United Nations Coferance For The Human Environment Actions Plans,
STOCKHOLM-PLAN.
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT ACTION PLAN FOR THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT (1972)
A. Framework for environmental action
The recommendations adopted by the Conference for the substantive items
on the agenda of the Conference are set out in chapter II, section B,
below. The recommendations have been grouped, in section C, in an Action
Plan that makes it possible to identify international programmes and
activities across the boundaries of all subject areas. The broad types of
action that make up the Plan are:
(a) The global environmental assessment programme (Earthwatch);
(b) Environmental management activities;
(c) International measures to support the national and international
actions of assessment and management.
The framework of the Action Plan is illustrated in the following diagram.
———————————————————————–
| | |
| ENVIRONMENTAL | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| ASSESSMENT | MANAGEMENT |
| | |
| Evaluation and review | Goal setting and planning |
| Research | International consultation |
| Monitoring | and agreement |
| Information exchange | |
========================================================================
| SUPPORTING MEASURES |
| |
| Education and training Organization |
| Public Information Financing |
| Technical co-operation |
———————————————————————–
B. Recommendations for action at the
international level
The texts of the recommendations adopted by the United Nations Conference
on the Human Environment (see chapter X) are given below.
PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Recommendation 1
The planning, improvement and management of rural and urban settlements
demand an approach, at all levels, which embraces all aspects of the
human environment, both natural and man-made. Accordingly, it is
recommended:
(a) That all development assistance agencies, whether international,
such as the United Nations Development Programme and the International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development, regional or national, should in
their development assistance activities also give high priority within
available resources to requests from Governments for assistance in the
planning of human settlements, notably in housing, transportation, water,
resources, the improvement of transitional urban settlements and the
provision and maintenance of essential community services, in order to
achieve as far as possible the social well-being of the receiving country
as a whole;
(b) That these agencies also be prepared to assist the less
industrialized countries in solving the environmental problems of
development projects; to this end they should actively support the
training and encourage the recruitment of requisite personnel, as far as
possible within these countries themselves.
Recommendation 2
1. It is recommended that Governments should designate to the
Secretary-General areas in which they have committed themselves (or are
prepared to commit themselves) to a long-term programme of improvement
and global promotion of the environment.
(a) In this connexion, countries are invited to share internationally all
relevant information on the problems they encounter and the solutions
they devise in developing these areas.
(b) Countries concerned will presumably appoint an appropriate body to
plan such a programme, and to supervise its implementation, for areas
which could vary in size from a city block to a national region;
presumably, too, the programme will be designated to serve, among other
purposes, as a vehicle for the preparation and launching of experimental
and pilot projects.
(c) Countries which are willing to launch an improvement programme
should be prepared to welcome international co-operation, seeking the
advice or assistance of competent international bodies.
2. It is further recommended:
(a) That in order to ensure the success of the programme, Governments
should urge the Secretary-General to undertake a process of planning and
coordination whereby contact would be established with
nations likely to participate in the programme; international teams of
experts might be assembled for that purpose;
(b) That a Conference/Demonstration on Experimental Human Settlements
should be held under the auspices of the United Nations in order to
provide for coordination and the exchange of information and to
demonstrate to world public opinion the potential of this approach by
means of a display of experimental projects;
(c) That nations should take into consideration Canada’s offer to
organize such a Conference/Demonstration and to act as host to it.
Recommendation 3
Certain aspects of human settlements can have international implications,
for example, the “export” of pollution from urban and industrial areas,
and the effects of seaports on international hinterlands. Accordingly, it
is recommended that the attention of Governments be drawn to the need to
consult bilaterally or regionally whenever environmental conditions or
development plans in one country could have repercussions in one or more
neighbouring countries.
Recommendation 4
1. It is recommended that Governments and the Secretary-General, the
the following steps:
(a) Entrust the over-all responsibility for an agreed programme of
environmental research at the international level to any central body
that may be given the co-ordinating authority in the field of the
environment, taking into account the co-ordination work already being
provided on the regional level, especially by the Economic Commission for
Europe;
(b) Identify, wherever possible, an existing agency within the United
Nations system as the principal focal point for initiating and
co-ordinating research in each principal area and, where there are
competing claims, establish appropriate priorities;
(c) Designate the following as priority areas for
research:
(i) Theories, policies and methods for the comprehensive
environmental development of urban and rural settlements;
(ii) Methods of assessing quantitative housing needs and of
formulating and implementing phased programmes designed to
satisfy them (principal bodies responsible: Department of
Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat,
regional economic commissions and United Nations Economic and
Social Office in Beirut);
(iii) Environmental socio-economic indicators of the quality of human
settlements, particularly in terms of desirable occupancy
standards and residential densities, with a view to identifying
their time trends;
(iv) Socio-economic and demographic factors underlying migration and
spatial distribution of population, including the problem of
transitional settlements (principal bodies responsible:
Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations
Secretariat (Centre for Housing, Building and Planning), United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World
Health Organization, International Labour Organisation, Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations);
(v) Designs, technologies, financial and administrative procedures
for the efficient and expanded production of housing and related
infra-structure, suitably adapted to local conditions;
(vi) Water supply, sewerage and waste-disposal systems adapted to
local conditions, particularly in semi-tropical, tropical,
Arctic and sub-Arctic areas (principal body responsible: World
Health Organization);
(vii) Alternative methods of meeting rapidly increasing urban
transportation needs (principal bodies responsible: Department
of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat
(Resources and Transport Division and Centre for Housing,
Building and Planning));
(viii) Physical, mental and social effects of stresses created by
living and working conditions in human settlements, particularly
urban conglomerates, for example the accessibility of buildings
to persons whose physical mobility is impaired (principal bodies
responsible: International Labour Organisation, World Health
Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
2. It is further recommended that Governments consider co-operative
arrangements to undertake the necessary research whenever the
above-mentioned problem areas have a specific regional impact. In such
cases, provision should be made for the exchange of information and
research findings with countries of other geographical regions sharing
similar problems.
