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The Un Regional Economic Commissions and Environmental Problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2009

Amasa S. Bishop  and
Robert D. Munro
Amasa S. Bishop
Affiliation:
Amasa S. Bishop is the director of the Environment and Housing Division, Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)
Robert D. Munro
Affiliation:
Robert D. Munro is an associate of the division. The authors, while assuming sole responsibility for the text, wish to acknowledge the constructive comments and suggestions of M. Fagen, B. F. Reiner, and S. Kalnins. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the United Nations.
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Extract

A cursory glance at a map, a university curriculum, or a government organization chart will confirm that man has a remarkable capacity for establishing arbitrary boundaries. Moreover, he has usually claimed a degree of sovereignty within those boundaries which he would energetically defend and, if possible, extend. We would continue to believe that we could reasonably afford our independent behavior except for the recent “discovery” that the human environment is not only a complex but also a finite system. Environmental problems, or, more particularly, the harmful effects of man's activities on his environment, challenge our exclusiveness and affect our existing territorial, disciplinary, and institutional boundaries simply because they transcend them. Of the many factors to be taken into account in dealing with environmental problems two have particular importance: the identification of the geographical level at which action can effectively be taken and the choice of the appropriate legal and institutional instruments to be employed.

Type
Part 3. International Institutions: Their Present and Potential Roles
Information
International Organization , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , Spring 1972 , pp. 348 - 371
Copyright
Copyright © The IO Foundation 1972

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References

1 Five major regional meetings on environmental problems were held during 1971. In three regions — Asia and the Far East, Latin America, and Africa — seminars were jointly sponsored by the respective regional economic commissions and the secretariat for the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. In the Near East the regional seminar was held under the joint auspices of the UN Economic and Social Office at Beirut and the UN conference secretariat. In the fifth region, Europe,1 a symposium was held under the auspices of the ECE. The reports of the five meetings were designated as basic papers for the UN conference and used in developing the major position papers.

2 Myrdal, Gunnar, “The Intergovernmental Organizations and the Role of their Secretariats” (The W. Clifford Clark Memorial Lectures, 1969), reprinted from Canadian Public Administration, Fall 1969 (Vol. 12, No. 3), p. 12.Google Scholar

3 The four commissions and the year in which each was established are: the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), 1947; the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE), 1947; the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA), 1948; and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), 1958. Near East countries are served by a bureau of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs at Beirut.

4 For a skeptical review of the Dumbarton Oaks proposals on this question see Myrdal, Gunnar, “Relation to the Specialized Agencies in the Economic and Social Field,” in Peace and Security after the Second World War (Stock- holm: Alnquist and Wiksell, 1945), pp. 173–190.Google Scholar

5 The terms of reference for each commission are contained in the following documents: ECE (UN Document E/ECE/788); ECAFE (UN Document E/CN.11/539, Rev. 1); ECLA (UN Document E/CN.12/544); and ECA (UN Document E/CN.14/lll/Rev. 4).

6 There are significant exceptions. For example, the Federal Republic of Germany, while not a member of the United Nations, is a member of the ECE. The Republic of South Africa, while both a member of the United Nations and located within the ECA region, was precluded from participation in the work of the ECA by ECOSOC Resolution 974 D IV (XXXVI), July 22, 1963.

7 Countries which are full members of the regional commissions although not located in the region include: ECE — the United States; ECLA — France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; ECAFE — France, the Netherlands, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom, and the United States. (The Soviet Union, though geographically part of both Europe and Asia, is a member of the ECE.)

8 See Development and Environment, Report submitted by a panel of experts convened by the secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Founex, Switz., June 4–12, 1971 (UN Document GE.71–13738), p. 1.

9 For a complete list and review of the environmental problems most commonly experienced by the countries in the region see Report on the Seminar on Development and Environment, Bangkok, 08 17–23, 1971 (UN Document E/CN.11/999), p. 11 ff.;Google Scholar see also the Report of the Regional Seminar on the Ecological Implications of Rural and Urban Population Growth, Bangkok, August 25-September 3, 1971 (UN Document E/CN.11/L.312).

