Stockholm
Introduction
The United Nations hosted the very first conference on the Human
Environment which was held in 1972 in Stockholm (Sweden), and officially it
is known as the Stockholm Declaration of 1972. The conference was held for
a basic common outlook on how to address the challenge of conserving and
enhancing the human environment.
The main principle of the Stockholm declaration was “to serve as a practical
means to encourage and to provide guidelines to protect and improve the
human environment and to remedy and prevent its impairment”. The
conference’s preparatory committee had worked on the declaration in 1971
with the actual drafting of the text allocated to an intergovernmental working
group. At the request of China, the special working committee reviewed the
text and reduced it to 21 principles and brought up 4 new principles. Brazil
objected for the same, then the working committee was removed for
reviewing the text and the work was referred to the general assembly for
further consideration, a draft principle on “Prior Information”.
Stockholm conference
The Stockholm Conference was the first conference conducted by the United
Nations Conference on Human Environment that focused on Environmental
Issues at the International level. This conference was organised in Stockholm
(Sweden) from 5th to 16th June 1972 and it was the very first conference
which communicated the Environmental Issues at the International level and
tried to find a way to tackle the air, land and water pollution by working
together as a unit to safeguard the human environment for a better
tomorrow. The Stockholm Conference also led the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) in December 1972 to coordinate the global
efforts to safeguard our natural human environment.
The proposal of the Stockholm Conference was made in 1968 in Sweden and
contended that the United Nation must hold an International conference to
examine environmental issues that required International cooperation to
solve the problems related to environmental pollution. The Stockholm
Conference was attended by 114 government delegations. At the time of the
Stockholm Declaration, 26 principles were broadly declared to recognize the
human impact on the environment, and that was for the first time in history
that the environmental issues had been recognised publicly on a global scale.
The conference came up with several frameworks for environmental actions,
an action plan containing 109 recommendations related to human
settlements, development, natural resource management, educational and
social aspects of the environment, pollution and International organizations.
Stockholm declaration
The Stockholm Declaration of 1972 broadly recognizes global issues and has
eventually come up with 26 principles and with some frameworks as well to
bind all the countries together to deal with these environmental issues. The
conference has created history in the world by addressing environmental
issues at the global level. The Stockholm Declaration accentuated the needs
of the nations to design development plans with the combination of science
and technology in order to lessen air, land and water pollution and human
impact on the environment. The main purpose of the Stockholm Declaration
was to save the world from all the evils that were destroying the
environment, to preserve natural resources, to control the pollution and to
protect from several other environmental issues. In other words, we could
say that the main purpose was to save the earth, there even is a slogan of
the Stockholm Declaration, 1972 i.e., “Only One Earth”.
The Declaration urges every country to create regulations for protecting
wildlife and natural resources that are available in that country and suggests
that every country create national population policies since overpopulation is
also one of the major causes why we are left with limited natural resources
today.
Important Provisions
The Stockholm Declaration, 1972 comprises the proclamation of 26 principles
and several other submissions of recommendations. Every principle which is
laid down in the Stockholm declaration is an important provision of the
declaration. These 26 principles are as follows:
Principle 1: Right to Protect Environment
Article 21 of the Indian Constitution which talks about Right to life includes
Right to a healthy environment as well, It is the human right of a man to live
in a healthy environment and to protect the environment and the human can
take any legal action against the one who is destroying the environment, as
the right to a healthy environment is a fundamental right of a person.
Principle 2: Management of Natural Resources
The human must manage the natural resources available on earth and it
applies to all the natural resources which include air, water, land and
samples of the natural ecosystem so that the upcoming generations would
also be able to enjoy the natural resources. But this requires accurate
planning and management and this would happen only if we safeguard our
natural resources today, only then we could achieve our goals and save the
natural resources for future generation.
Principle 3: Management of Renewable Resources
In the war of saving our resources, the human community needs to come up
as one unit to maintain the capacity of the earth to produce vital renewable
resources.
Principle 4: Conservation of Wildlife
The humans shall take it as a responsibility to safeguard and manage the
heritage of wildlife and its habitat, which are now in danger because of the
acts done by them. Everyone has to come up as one unit for working
effectively to protect our nature including wildlife and must understand the
importance of nature in planning for economic development.
Principle 5: Management of Non-Renewable Resources
As we all are aware of the fact that we are today left with very limited non-
renewable resources, we must contribute in order to save our non-renewable
resources which are available on earth and must employ them in a way to
guard against the danger of their future exhaustion and must ensure their
benefits are shared with the whole mankind.
Principle 6: Pollution Control
The main causes of pollution are the gases, liquid substances, toxic
substances or other substances which industries or mills discharge and such
quantities of harmful substances pollute the environment in which we live.
Every person should put their possible efforts and should protect the
environment from pollution. Everyone has to struggle a bit to control the
pollution on the earth so that everyone enjoys nature without pollution.