Recommendation 5
It is recommended:
(a) That Governments take steps to arrange for the exchange of visits
by those who are conducting research in the public or private
institutions of their countries;
(b) That Governments and the Secretary-General ensure the acceleration
of the exchange of information concerning past and on-going research,
experimentation and project implementation covering all aspects of human
settlements, which is conducted by the United Nations system or by public
or private entities, including academic institutions.
Recommendation 6
It is recommended that Governments and the Secretary-General give urgent
attention to the training of those who are needed to promote integrated
action on the planning, development and management of human settlements.
Recommendation 7
It is recommended:
(a) That Governments and the Secretary-General provide equal
possibilities for everybody, both by training and by ensuring access to
relevant means and information, to influence their own environment by
themselves;
(b) That Governments and the Secretary-General ensure that the
institutions concerned shall be strengthened and that special training
activities shall be established, making use of existing projects of
regional environmental development, for the benefit of the less
industrialized countries, covering the following:
(i) Intermediate and auxiliary personnel for national public
services who, in turn, would be in a position to train others
for similar tasks (principal bodies responsible: World Health
Organization, Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the
United Nations Secretariat (Centre for Housing, Building and
Planning), United Nations Industrial Development Organization,
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations);
(ii) Specialists in environmental planning and in rural development
(principal bodies responsible: Department of Economic and Social
Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (Centre for Housing,
Building and Planning), Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations);
(iii) Community developers for self-help programmes for low-income
groups (principal body responsible: Department of Economic and
Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (Centre for
Housing, Building and Planning));
(iv) Specialists in working environments (principal bodies
Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat
(Centre for Housing, Building and Planning), World Health
Organization);
(v) Planners and organizers of mass transport systems and services
with special reference to environmental development (principal
body responsible: Department of Economic and Social Affairs of
the United Nations Secretariat (Resources and Transport
Division)).
Recommendation 8
It is recommended that regional institutions take stock of the
requirements of their regions for various environmental skills and of the
facilities available to meet those requirements in order to facilitate
the provision of appropriate training within regions.
Recommendation 9
It is recommended that the World Health Organization increase its efforts
to support Governments in planning for improving water supply and
sewerage services through its community water supply programme, taking
account, as far as possible, of the framework of total environment
programmes for communities.
Recommendation 10
It is recommended that development assistance agencies should give higher
priority, where justified in the light of the social benefits, to
supporting Governments in financing and setting up services for water
supply, disposal of water from all sources, and liquid-waste and solidwaste
disposal and treatment as part of the objectives of the Second
United Nations Development Decade.
Recommendation 11
It is recommended that the Secretary-General ensure that, during the
preparations for the 1974 World Population Conference, special attention
shall be given to population concerns as they relate to the environment
and, more particularly, to the environment of human settlements.
Recommendation 12
1. It is recommended that the World Health Organization and other United
Nations agencies should provide increased assistance to Governments which
so request in the field of family planning programmes without delay.
2. It is further recommended that the World Health Organization should
promote and intensify research endeavour in the field of human
reproduction, so that the serious consequences of population explosion on
human environment can be prevented.
Recommendation 13
It is recommended that the United Nations agencies should focus special
attention on the provision of assistance for combating the menace of
human malnutrition rampant in many parts of the world. Such assistance
will cover training, research and development endeavours on such matters
as causes of malnutrition, mass production of high-protein and
multipurpose foods, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of
routine foods, and the launching of applied nutrition programmes.
Recommendation 14
It is recommended that the intergovernmental body for environmental
affairs to be established within the United Nations should ensure that
the required surveys shall be made concerning the need and the technical
possibilities for developing internationally agreed standards for
measuring and limiting noise emissions and that, if it is deemed
advisable, such standards shall be applied in the production of means of
transportation and certain kinds of working equipment, without a large
price increase or reduction in the aid given to developing countries.
Recommendation 15
It is recommended that the Secretary-General, in consultation with the
appropriate United Nations bodies, formulate programmes on a world-wide
basis to assist countries to meet effectively the requirements of growth
of human settlements and to improve the quality of life in existing
settlements, in particular, in squatter areas.
Recommendation 16
The programmes referred to in recommendation 15 should include the
establishment of subregional centres to undertake, inter alia, the
following functions:
(a) Training;
(b) Research;
(c) Exchange of information;
(d) Financial, technical and material assistance.
Recommendation 17
It is recommended that Governments and the Secretary-General take
immediate steps towards the establishment of an international fund or a
financial institution whose primary operative objectives will be to
assist in strengthening national programmes relating to human settlements
through the provision of seed capital and the extension of the necessary
technical assistance to permit an effective mobilization of domestic
resources for housing and the environmental improvement of human
settlements.
