Section 89p. 89

PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW COMPENDIUM VOLUME I

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

coordinated, 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.

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

© Compiled by RGL

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