United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in the United States

Principle 7

States shall take all possible steps to prevent pollution of the seas by
substances that are liable to create hazards to human health, to harm
living resources and marine life, to damage amenities or to interfere
with other legitimate uses of the sea.

Principle 8

Economic and social development is essential for ensuring a favourable
living and working environment for man and for creating conditions on
earth that are necessary for the improvement of the quality of life.

Principle 9

Environmental deficiencies generated by the conditions of
under-development and natural disasters pose grave problems and can best
be remedied by accelerated development through the transfer of
substantial quantities of financial and technological assistance as a
supplement to the domestic effort of the developing countries and such
timely assistance as may be required.

Principle 10

For the developing countries, stability of prices and adequate earnings
for primary commodities and raw materials are essential to environmental
management since economic factors as well as ecological processes must be
taken into account.

Principle 11

The environmental policies of all States should enhance and not adversely
affect the present or future development potential of developing
countries, nor should they hamper the attainment of better living
conditions for all, and appropriate steps should be taken by States and
international organizations with a view to reaching agreement on meeting
the possible national and international economic consequences resulting
from the application of environmental measures.

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
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 obtaining 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 of the human environment and impede development.

Principle 17

Appropriate national institutions must be entrusted with the task of
planning, managing or controlling the environmental resources of States
with a 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 connexion, 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
principles 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 and 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 16 June 1972