Recommendation 18
It is recommended that the following recommendations be referred to the
Disaster Relief Co-ordinator for his consideration, more particularly in
the context of the preparation of a report to the Economic and Social
Council:
1. It is recommended that the Secretary-General, with the assistance of
the Disaster Relief Co-ordinator and in consultation with the appropriate
bodies of the United Nations system and non-governmental bodies:
(a) Assess the over-all requirements for the timely and widespread
distribution of warnings which the observational and communications
networks must satisfy;
(b) Assess the needs for additional observational networks and other
observational systems for natural disaster detection and warnings for
tropical cyclones (typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones etc.) and their
associated storm surges, torrential rains, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes
etc.;
(c) Evaluate the existing systems for the international communication
of disaster warnings, in order to determine the extent to which these
require improvement;
(d) On the basis of these assessments, promote, through existing
national and international organizations, the establishment of an
effective world-wide natural disaster warning system, with special
emphasis on tropical cyclones and earthquakes, taking full advantage on
existing systems and plans, such as the World Weather Watch, the World
Meteorological Organization’s Tropical Cyclone Project, the International
Tsunami Warning System, the World-Wide Standardized Seismic Network, and
the Desert Locust Control Organization;
(e) Invite the World Meteorological Organization to promote research on
the periodicity and intensity of the occurrence of droughts, with a view
to developing improved forecasting techniques.
2. It is further recommended that the United Nations Development
Programme and other appropriate international assistance agencies give
priority in responding to requests from Governments for the establishment
and improvement of natural disaster research programmes and warning
systems.
3. It is recommended that the Secretary-General ensure that the United
Nations system shall provide to Governments a comprehensive programme of
advice and support in disaster prevention. More specifically, the
question of disaster prevention should be seen as an integral part of the
country programme as submitted to, and reviewed by, the United Nations
Development Programme.
4. It is recommended that the Secretary-General take the necessary steps
to ensure that the United Nations system shall assist countries with
their planning for pre-disaster preparedness. To this end:
(a) An international programme of technical cooperation should be
developed, designed to strengthen the capabilities of Governments in the
field of pre-disaster planning, drawing upon the services of the resident
representatives of the United Nations Development Programme;
(b) The United Nations Disaster Relief Office, with the assistance of
relevant agencies of the United Nations, should organize plans and
programmes for international co-operation in cases of natural disasters;
(c) As appropriate, non-governmental international agencies and
individual Governments should be invited to participate in the
preparation of such plans and programmes.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Recommendation 19
It is recommended that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, in co-operation with other relevant international
organizations, should include in its programme questions relating to
rural planning in relation to environmental policy, since environmental
policy is formulated in close association with physical planning and with
medium-term and long-term economic and social planning. Even in highly
industrialized countries, rural areas still cover more than 90 per cent
of the territory and consequently should not be regarded as a residual
sector and a mere reserve of land and manpower. The programme should
therefore include, in particular:
(a) Arrangements for exchanges of such data as are available;
(b) Assistance in training and informing specialists and the public,
especially young people, from primary school age onwards;
(c) The formulation of principles for the development of rural areas,
which should be understood to comprise not only agricultural areas as
such but also small- and medium-sized settlements and their hinterland.
Recommendation 20
It is recommended that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, in co-operation with other international agencies
concerned, strengthen the necessary machinery for the international
acquisition of knowledge and transfer of experience on soil capabilities,
degradation, conservation and restoration, and to this end:
(a) Co-operative information exchange should be facilitated among those
nations sharing similar soils, climate and agricultural conditions;
(i) The Soil Map of the World being prepared by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and
the International Society of Soil Science should serve to
indicate those areas among which transfer of knowledge on soil
potentialities and soil degradation and restoration would be
most valuable;
(ii) This map should be supplemented through the establishment of
international criteria and methods for the assessment of soil
capabilities and degradations and the collection of additional
data based upon these methods and criteria. This should permit
the preparation of a World Map of Soil Degradation Hazards as a
framework for information exchange in this area;
(iii) Information exchange on soil use should account for similarities
in vegetation and other environmental conditions as well as
those of soil, climate, and agricultural practices;
(iv) The FAO Soil Data-Processing System should be developed beyond
soil productivity considerations, to include the above-mentioned
data and relevant environmental parameters, and to facilitate
information exchange between national soil institutions, and
eventually soil-monitoring stations;
(b) International co-operative research on soil capabilities and
conservation should be strengthened and broadened to include:
(i) Basic research on soil degradation processes in selected
ecosystems under the auspices of the Man and the Biosphere
Programme. This research should be directed as a matter of
priority to those arid areas that are most threatened;
(ii) Applied research on soil and water conservation practices under
specific land-use conditions with the assistance of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and, where
appropriate, other agencies (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization
and International Atomic Energy Agency);
(iii) Strengthening of existing research centres and, where necessary,
establishment of new centres with the object of increasing the
production from dry farming areas without any undue impairment
of the environment;
(iv) Research on the use of suitable soils for waste disposal and
recycling; the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
into joint consultations regarding the feasibility of an
international programme in this area;
(c) These efforts for international co-operation in research and
information exchange on soils should be closely associated with those of
the UNDP/WMO/FAO/UNESCO programme of agricultural biometeorology, in
order to facilitate integration of data and practical findings and to
support the national programmes of conservation of soil resources
recommended above;
(d) It should moreover be noted that in addition to the various physical
and climatic phenomena which contribute to soil degradation, economic and
social factors contribute to it as well; among the economic contributory
factors, one which should be particularly emphasized is the payment of
inadequate prices for the agricultural produce of developing countries,
which prevents farmers in those countries from setting aside sufficient
savings for necessary investments in soil regeneration and conservation.
Consequently, urgent remedial action should be taken by the organizations
concerned to give new value and stability to the prices of raw materials
of the developing countries.