Principle 7: Prevention of Pollution of Seas
The State government shall take some major actions to protect the seas
from pollution, especially from the industries that are polluting the rivers by
discharging hazardous chemicals in it and from the tourists who throw plastic
in rivers and other substances that are hazardous to human health and to
living resources as well.
Principle 8: Economic and Social Development
Economic and Social development is essential for ensuring a comfortable
living but the act done by humans shall not affect the environment. The
working environment of men is necessary for the improvement of the quality
of life but the act shall be in such a way that our environment does not suffer
due to that and we would be able to live in a pollution-free environment.
Principle 9: Underdevelopment and Natural Disaster
Environmental deficiencies generated by the conditions of underdevelopment
and natural disasters can best be remedied by investing in substantial
amounts of financial and technological assistance.
Principle 10: Stability of Prices of Primary Commodities
The stability of prices and adequate earnings for primary commodities and
raw materials are essential for environmental management in the developing
countries.
Principle 11: Environmental Policies
The government should introduce some environmental policies for controlling
pollution and for the development of countries so that pollution does not
affect the present and future generations. The State should adopt an
integrated and coordinated approach to developing such plans.
Principle 12: Environment Protection Education
Humans need to be educated about environmental protection to make them
much aware about the issue. It is essential and it should be communicated to
humans by conducting skits or through media or any other medium to make
people aware of the environmental crisis so that people would work
effectively to control the pollution by putting their efforts.
Principle 13: Rational Management of Resources
It is essential for every State to adopt an integrated and coordinated
approach for the development of the country and every plan must work in an
effective way. The purpose behind is to achieve the rational management of
resources.
Principle 14: Rational Planning
Rational planning is an essential tool for confirming any clashes between the
needs of development and the need to protect and improve the environment.
Principle 15: Human Settlement
The settlement of the human community must be planned and organised well
for the purpose of avoiding the effects on the environment.
Principle 16: Human Population
The government has to introduce some policies for controlling the population
and must work according to such policies, with the view for controlling the
population on the earth as it is one of the major issues of the earth and we
should work effectively to control it. Today most of the countries have a large
population and increasing population growth has adverse effects on the
environment.
Principle 17: Setting of Environmental Pollution Control Agencies at National
Level
For the purpose of saving the environment, the government must establish
Environmental Pollution Agencies at national level and shall grant them the
power to control the pollution at the national level. The agency must be
established with proper planning and management to control the pollution
and protect the resources.
Principle 18: Use of Science and Technology
In this generation Science and technology have developed completely and it
is suggested that the government should take some help of science and
technology to control the pollution and save the environment for a better
tomorrow. Science and technology must work in a manner to control
environmental problems and must come up with new research and
innovations.
Principle 19: Education in Environmental Matters
The earth is suffering from pollution and it is essential to educate humans
about environmental matters to make people aware of the issues of the
environment, so that every individual, enterprise and community could put
their joint efforts for protecting and improving the environment in its full
human dimension.
Principle 20: Further Scientific Research
The government must promote new scientific research and innovations for
the development in the context of environmental problems in all the
countries, especially in the developing countries.
Principle 21: Rights and Responsibility of Sovereign Nation
It is the right of the Sovereign Nations to exploit their own resources in
pursuit of their own environmental policies. The sovereign nations must look
towards the activities of their nation and must take care that it would not
affect the environment in their jurisdiction and shall not cause damage to the
environment of other states or areas beyond the limits of their national
jurisdiction.
Principle 22: Development of International Law
It is important that every State should cooperate to develop International
law regarding liability and compensation for the ones who are polluting our
environment, as we all have to fight as one unit to protect our environment
against the pollution.
Principle 23: Implementation of Agenda by Every Country
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 system of values
prevailing in each country, and the context 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 Cooperation
Every country on the earth should contribute on an equal level towards the
International law for protecting our environment and our natural resources.
For the improvement of the environment it must be handled in a cooperative
spirit by all the countries as a union.
Principle 25: Coordinated and Dynamic Role
The International organisations play an efficient and dynamic role for
safeguarding and improving the environment and every state must ensure
that to every human.
Principle 26: Ban on Nuclear Weapons
No country should use the nuclear weapon against any country, nuclear
weapons must be eliminated by every country.
Effectiveness
The Stockholm Declaration had created history in the world as it was the
very first conference held by the United Nations on the subject of
Environmental issues at the global level. The Declaration proclaims that the
human are both the creature as well as the moulder of the environment and
it gives them physical sustenance and affords the opportunity for intellectual,
moral, social and spiritual growth. The purpose behind holding this
Stockholm declaration was to emphasize various nations and to make the
citizens of nations aware of the environmental issues which affect the well-
being of people and economic development throughout the world. It is the
responsibility of every nation and every person to come up with some
necessary measures for management and planning in order to save our
environment which is badly polluted today because of the acts we do in our
daily routines which are harming our environment. To achieve such a goal of
a pollution free environment, every citizen of every country must contribute
towards it by putting their common efforts. Humans should know their
responsibilities towards nature and must act accordingly.
Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development,
Having met at Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992,
Reaffirming the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment,
adopted at Stockholm on 16 June 1972, a/ and seeking to build upon it,
With the goal of establishing a new and equitable global partnership through the creation of
new levels of cooperation among States, key sectors of societies and people,
Working towards international agreements which respect the interests of all and protect the
integrity of the global environmental and developmental system,
Recognizing the integral and interdependent nature of the Earth, our home,
Proclaims that:
Principle 1
Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled
to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.
Principle 2
States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of
international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own
environmental and developmental 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 3
The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and
environmental needs of present and future generations.
Principle 4
In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an
integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it.
Principle 5
All States and all people shall cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty as an
indispensable requirement for sustainable development, in order to decrease the disparities
in standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world.
Principle 6
The special situation and needs of developing countries, particularly the least developed and
those most environmentally vulnerable, shall be given special priority. International actions in
the field of environment and development should also address the interests and needs of all
countries.
Principle 7
States shall cooperate in a spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the
health and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem. In view of the different contributions to global
environmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities. The
developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international
pursuit of sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the
global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command.
Principle 8
To achieve sustainable development and a higher quality of life for all people, States should
reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and promote
appropriate demographic policies.
Principle 9
States should cooperate to strengthen endogenous capacity-building for sustainable
development by improving scientific understanding through exchanges of scientific and
technological knowledge, and by enhancing the development, adaptation, diffusion and
transfer of technologies, including new and innovative technologies.
Principle 10
Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the
relevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access to
information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including
information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity
to participate in decision-making processes. States shall facilitate and encourage public
awareness and participation by making information widely available. Effective access to
judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy, shall be provided.
Principle 11
States shall enact effective environmental legislation. Environmental standards, management
objectives and priorities should reflect the environmental and developmental context to
which they apply. Standards applied by some countries may be inappropriate and of
unwarranted economic and social cost to other countries, in particular developing countries.
Principle 12
States should cooperate to promote a supportive and open international economic system
that would lead to economic growth and sustainable development in all countries, to better
address the problems of environmental degradation. Trade policy measures for
environmental purposes should not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable
discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade. Unilateral actions to deal with
environmental challenges outside the jurisdiction of the importing country should be
avoided. Environmental measures addressing transboundary or global environmental
problems should, as far as possible, be based on an international consensus.
Principle 13
States shall develop national law regarding liability and compensation for the victims of
pollution and other environmental damage. States shall also cooperate in an expeditious and
more determined manner to develop further international law regarding liability and
compensation for adverse effects of environmental damage caused by activities within their
jurisdiction or control to areas beyond their jurisdiction.
Principle 14
States should effectively cooperate to discourage or prevent the relocation and transfer to
other States of any activities and substances that cause severe environmental degradation or
are found to be harmful to human health.
Principle 15
In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by
States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible
damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-
effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.
Principle 16
National authorities should endeavour to promote the internalization of environmental costs
and the use of economic instruments, taking into account the approach that the polluter
should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution, with due regard to the public interest and
without distorting international trade and investment.
Principle 17
Environmental impact assessment, as a national instrument, shall be undertaken for
proposed activities that are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment
and are subject to a decision of a competent national authority.
Principle 18
States shall immediately notify other States of any natural disasters or other emergencies
that are likely to produce sudden harmful effects on the environment of those States. Every
effort shall be made by the international community to help States so afflicted.
Principle 19
States shall provide prior and timely notification and relevant information to potentially
affected States on activities that may have a significant adverse transboundary
environmental effect and shall consult with those States at an early stage and in good faith.
Principle 20
Women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their full
participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development.
Principle 21
The creativity, ideals and courage of the youth of the world should be mobilized to forge a
global partnership in order to achieve sustainable development and ensure a better future
for all.
Principle 22
Indigenous people and their communities and other local communities have a vital role in
environmental management and development because of their knowledge and traditional
practices. States should recognize and duly support their identity, culture and interests and
enable their effective participation in the achievement of sustainable development.
Principle 23
The environment and natural resources of people under oppression, domination and
occupation shall be protected.
Principle 24
Warfare is inherently destructive of sustainable development. States shall therefore respect
international law providing protection for the environment in times of armed conflict and
cooperate in its further development, as necessary.
Principle 25
Peace, development and environmental protection are interdependent and indivisible.
Principle 26
States shall resolve all their environmental disputes peacefully and by appropriate means in
accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
Principle 27
States and people shall cooperate in good faith and in a spirit of partnership in the fulfilment
of the principles embodied in this Declaration and in the further development of
international law in the field of sustainable development.
