mentation of these programs; and (d) review and approval of programs financed by the Environment Fund (see below). The Council is to report to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council, the latter to comment on coordination and on relation to other economic and social matters under its jurisdiction.

2. A small Environment Secretariat, headed by an Executive Director, to be established as the focal point for cooperation, coordination and effective management of environmental activities in the UN system. (The location of the Secretariat will be decided by the General Assembly this fall. At least ten sites have been offered by various countries.)

3. An Environment Fund, administered by the Executive Director under the guidance of the Governing Council. The Fund will finance the new environmental initiatives coming out of the Stockholm Conference.

4. An Environmental Coordinating Board, chaired by the Executive Director and designed to ensure cooperation and coordination among all of the UN agencies involved in environmental programs.

This will be considered by the General Assembly at its 27th session in New York this fall.

The Delegation worked long and hard to develop the consensus which enabled the Conference to adopt this resolution unanimously. We are pleased with the results and believe an effective coordinating secretariat can be established under these provisions.

RESOLUTION ON INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment convinced of the need for prompt and effective implementation by governments and the international community of measures designed to safeguard and enhance the human environment for the benefit of present and future generations of mankind, recognizing that responsibility for action to protect and enhance the human environment rests primarily with governments and, in the first instance, can be exercised more effectively at the national and regional levels, recognizing that environmental problems of broad international significance fall within the competence of the United Nations system, bearing in mind that international cooperative programmes in the environment field must be undertaken with due respect to the sovereign rights of states and in conformity with the United Nations charter and principles of international law, mindful of the sectoral responsibilities of the organizations of the United Nations system.

Conscious of the significance of regional and subregional cooperation in the field of the Human Environment and of the important role of the Regional Economic Commissions and other regional intergovernmental organizations, emphasizing that problems of the human environment constitute a new and important area for international cooperation and that the complex interdependence of such problems requires new approaches, recognizing that the relevant international scientific and other professional communities can make an important contribution to international cooperation in the field of the human environment, conscious of the need for processes within the United Nations system which would effectively assist developing countries to implement environmental policies and programmes compatible with their development plans and to participate meaningfully in international environmental programmes, convinced that, in order to be effective, international cooperation in the field of the human environment requires additional financial and technical resources, aware of the urgent need for a permanent institutional arrangement within the United Nations for the protection and improvement of the human environment, and governing council for environmental programmes.

1. Recommends that the General Assembly establish the governing council for environmental programmes composed of fifty-four members, elected for three-year terms on the basis of equitable geographical distribution.

2. Recommends further that the governing council have the following main functions and responsibilities:

A. To promote international cooperation in the environment field and to recommend, as appropriate, policies to this end.

B. To provide general policy guidance for the direction and coordination of environmental programmes within the United Nations system.

C. To receive and review the periodic reports of the Executive Director on the implementation of environmental programmes within the United Nations system.

D. To keep under review the world environmental situation in order to ensure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance should receive appropriate and adequate consideration by governments.

E. To promote the contribution of the relevant international scientific and other professional communities to the acquisition, assessment of exchange of environmental knowledge and information and, as appropriate, to the technical aspects of the formulation and implementation of environmental programmes within the United Nations system.

F. To maintain under continuing review the impact of national and international environmental policies and measures on developing countries, as well as the problem of additional costs that might be incurred by developing countries in the implementation of environmental programmes and projects, to ensure that such programmes and projects are compatible with the development plans and priorities of those countries.

G. To review and approve annually the programme of utilization of resources of the environment fund.

3. Recommends further that the governing council report annually to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council, which would transmit to the Assembly such comments on the report as it may deem necessary, particularly with regard to questions of coordination and to the relationship of environment policies and programmes within the United Nations system to over all economic and social policies and priorities.

ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY

4. Recommends that a small Secretariat be established in the United Nations, with headquarters in (---‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒), to serve as a focal point for environmental actions and coordination within the United Nations system in such a way as to ensure a high degree of effective management.

5. Recommends further that the Environment Secretariat be headed by the Executive Director, who shall be elected by the General Assembly on the nomination of the Secretary-General, and who shall be entrusted, inter alia, with the following responsibilities:

(a) To provide substantive support to the governing council.

(b) Under the guidance of the governing council, to coordinate environmental programmes within the United Nations system, to keep under review their implementation and assess their effectiveness.