Recommendation 21
It is recommended that Governments, the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, in co-operation
with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
and the International Atomic Energy Agency, strengthen and co-ordinate
international programmes for integrated pest control and reduction of the
harmful effects of agro-chemicals:
(a) Existing international activities for the exchange of information
and co-operative research and technical assistance to developing
countries should be strengthened to support the national programmes
described above, with particular reference to:
(i) Basic research on ecological effects of pesticides and
fertilizers (MAB);
(ii) Use of radio-isotope and radiation techniques in studying the
fate of pesticides in the environment (joint IAEA/FAO Division);
(iii) Evaluation of the possibility of using pesticides of biological
origin in substitution for certain chemical insecticides which
cause serious disturbances in the environment;
(iv) Dose and timing of fertilizers’ application and their effects on
soil productivity and the environment (Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations);
(v) Management practices and techniques for integrated pest control,
including biological control (Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations and World Health Organization);
(vi) Establishment and/or strengthening of national and regional
centres for integrated pest control, particularly in developing
countries (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations and World Health Organization);
(b) Existing expert committees of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations and the World Health Organization on various
aspects of pest control should be convened periodically:
(i) To assess recent advances in the relevant fields of research
(ii) To review and further develop international guidelines and
standards with special reference to national and ecological
conditions in relation to the use of chlorinated hydrocarbons,
pesticides containing heavy metals, and the use and
experimentation of biological controls;
(c) In addition, ad hoc panels of experts should be convened, by the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health
Organization and, where appropriate, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, in order to study specific problems, and facilitate the work of
the above-mentioned committees.
Recommendation 22
It is recommended that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, under its “War on Waste” programme, place increased
emphasis on control and recycling of wastes in agriculture:
(a) This programme should assist the national activities relating to:
(i) Control and recycling of crop residues and animal wastes;
(ii) Control and recycling of agro-industrial waste;
(iii) Use of municipal wastes as fertilizers;
(b) The programme should also include measures to avoid wasteful use of
natural resources through the destruction of unmarketable agricultural
products or their use for improper purposes.
Recommendation 23
It is recommended that Governments, in co-operation with the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and other agencies and
bodies, establish and strengthen regional and international machinery for
the rapid development and management of domesticated livestock of
economic importance and their related environmental aspects as part of
the ecosystems, particularly in areas of low annual productivity, and
thus encourage the establishment of regional livestock research
facilities, councils and commissions, as appropriate.
Recommendation 24
It is recommended that the Secretary-General take steps to ensure that
the United Nations bodies concerned cooperate to meet the needs for new
knowledge on the environmental aspects of forests and forest management:
(a) Where appropriate, research should be promoted, assisted,
co-ordinated, or undertaken by the Man and the Biosphere Programme
(UNESCO), in close cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization, and with
the collaboration of the International Council of Scientific Unions and
the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations;
(b) Research on comparative legislation, land tenure, institutions,
tropical forest management, the effects of the international trade in
forest products on national forest environments, and public
administration, should be sponsored or co-ordinated by FAO, in
co-operation with other appropriate international and regional
organizations;
(c) The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in
conjunction with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization and other appropriate international organizations, should
with reference to, and in conjunction with, the conservation of soil,
watersheds, the protection of tourist sites and wildlife, and recreation,
within the over-all framework of the interests of the biosphere.
Recommendation 25
It is recommended that the Secretary-General take steps to ensure that
continuing surveillance, with the cooperation of Member States, of the
world’s forest cover shall be provided for through the programmes of the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
(a) Such a World Forest Appraisal Programme would provide basic data,
including data on the balance between the world’s forest biomass and the
prevailing environment, and changes in the forest biomass, considered to
have a significant impact on the environment;
(b) The information could be collected from existing inventories and
on-going activities and through remote-sensing techniques;
(c) The forest protection programme described above might be
incorporated within this effort, through the use of advanced technology,
such as satellites which use different types of imagery and which could
constantly survey all forests.
Recommendation 26
It is recommended that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations co-ordinate an international programme for research and
exchange of information on forest fires, pests and diseases:
(a) The programme should include data collection and dissemination,
identification of potentially susceptible areas and of means of
suppression; exchange of information on technologies, equipment and
techniques; research, including integrated pest control and the influence
of fires on forest ecosystems, to be undertaken by the International
Union of Forestry Research Organizations; establishment of a forecasting
system in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organization;
organization of seminars and study tours; the facilitation of bilateral
agreements for forest protection between neighbouring countries, and the
development of effective international quarantines;
(b) Forest fires, pests and diseases will frequently each require
separate individual treatment.
Recommendation 27
It is recommended that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations facilitate the transfer of information on forests and
forest management:
(a) The amount of knowledge that can usefully be exchanged is limited
by the differences of climatic zones and forest types;
(b) The exchange of information should, however, be encouraged among
nations sharing similarities; considerable knowledge is already exchanged
among the industrialized nations of the temperate zone;
(c) Opportunities exist, despite differences, for the useful transfer
of information to developing countries on the environmental aspects of
such items as: (i) the harvesting and industrialization of some tropical
hardwoods; (ii) pine cultures; (iii) the principles of forest management
systems and management science; (iv) soils and soil interpretations
management; (vi) forest industries pollution controls, including both
technical and economic data; (vii) methods for the evaluation of forest
resources through sampling techniques, remote sensing, and
data-processing; (viii) control of destructive fires and pest outbreaks;
and (ix) co-ordination in the area of the definition and standardization
of criteria and methods for the economic appraisal of forest
environmental influences and for the comparison of alternative uses.
Recommendation 28
It is recommended that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations strengthen its efforts in support of forestry projects and
research projects, possibly for production, in finding species which are
adaptable even in areas where this is exceptionally difficult because of
ecological conditions.
