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Last edited 01 Jul 2024

The 26 principles of the Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment

1 The relevance of the Stockholm Declaration for construction
2 Proclamations of the Stockholm Declaration
3 The 26 principles of the Stockholm Declaration
4 Related articles on Designing Buildings
5 External links

[edit] The relevance of the Stockholm Declaration for construction

The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment occurred in Stockholm from 5 to 16 June 1972, it was a significant event for construction because the built environment is essentially the primary environment of humans. The Stockholm declaration was the first time that a set of principles were developed and agreed upon, on a global scale to tackle the many and varied issues facing the growing global population. The event set a precedent for the many later international agreements trying to tackle the plethora of issues trying to achieve sustainable development.

[edit] Proclamations of the Stockholm Declaration

The outputs of the Stockholm event made a number of proclamations intended as an introductory context, setting the scene for the declaration to be agreed by the attendees. In summary these included
Humans depend on and shape their environment, which supports their physical and intellectual growth, whilst advances in science and technology have given unprecedented power for transformation affecting well-being and fundamental rights.
Protecting and improving the environment is crucial for global well-being and economic development, requiring urgent action from all governments.
Human progress can enhance or harm the environment and current environmental issues include; pollution, ecological imbalance, resource depletion, as well as health hazards in both natural and man-made environments.
Development to meet basic needs in the developing world is required, but needs to be balanced with environmental protection, while developed nations support this whilst addressing their own pollution issues from industrialisation.
Population growth poses environmental challenges, that require appropriate policies. Human innovation drives social progress and environmental transformation, with increasing capacity to improve the environment.
Humanity must act wisely to prevent irreversible environmental damage, and prudent action can lead to a better environment, aligned with the goals of peace and global development. Collaboration is needed to build a better environment for future generations.
Achieving environmental goals requires responsibility from individuals, communities, businesses, and governments at all levels. International cooperation is essential to support developing countries and address global environmental issues through joint action.

[edit] The 26 principles of the Stockholm Declaration

The 26 principles of Stockholm Declaration of The United Nations Conference On the Human Environment from 1972 were:

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 1

Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being, and he bears a solemn responsibility to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations. In this respect, policies promoting or perpetuating apartheid, racial segregation, discrimination, colonial and other forms of oppression and foreign domination stand condemned and must be eliminated.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 2

The natural resources of the earth, including the air, water, land, flora and fauna and especially representative samples of natural ecosystems, must be safeguarded for the benefit of present and future generations through careful planning or management, as appropriate.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 3

The capacity of the earth to produce vital renewable resources must be maintained and, wherever practicable, restored or improved.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 4

Man has a special responsibility to safeguard and wisely manage the heritage of wildlife and its habitat, which are now gravely imperilled by a combination of adverse factors. Nature conservation, including wildlife, must therefore receive importance in planning for economic development.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 5

The non-renewable resources of the earth must be employed in such a way as to guard against the danger of their future exhaustion and to ensure that benefits from such employment are shared by all mankind.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 6

The discharge of toxic substances or of other substances and the release of heat, in such quantities or concentrations as to exceed the capacity of the environment to render them harmless, must be halted in order to ensure that serious or irreversible damage is not inflicted upon ecosystems. The just struggle of the peoples of ill countries against pollution should be supported.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 8

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

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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 organisations with a view to reaching agreement on meeting the possible national and international economic consequences resulting from the application of environmental measures.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 13

In order to achieve a more rational management of resources and thus to improve the environment, States should adopt an integrated and coordinated 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 15

Planning must be applied to human settlements and urbanisation 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 arc designed for colonialist and racist domination must be abandoned.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 17

Appropriate national institutions must be entrusted with the task of planning, managing or controlling the 9 environmental resources of States with a view to enhancing environmental quality.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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, disseminates information of an educational nature on the need to project and improve the environment in order to enable mal to develop in every respect.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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 connection, 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 22

States shall cooperate 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 24

International matters concerning the protection and improvement of the environment should be handled in a cooperative spirit by all countries, big and small, on an equal footing.

Cooperation 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.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration Principle 25

States shall ensure that international organisations play a coordinated, efficient and dynamic role for the protection and improvement of the environment.

[edit] Stockholm Declaration 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.