be made available to preserve and improve the environment, taking into account the circumstances and particular requirements of developing countries and any costs which may emanate from their incorporating environmental safeguards into their development planning and the need for making available to them, upon their request, additional international technical and financial assistance for this purpose.

Principle 13

In order to achieve a more rational management of resources and thus to improve the environment, States should adopt an integrated and co-ordinated approach to their development planning so as to ensure that development is compatible with the need to protect and improve the human environment for the benefit of their population.

Principle 14

Rational planning constitutes an essential tool for reconciling any conflict between the needs of development and the need to protect and improve the environment.

Principle 15

Planning must be applied to human settlements and urbanization with a view to avoiding adverse effects on the environment and obaining maximum social, economic and environmental benefits for all. In this respect projects which are designed for colonialist and racist domination must be abandoned.

Principle 16

Demographic policies, which are without prejudice to basic human rights and which are deemed appropriate by Governments concerned, should be applied in those regions where the rate of population growth or excessive population concentrations are likely to have adverse effects on the environment or development, or where low population density may prevent improvement of the human environment and impede development.

Principle 17

Appropriate national institutions must be entrusted with the task of planning, managing or controlling the envionmental resources of States with the view to enhancing environmental quality.

Principle 18

Science and technology, as part of their contribution to economic and social development, must be applied to the identification, avoidance and control of environmental risks and the solution of environmental problems and for the common good of mankind.

Principle 19

Education in environmental matters, for the younger generation as well as adults, giving due consideration to the underprivileged, is essential in order to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises and communities in protecting and improving the environment in its full human dimension. It is also essential that mass media of communications avoid contributing to the deterioration of the environment. but, on the contrary, disseminate information of an educational nature, on the need to protect and improve the environment in order to enable man to develop in every respect.

Principle 20

Scientific research and development in the context of environmental problems. both national and multinational, must be promoted in all countries, especially the developing countries. In this connection, the free flow of up-to-date scientific information and transfer of experience must be supported and assisted, to facilitate the solution of environmental problems; environmental technologies should be made available to developing countries on terms which would encourage their wide dissemination without constituting an economic burden on the developing countries.

Principle 21

States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principle of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.

Principle 22

States shall co-operate to develop further the international law regarding liability and compensation for the victims of pollution and other environmental damage caused by activities within the jurisdiction or control of such States to areas beyond their jurisdiction.

Principle 23

Without prejudice to such criteria as may be agreed upon by the international community, or to standards which will have to be determined nationally, it will be essential in all cases to consider the systems of values prevailing in each country and the extent of the applicability of standards which are valid for the most advanced countries but which may be inappropriate and of unwarranted social cost for the developing countries.

Principle 24

International matters concerning the protection and improvement of the environment should be handled in a co-operative spirit by all countries, big or small, on an equal footing. Co-operation through multilateral or bilateral arrangements or other appropriate means is essential to effectively control, prevent, reduce and eliminate adverse environmental effects resulting from activities conducted in all spheres, in such a way that due account is taken of the sovereignty and interests of all States.

Principle 25

States shall ensure that international organizations play a co-ordinated, efficient and dynamic role for the protection and improvement of the environment.

Principle 26

Man and his environment must be spared the effects of nuclear weapons and all other means of mass destruction. States must strive to reach prompt agreement, in the relevant international organs, on the elimination and complete destruction of such weapons.

[21st Plenary Meeting June 16, 1972].

II. ACTION FOR THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

A. Framework for environmental action

The recommendations adopted by the Conference for the substantive items on the agenda of the Conference are set out in chapter II, section B, below. The recommendations have been grouped, in section C, in an Action Plan that makes it possible to identify international programmes and activities across the boundaries of all subject areas. The broad types of action that make up the Plan are: (a) The global environment assessment programme (Earthwatch); (b) Environmental management activities;

(c) International measures to support the national and international actions of assessment and management.

The framework of the Action Plan is illustrated in the following diagram:

B. Recommendations for action at the international level

The texts of the recommendations adopted by the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (see chapter X) are given below.

Planning and management of human settlements for environmental quality Recommendation 1.-The planning, improvement and management of rural and urban settlements demand an approach, at all levels, which embraces all aspects of the human environment, both natural and man-made. Accordingly, it is recommended:

(a) That all development assistance agencies, whether international, such as the United Nations Development Programme and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, regional or national, should in their development assistance activities also give high priority within available resources to requests from Governments for assistance in the planning of human settlements, notably in housing, transportation, water, sewerage and public health, the mobilization of human and financial resources, the improvement of transitional urban settlements and the provision and maintenance of essential community services, in order to achieve as far as possible the social well-being of the receiving country as a whole;

(b) That these agencies also be prepared to assist the less industrialized countries in solving the environmental problems of development projects: to this end they should actively support the training and encourage the recruitment of requisite personnel, as far as possible within these countries themselves. Recommendation 2.-It is recommended that Governments should designate to the Secretary-General areas in which they have committed themselves (or are prepared to commit themselves) to a long-term programme of improvement and global promotion of the environment.