(c) To advise, as appropriate and under the guidance of the governing council, intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations system on the formulation and implementation of environmental programmes.

(d) To secure the effective cooperation of, and contribution from, the relevant scientific and other professional communities from all parts of the world.

(e) To provide, at the request of all parties concerned, advisory services for the promotion of international cooperation in the field of the environment. (f) To submit to the governing council, on his own initiative or upon request, proposals embodying medium-and-long-range planning for United Nations programmes in the environment field.

(g) To bring to the attention of the governing council any matter which he deems to require consideration by it.

(h) To administer, under the authority and policy guidance of the governing council, the environment fund.

(i) To report on environment matters to the governing council.

(j) To perform such other functions as may be entrusted to him by the governing council.

THE ENVIRONMENT FUND

6. Recommends that, in order to provide for additional financing for environmental programmes, a voluntary fund be established in accordance with existing United Nations financial procedures.

7. Recommends further that, in order to enable the governing council to fulfill its policy guidance role for the direction and coordination of environmental activities, the fund finance wholly or partly the costs of the new environmental initiatives undertaken within the United Nations system. These will include the initiatives envisaged in the action plan adopted by the United

Nations Conference on the Human Environment, with particular attention to integrated projects, and such other environmental activities as may be decided upon by the governing council. The governing council shall review these intiatives with a view to taking appropriate decisions as to their continued financing. 8. Recomends further that the fund be used for financing such programmes of general interest as regional and global monitoring, assessment and datacollecting systems, including, as appropriate, costs for national counterparts, improvement of environmental quality management, environmental research, information exchange and dissemination, public education and training, assistance for national, regional and global environmental institutions; promotion of environmental research and studies for the development of industrial and other technologies best suited to a policy of economic growth compatible with adequate environmental safeguards; and such other programmes as the governing council may decide upon. In the implementation of such programmes due account should be taken of the special needs of the developing countries. 9. Recommends that the costs of servicing the governing council and providing the small core Secretariat be borne by the regular budget of the United Nations, operational programme costs, programme support and administrative costs of the fund shall be borne by the fund.

10. Recommends further that, in order to ensure that the development priorities of developing countries are not adversely affected, adequate measures be taken to provide additional financial resources on terms compatible with the economic situation of the recipient developing country. To this end, the Executive Director, in cooperation with competent organizations will keep this problem under continuing review.

11. Recommends that the fund, in pursuance of the objectives stated in paragraphs 7 and 8, be directed to the need for effective coordination in the implementation of international environmental programmes of the organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations.

12. Recommends that, in the implementation of programmes to be financed by the fund, organizations outside the United Nations system, particularly those in the countries and regions concerned, also be utliized as appropriate, in accordance with the procedures established by the governing council; such organizations are invited to support the United Nations environment programs by complementary initiatives and contributions.

13. Recommends that the governing council formulate such general procedures as are necessary to govern the operations of the fund.

COORDINATION

14. Recommends that in order to provide for the maximum efficient coordination of United Nations environmental programmes, and environmental coordinating board, chaired by the Executive Director, be established under the auspices and within the framework of the administrative committee on coordination.

15. Recommends further that environmental coordinating board meet periodically for the purpose of ensuring cooperation and coordination among all bodies concerned in the implementation of environmental programmes and that it report annually to the governing council.

16. Invites the organizations of the United Nations system to adopt the measures that may be required to undertake concerted and coordinated programmes with regard to international environmental problems, taking into account existing procedures for prior consultation, particularly on programme and budgetary matters.

17. Invites the regional economic commissions and the economic and social office in Beirut, in cooperation, where necessary, with other appropriate regional bodies, to further intensify their efforts aimed at contributing to the implementation of environmental programmes in view of the particular need for rapid development of regional cooperation in this field.

18. Invites also other intergovernmental and those nongovernmental organizations which have interest in the field of the environment to lend their full support and collaboration to the United Nations with a view to achieving the largest possible degree of cooperation and coordination.

19. Calls upon governments to ensure that appropriate national institutions shall be entrusted with the task of coordination of environmental action, both national and international.

20. Recommends that the General Assembly review, as appropriate, at its Thirty-first Session, the institutional arrangements which it may decide upon in pursuance of this recommendation, bearing in mind, inter alia, the responsibilities of the Economic and Social Council under the charter.