Recommendation 29
It is recommended that the Secretary-General ensure that the effect of
pollutants upon wildlife shall be considered, where appropriate, within
environmental monitoring systems. Particular attention should be paid to
those species of wildlife that may serve as indicators for future wide
environmental disturbances, and an ultimate impact upon human
populations.
Recommendation 30
It is recommended that the Secretary-General ensure the establishment of
a programme to expand present data-gathering processes so as to assess
the total economic value of wildlife resources.
(a) Such data would facilitate the task of monitoring the current
situation of animals endangered by their trade value, and demonstrate to
questioning nations the value of their resources;
(b) Such a programme should elaborate upon current efforts of the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and might well produce
a yearbook of wildlife g statistics.
Recommendation 31
It is recommended that the Secretary-General ensure that the appropriate
United Nations agencies co-operate with the Governments of the developing
countries to develop special short-term training courses on wildlife a
management:
(a) Priority should be given to conversion courses for personnel
trained in related disciplines such as forestry or animal husbandry;
(b) Special attention should be given to the establishment and support
of regional training schools for technicians.
Recommendation 32
It is recommended that Governments give attention to the need to enact
international conventions and treaties to protect species inhabiting
international waters or those which migrate from one country to another:
(a) A broadly-based convention should be considered which would provide
a framework by which criteria for game regulations could be agreed upon
and the over-exploitation of resources curtailed by signatory countries;
(b) A working group should be set up as soon as possible by the
need for, and possible scope of, such conventions or treaties.
Recommendation 33
It is recommended that Governments agree to strengthen the International
Whaling Commission, to increase international research efforts, and as a
matter of urgency to call for an international agreement, under the
auspices of the International Whaling Commission and involving all
Governments concerned, for a 10-year moratorium on commercial whaling.
Recommendation 34
It is recommended that Governments and the Secretary-General give special
attention to training requirements in the management of parks and
protected areas:
(a) High-level training should be provided and supported:
(i) In addition to integrating aspects of national parks planning
and management into courses on forestry and other subjects,
special degrees should be offered in park management; the
traditional forestry, soil and geology background of the park
manager must be broadened into an integrated approach;
(ii) Graduate courses in natural resources administration should be
made available in at least one major university in every
continent;
(b) Schools offering courses in national park management at a
medium-grade level should be assisted by the establishment or expansion
of facilities, particularly in Latin America and Asia.
Recommendation 35
It is recommended that the Secretary-General take steps to ensure that an
appropriate mechanism shall exist for the exchange of information on
national parks legislation and planning and management techniques
developed in some countries which could serve as guidelines to be made
available to any interested country.
Recommendation 36
It is recommended that the Secretary-General take steps to ensure that
the appropriate United Nations agencies shall assist the developing
countries to plan for the inflow of visitors into their protected areas
in such a way as to reconcile revenue and environmental considerations
within the context of the recommendations approved by the Conference. The
other international organizations concerned may likewise make their
contribution.
Recommendation 37
It is recommended that Governments take steps to coordinate, and
co-operate in the management of, neighbouring or contiguous protected
areas. Agreement should be reached on such aspects as mutual legislation,
patrolling systems, exchange of information, research projects,
collaboration on measures of burning, plant and animal control, fishery
regulations, censuses, tourist circuits and frontier formalities.
Recommendation 38
It is recommended that Governments take steps to set aside areas
representing ecosystems of international significance for protection
Recommendation 39
It is recommended that Governments, in co-operation with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations where indicated, agree to an
international programme to preserve the world’s genetic resources:
(a) Active participation at the national and international levels is
involved. It must be recognized, however, that while survey, collection,
and dissemination of these genetic resources are best carried out on a
regional or international basis, their actual evaluation and utilization
are matters for specific institutions and individual workers;
international participation in the latter should concern exchange of
techniques and findings;
(b) An international network is required with appropriate machinery to
facilitate the interchange of information and genetic material among
countries;
(c) Both static (seed banks, culture collection etc.) and dynamic
(conservation of populations in evolving natural environments) ways are
needed.
(d) Action is necessary in six interrelated areas:
(i) Survey of genetic resources;
(ii) Inventory of collections;
(iii) Exploration and collecting;
(iv) Documentation;
(v) Evaluation and utilization;
(vi) Conservation, which represents the crucial element to which all
other programmes relate;
(e) Although the international programme relates to all types of
genetic resources, the action required for each resource will vary
according to existing needs and activities.
Recommendation 40
It is recommended that Governments, in co-operation with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations where indicated, make inventories of
the genetic resources most endangered by depletion or extinction:
(a) All species threatened by man’s development should be included in
such inventories;
(b) Special attention should be given to locating in this field those
areas of natural genetic diversity that are disappearing;
(c) These inventories should be reviewed periodically and brought up to
date by appropriate monitoring;
(d) The survey conducted by FAO in collaboration with the International
Biological Programme is designed to provide information on endangered
crop genetic resources by 1972, but will require extension and follow-up.
Recommendation 41
It is recommended that Governments, in co-operation with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations where indicated, compile or extend, as
(a) Such registers should identify which breeding and experiment
stations, research institutions and Universities maintain which
collections;
(b) Major gaps in existing collections should be identified where
material is in danger of being lost;
(c) These inventories of collections should be transformed for computer
handling and made available to all potential users;
(d) In respect of plants:
(i) It would be expected that the “advanced varieties” would be well
represented, but that primitive materials would be found to be
scarce and require subsequent action;
(ii) The action already initiated by FAO, several national
institutions, and international foundations should be supported
and expanded.