(a) In this connexion, countries are invited to share internationally all relevant information on the problems they encounter and the solutions they devise in developing these areas.

(b) Countries concerned will presumably appoint an appropriate body to plan such a programme, and to supervise its implementation, for areas which could vary in size from a city block to a national region: presumably, too, the programme will be designated to serve, among other purposes, as a vehicle for the preparation and launching of experimental and pilot projects.

(c) Countries which are willing to launch an improvement programme should be prepared to welcome international cooperation, seeking the advice or assistance of competent international bodies.

It is further recommended:

(a) That in order to ensure the success of the programme, Governments should urge the Secretary-General to undertake a process of planning and coordination whereby contact would be established with nations likely to participate in the programme; international teams of experts might be assembled for that purpose;

(b) That a Conference/Demonstration on Experimental Human Settlements should be held under the auspieces of the United Nations in order to provide for co-ordination and the exchange of information and to demonstrate to world public opinion the potential of this approach by means of a display of experimental projects;

(c) That nations should take into consideration Canada's offer to organize such a Conference/Demonstration and to act as host to it.

Recommendation 3.-Certain aspects of human settlements can have international implications, for example, the “export" of pollution from urban and industrial areas, and the effects of seaports on international hinterlands. Accordingly, it is recommended that the attention of Governments be drawn to the need to consult bilaterally or regionally whenever environmental conditions or development plans in one country could have repercussions in one or more neighbouring countries.

Recommendation 4.-It is recommended that Governments and the SecretaryGeneral, the latter in consultation with the appropriate United Nations agencies, take the following steps:

(a) Entrust the over-all responsibility for an agreed programme of environmental research at the international level to any central body that may be given the co-ordinating authority in the field of the environment, taking into account the co-ordination work already being provided on the regional level, especially by the Economic Commission for Europe;

(b) Identify, wherever possible, an existing agency within the United Nations system as the principal focal point for initiating and co-ordinating research in each principal area and, where there are competing claims, establish appropriate priorities;

(c) Designate the following as priority areas for research:

(i) Theories, policies and methods for the comprehensive environmental development of urban and rural settlements;

(ii) Methods of assessing quantitative housing needs and of formulating and implementing phased programmes designed to satisfy them (principal bodies responsible: Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, regional economic commissions and United Nations Economic and Social Office in Beirut);

(iii) Environmental socio-economic indicators of the quality of human settlements, particularly in terms of desirable occupancy standards and residential densities, with a view to identifying their time trends;

(iv) Socio-economic and demographic factors underlying migration and spatial distribution of population, including the problem of transitional settlements (principal bodies responsible: Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (Centre for Housing, Building and Planning), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization, International Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations);

(v) Designs, technologies, financial and administrative procedures for the efficient and expanded production of housing and related infra-structure, suitably adapted to local conditions;

(vi) Water supply, sewerage and waste-disposal systems adapted to local conditions, particularly in semi-tropical, tropical, Arctic and sub-Arctic areas (principal body responsible: World Health Organization);

(vii) Alternative methods of meeting rapidly increasing urban transportation needs (principal bodies responsible: Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (Resources and Transport Division and Centre for Housing, Building and Planning));

(viii) Physical, mental and social effects of stresses created by living and working conditions in human settlements, particularly urban conglomerates, for example the accessibility of buildings to persons whose physical mobility is impaired (principal bodies responsible: International Labour Organisation; World Health Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat).

It is further recommended that Governments consider co-operative arrangements to undertake the necessary research whenever the above-mentioned problem areas have a specific regional impact. In such cases, provisions should be made for the exchange of information and research findings with countries of other geographical regions sharing similar problems.

Recommendation 5.-It is recommended:

(a) That Governments take steps to arrange for the exchange of visits by those who are conducting research in the public or private institutions of their countries;

(b) That Governments and the Secretary-General ensure the acceleration of the exchange of information concerning past and on-going research, experimentation and project implementation covering all aspects of human settlements, which is conducted by the United Nations system or by public or private entities including academic institutions.

Recommendation 6.-It is recommended that Governments and the SecretaryGeneral give urgent attention to the training of those who are needed to promote integrated action on the planning, development and management of human settlements.

Recommendation 7.—It is recommended:

(a) That Governments and the Secretary-General provide equal possibilities for everybody, both by training and by ensuring access to relevant means and information, to influence their own environment by themselves;

(b) That Governments and the Secretary-General ensure that the institutions concerned shall be strengthened and that special training activities shall be established, making use of existing projects of regional environmental development, for the benefit of the less industrialized countries, covering the following:

(i) Intermediate and auxiliary personnel for national public services who, in turn, would be in a position to train others for similar tasks (principal