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    A CONF.151 26 Vol.I Declaration

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    A CONF.151 26 Vol.I Declaration

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    A_CONF.151_26_Vol.I_Declaration

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    A CONF.151 26 Vol.I Declaration

    Uploaded by

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    12 August 1992 A/CONF.151/26 (Vol.

    I) REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

    United Nations A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. I)

    General Assembly
    Distr. GENERAL
    12 August 1992

    ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

    REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON


    ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT*

    (Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992)

    Annex I

    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.

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    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
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    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

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    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
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    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.

    * * * * *
    a/ Report of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment,
    Stockholm, 5-16 June 1972 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.73.II.A.14
    and corrigendum), chap. I.

    This document has been posted online by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Reproduction and
    dissemination of the document - in electronic and/or printed format - is encouraged, provided acknowledgement is made of the role of the
    United Nations in making it available.

    Date last updated: 12 January, 2000 by DESA/DSD


    Copyright © 1999 United Nations

    http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126-1annex1.htm 5/5

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