(e) In respect of micro-organisms, it is recommended that each nation
develop comprehensive inventories of culture collections:
(i) A cataloguing of the large and small collections and the value
of their holdings is required, rather than a listing of
individual strains;
(ii) Many very small but unique collections, sometimes the works of a
single specialist, are lost;
(iii) Governments should make sure that valuable gene pools held by
individuals or small institutes are also held in national or
regional collections.
(f) In respect of animal germ plasm, it is recommended that FAO
establish a continuing mechanism to assess and maintain catalogues of the
characteristics of domestic animal breeds, types and varieties in all
nations of the world. Likewise, FAO should establish such lists where
required.
(g) In respect of aquatic organisms, it is recommended that FAO compile
a catalogue of genetic resources of cultivated species and promote
intensive studies on the methods of preservation and storage of genetic
material.
Recommendation 42
It is recommended that Governments, in co-operation with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations where indicated, initiate immediately,
in cooperation with all interested parties, programmes of exploration and
collection wherever endangered species have been identified which are not
included in existing collections:
(a) An emergency programme, with the co-operation of the Man and the
Biosphere Programme, of plant exploration and collection should be
launched on the basis of the FAO List of Emergency Situations for a
five-year period;
(b) With regard to forestry species, in addition to the efforts of the
Danish/FAO Forest Tree Seed Centre, the International Union of Forestry
Research Organizations, and the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene
Africa, the East Indies and India.
Recommendation 43
It is recommended that Governments, in co-operation with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations where indicated:
1. Recognize that conservation is a most crucial part of any genetic
resources programme. Moreover, major types of genetic resources must be
treated separately because:
(a) They are each subject to different programmes and priorities;
(b) They serve different uses and purposes;
(c) They require different expertise, techniques and facilities;
2. In respect of plant germ plasms (agriculture and forestry), organize
and equip national or regional genetic resources conservation centres:
(a) Such centres as the National Seed Storage Laboratory in the United
States of America and the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry in the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics already provide good examples;
(b) Working collections should be established separately from the basic
collections; these will usually be located at plant and breeding stations
and will be widely distributed;
(c) Three classes of genetic crop resources must be
conserved:
(i) High-producing varieties in current use and those they have
superseded;
(ii) Primitive varieties of traditional pre-scientific agriculture
(recognized as genetic treasuries for plant improvement);
(iii) Mutations induced by radiation or chemical means;
(d) Species contributing to environmental improvement, such as sedge
used to stabilize sand-dunes, should be conserved;
(e) Wild or weed relatives of crop species and those wild species of
actual or potential use in rangelands, industry, new crops etc. should be
included;
3. In respect of plant germ plasms (agriculture and forestry), maintain
gene pools of wild plant species within their natural communities.
Therefore:
(a) It is essential that primeval forests, bushlands and grasslands
which contain important forest genetic resources be identified and
protected by appropriate technical and legal means; systems of reserves
exist in most countries, but a strengthening of international
understanding on methods of protection and on availability of material
may be desired;
(b) Conservation of species of medical, aesthetic or research value
should be assured;
(c) The network of biological reserves proposed by UNESCO (Man and the
Biosphere Programme) should be designed, where feasible, to protect these
(d) Where protection in nature becomes uncertain or impossible, then
means such as seed storage or living collections in provenance trials or
botanic gardens must be adopted;
4. Fully implement the programmes initiated by the FAO Panels of Experts
on forest gene resources in 1968 and on plant exploration and
introduction in 1970;
5. In respect of animal germ plasms, consider the desirability and
feasibility of international action to preserve breeds or varieties of
animals:
(a) Because such an endeavour would constitute a major effort beyond
the scope of any one nation, FAO would be the logical executor of such a
project. Close co-operation with Governments would be necessary, however.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
might, logically, be given responsibility for wild species, in
co-operation with FAO, the Man and the Biosphere Programme (UNESCO), and
Governments;
(b) Any such effort should also include research on methods of
preserving, storing, and transporting germ plasm;
(c) Specific methods for the maintenance of gene pools of aquatic
species should be developed;
(d) The recommendations of the FAO Working Party Meeting on Genetic
Selection and Conservation of Genetic Resources of Fish, held in 1971,
should be implemented;
6. In respect of micro-organism germ plasms, cooperatively establish and
properly fund a few large regional collections:
(a) Full use should be made of major collections now in existence;
(b) In order to provide geographical distribution and access to the
developing nations, regional centres should be established in Africa,
Asia and Latin America and the existing centres in the developed world
should be strengthened;
7. Establish conservation centres of insect germ plasm. The very
difficult and long process of selecting or breeding insects conducive to
biological control programmes can begin only in this manner.
Recommendation 44
It is recommended that Governments, in co-operation with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations where indicated, recognize that
evaluation and utilization are critical corollaries to the conservation
of genetic resources. In respect of crop-breeding programmes, it is
recommended that Governments give special emphasis to:
(a) The quality of varieties and breeds and the potential for increased
yields;
(b) The ecological conditions to which the species are adapted;
(c) The resistance to diseases, pests and other adverse factors;
(d) The need for a multiplicity of efforts so as to increase the
chances of success.
Recommendation 45
It is recommended that Governments, in co-operation with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations where indicated:
1. Collaborate to establish a global network of national and regional
institutes relating to genetic resource conservation based on agreements
on the availability of material and information, on methods, on technical
standards, and on the need for technical and financial assistance
wherever required:
(a) Facilities should be designed to assure the use of the materials
and information: (i) by breeders, to develop varieties and breeds both
giving higher yields and having higher resistance to local pests and
diseases and other adverse factors; and (ii) by users providing
facilities and advice for the safest and most profitable utilization of
varieties and breeds most adapted to local conditions;
(b) Such co-operation would apply to all genetic resource conservation
centres and to all types mentioned in the foregoing recommendations;
(c) Standardized storage and retrieval facilities for the exchange of
information and genetic material should be developed:
(i) Information should be made generally available and its exchange
facilitated through agreement on methods and technical
standards;
(ii) International standards and regulations for the shipment of
materials should be agreed upon;
(iii) Basic collections and data banks should be replicated in at
least two distinct sites, and should remain a national
responsibility;
(iv) A standardized and computerized system of documentation is
required;
(d) Technical and financial assistance should be provided where
required; areas of genetic diversity are most frequently located in those
countries most poorly equipped to institute the necessary programmes;
2. Recognize that the need for liaison among the parties participating in
the global system of genetic resources conservation requires certain
institutional innovations. To this end:
(a) It is recommended that the appropriate United Nations agency
establish an international liaison unit for plant genetic resources in
order:
(i) To improve liaison between governmental and non-governmental
efforts;
(ii) To assist in the liaison and co-operation between national and
regional centres, with special emphasis on international
agreements on methodology and standards of conservation of
genetic material, standardization and co-ordination of
computerized record systems, and the exchange of information and
material between such centres;
(iii) To assist in implementing training courses in exploration,
conservation and breeding methods and techniques;
(iv) To act as a central repository for copies of computerized
information on gene pools (discs and tapes);
(v) To provide the secretariat for periodic meetings of
international panels and seminars on the subject; a conference
on germ plasm conservation might be convened to follow up the
successful conference of 1967;
(vi) To plan and co-ordinate the five-year emergency programme on the
conservation of endangered species;
(vii) To assist Governments further, wherever required, in
implementing their national programmes;
(viii) To promote the evaluation and utilization of genetic resources
at the national and international levels;
(b) It is recommended that the appropriate United Nations agency
initiate the required programme on micro-organism germ plasm:
(i) Periodic international conferences involving those concerned
with the maintenance of and research on gene pools of
micro-organisms should be supported;
(ii) Such a programme might interact with the proposed regional
culture centres by assuring that each centre places high
priority on the training of scientists and technicians from the
developing nations; acting as a necessary liaison; and lending
financial assistance to those countries established outside the
developed countries;
(iii) The international exchange of pure collections of
micro-organisms between the major collections of the world has
operated for many years and requires little re-enforcement;
(iv) Study should be conducted particularly on waste disposal and
recycling, controlling diseases and pests, and food technology
and nutrition;
(c) It is recommended that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations institute a programme in respect of animal germ plasm to
assess and maintain catalogues of the economic characteristics of
domestic animal breeds and types.and of wild species and to establish
gene pools of potentially useful types;
(d) It is recommended that the Man and the Biosphere project on the
conservation of natural areas and the genetic material contained therein
should be adequately supported.
Recommendation 46
It is recommended that Governments, and the Secretary-General in
co-operation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations and other United Nations organizations concerned, as well as
development assistance agencies, take steps to support recent guidelines,
recommendations and programmes of the various international fishing
organizations. A large part of the needed international action has been
identified with action programmes initiated by FAO and its
Intergovernmental Committee on Fisheries and approximately 24 other
bilateral and multilateral international commissions, councils and
committees. In particular these organizations are planning and
undertaking:
Expanded Programme of Oceanic Research), GIPME (Global Investigation of
Pollution in the Marine Environment) and IBP (International Biological
Programme);
(b) Exchange of data, supplementing and expanding the services
maintained by FAO and bodies within its framework in compiling,
disseminating and co-ordinating information on living aquatic resources
and their environment and fisheries activities;
(c) Evaluation and monitoring of world fishery resources, environmental
conditions, stock assessment, including statistics on catch and effort,
and the economics of fisheries;
(d) Assistance to Governments in interpreting the implications of such
assessments, identifying alternative management measures, and formulating
required actions;
(e) Special programmes and recommendations for management of stocks of
fish and other aquatic animals proposed by the existing international
fishery bodies. Damage to fish stocks has often occurred because
regulatory action is taken too slowly. In the past, the need for
management action to be nearly unanimous has reduced action to the
minimum acceptable level.
Recommendation 47
It is recommended that Governments, and the Secretary-General of the
United Nations in co-operation with the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations and other United Nations organizations concerned,
as well as development assistance agencies, take steps to ensure close
participation of fishery agencies and interests in the preparations for
the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. In order to
safeguard the marine environment and its resources through the
development of effective and workable principles and laws, the
information and insight of international and regional fishery bodies, as
well as the national fishery agencies are essential.
Recommendation 48
It is recommended that Governments, and the Secretary-General in
co-operation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations and other United Nations organizations concerned, as well as
development assistance agencies, take steps to ensure international
co-operation in the research, control and regulation of the side effects
of national activities in resource utilization where these affect the
aquatic resources of other nations:
(a) Estuaries, intertidal marshes, and other near-shore and in-shore
environments play a crucial role in the maintenance of several marine
fish stocks. Similar problems exist in those fresh-water fisheries that
occur in shared waters;
(b) Discharge of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and other wastes may
affect even high-seas resources;
(c) Certain exotic species, notably the carp, lamprey and alewife, have
invaded international waters with deleterious effects as a result of
unregulated unilateral action.
Recommendation 49
It is recommended that Governments, and the Secretary-General of the
United Nations in co-operation with the Food and Agriculture Organization
as well as development assistance agencies, take steps to develop further
and strengthen facilities for collecting, analysing and disseminating
data on living aquatic resources and the environment in which they live:
(a) Data already exist concerning the total harvest from the oceans and
from certain regions in respect of individual fish stocks, their
quantity, and the fishing efforts expended on them, and in respect of
their population structure, distribution and changes. This coverage needs
to be improved and extended;
(b) It is clear that a much greater range of biological parameters must
be monitored and analysed in order to provide an adequate basis for
evaluating the interaction of stocks and managing the combined resources
of many stocks. There is no institutional constraint on this expansion
but a substantial increase in funding is needed by FAO and other
international organizations concerned to meet this expanding need for
data;
(c) Full utilization of present and expanded data facilities is
dependent on the co-operation of Governments in developing local and
regional data networks, making existing data available to FAO and to the
international bodies, and formalizing the links between national and
international agencies responsible for monitoring and evaluating fishery
resources.
Recommendation 50
It is recommended that Governments, and the Secretary-General of the
United Nations in co-operation with the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations and other United Nations organizations concerned,
as well as development assistance agencies, take steps to ensure full
co-operation among Governments by strengthening the existing
international and regional machinery for development and management of
fisheries and their related environmental aspects and, in those regions
where these do not exist, to encourage the establishment of fishery
councils and commissions as appropriate.
(a) The operational efficiency of these bodies will, depend largely on
the ability of the participating countries to carry out their share of
the activities and programmes;
(b) Technical support and servicing from the specialized agencies, in
particular from FAO, is also required;
(c) The assistance of bilateral and international funding agencies will
be needed to ensure the full participation of the developing countries in
these activities.
Recommendation 51
It is recommended that Governments concerned consider the creation of
river-basin commissions or other appropriate machinery for co-operation
between interested States for water resources common to more than one
jurisdiction.
(a) In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the
principles of international law, full consideration must be given to the
right of permanent sovereignty of each country concerned to develop its
own resources;
(b) The following principles should be considered by the States
concerned when appropriate:
contemplated that may have a significant environmental effect on
another country, the other country should be notified well in
advance of the activity envisaged;
(ii) The basic objective of all water resource use and development
activities from the environmental point of view is to ensure the
best use of water and to avoid its pollution in each country;
(iii) The net benefits of hydrologic regions common to more than one
national jurisdiction are to be shared equitably by the nations
affected;
(c) Such arrangements, when deemed appropriate by the States concerned,
will permit undertaking on a regional basis:
(i) Collection, analysis, and exchanges of hydrologic data through
some international mechanism agreed upon by the States
concerned;
(ii) Joint data-collection programmes to serve planning needs;
(iii) Assessment of environmental effects of existing water uses;
(iv) Joint study of the causes and symptoms of problems related to
water resources, taking into account the technical, economic,
and social considerations of water quality control;
(v) Rational use, including a programme of quality control, of the
water resource as an environmental asset;
(vi) Provision for the judicial and administrative protection of
water rights and claims;
(vii) Prevention and settlement of disputes with reference to the
management and conservation of water resources;
(viii) Financial and technical co-operation of a shared resource;
(d) Regional conferences should be organized to promote the above
considerations.
Recommendation 52
It is recommended that the Secretary-General take steps to ensure that
appropriate United Nations bodies support government action with regard
to water resources where required:
1. Reference is made to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological
Organization, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United
Nations Secretariat (Resources and Transport Division), the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization/International
Hydrological Decade, the regional economic commissions and the United
Nations Economic and Social Office in Beirut. For example:
(a) The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has
established a Commission on Land and Water Use for the Middle East which
promotes regional co-operation in research, training and information,
inter alia on water management problems;
(b) The World Health Organization has available the International
Reference Centre for Waste Disposal located at Dubendorf, Switzerland,
and International Reference Centre on Community Water Supply in the
(c) The World Meteorological Organization has a Commission on Hydrology
which provides guidance on data collection and on the establishment of
hydrological networks;
(d) The Resources and Transport Division of the Department of Economic
and Social Affairs, United Nations Secretariat, has the United Nations
Water Resources Development Centre;
(e) The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization is sponsoring the International Hydrological Decade
programme of co-ordinated research on the quality and quantity of world
water resources.
2. Similar specialized centres should be established at the regional
level in developing countries for training research and information
exchange on:
(a) Inland water pollution and waste disposal in cooperation with the
World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, the United Nations regional economic commissions and the
United Nations Economic and Social Office in Beirut;
(b) Water management for rain-fed and irrigated agriculture, by the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in co-operation
with the regional economic commissions and the United Nations Economic
and Social Office in Beirut,
(c) Integrated water resources planning and management in co-operation
with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations
Secretariat (Resources and Transport Division), the regional economic
commissions, and the United Nations Economic and Social Office in Beirut.
Recommendation 53
It is recommended that the Secretary-General take steps to ensure that
the United Nations system is prepared to provide technical and financial
assistance to Governments when requested in the different functions of
water resources management:
(a) Surveys and inventories;
(b) Water resources administration and policies, including:
(i) The establishment of institutional frameworks;
(ii) Economic structures of water resources management and
development;
(iii) Water resources law and legislation;
(c) Planning and management techniques, including:
(i) The assignment of water quality standards;
(ii) The implementation of appropriate technology;
(iii) More efficient use and re-use of limited water supplies;
(d) Basic and applied studies and research;
(e) Transfer of existing knowledge;
(f) Continuing support of the programme of the International
Hydrological Decade.
Recommendation 54
It is recommended that the Secretary-General take steps to establish a
roster of experts who would be available to assist Governments, upon
request, to anticipate and evaluate the environmental effects of major
water development projects. Governments would have the opportunity of
consulting teams of experts drawn from this roster, in the first stages
of project planning. Guidelines could be prepared to assist in the r