10 Report on the Ecological Implications of Rural and Urban Population Growth, p. 17.

11 Ibid., pp. 12–13.

12 Report on the Seminar on Development and Environment, Bangkok, p. 36.

13 Ibid., p. 15.

14 See Report of the First All-African Seminar on the Human Environment, Addis Ababa, August 23–28, 1971 (UN Document E/CN.14/532).

15 Ibid., p. 12.

16 See Report of the Latin American Regional Seminar on Problems of the Human Environment and Development, Mexico City, September 6–11, 1971 (UN Document ST/ECLA/CONF.40/L.5/Rev.l); see also The Human Environment in Latin America (UN Document E/CN.12/898).

17 The Human Environment in Latin America, p. 18.

18 Problems of the Human Environment and Development, Mexico City, pp. 21–22.Google Scholar

19 Development and Environment, Founex, p. 6.

20 Ibid., pp. 2–3.

21 See, for example, The Declaration and Principles of the Action Programme of Lima, adopted by the Group of 77 at the Second Ministerial Meeting, Lima, 11 7, 1971 (UN Document TD/143), especially pp. 30–31.Google Scholar

22 General Assembly Resolution 2849 (XXVI), December 20, 1971.

23 Development and Environment, Founex, p. 32.

24 Stanovnik, J., “The Human Environment — International Dimensions of) the Problem,” an address to the Annual Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations listed with the United Nations Office of Public Information, 05 25–26, 1971, p. 32.Google Scholar

25 See Myrdal, Gunnar, “Twenty Years of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe,” International Organization, Spring 1968 (Vol. 22, No. 3), pp. 617–628.Google Scholar Myrdal was the executive secretary of the ECE during the first decade of its work, 1947–1957.

26 See Ganyushkin, B., “Pollution: An Important International Problem,” International Affairs, 01 1971 (Vol. 47, No. 1), p. 33.Google Scholar

27 See Kennan, George F., “To Prevent a World Wasteland,“ Foreign Affairs, 04 1970 (Vol. 48, No. 3), p. 413.Google Scholar Problems of security and environment have been directly linked. Premier Alexei Kosygin has been reported as suggesting that the Soviet Union and the United States negotiate an agreement to cooperate in a major fight against environmental pollution, using funds diverted from defense budgets following an arrangement at the SALT talks. See the New York Times, 07 17, 1971, p. 36.Google Scholar Environmental problems are also a major item on the agenda developed by the Warsaw Treaty Organization for the proposed European security conference.

28 ECE Resolution 5 (XXIV), April 23, 1969.

29 ECE Resolution 5 (XXII), April 28, 1967.

30 See “Review of Country Monographs on Problems relating to Environment,” in ECE Symposium on Problems relating to Environment, Prague, 05 2–15, 1971 (UN Document ST/ECE/ENV/I), pp. 31–38.Google Scholar

31 The discussion papers and studies are included with the proceedings of the symposium in the document cited in the preceding footnote.

32 For a summary of the commission discussions on the participation of the German Democratic Republic see UN Document E/5001, pp. 7–10. For the discussions on the conference see pp. 56–57.

33 ECE Decision J (XXVI), April 29, 1971.

34 For a review of all activities in 1971 related to environmental problems see the recent report to ECE governments by the executive secretary on The Commission's Activities and Implementation of Priorities (UN Document E/ECE/817), paragraphs 19–22.

35 Ibid., paragraphs 81–83.

36 At the commission session in May 1971 Resolution 1 (XXVI) committed the ECE to devoting greater attention in implementing priority tasks to those programs of special interest to the least developed members.

37 U Thant, Address by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Twenty-Sixth Session of the Economic Commission for Europe (UN Document E/5001, Annex 1), p. 4.

38 Ibid., p. 4.

39 Skolnikoff, Eugene B., “Technology and the Future Growth of International Organizations,” Technology Review, 06 1971 (Vol. 73, No. 8), p. 47.Google Scholar

40 Following ECOSOC Resolution 1553 (XLIX), July 30, 1970.

41 The views of governments are expressed in the following documents: ECE (UN Document E/ECE/788); ECAFE (UN Document E/CN.11/L.285); ECLA (UN Document E/CN.12/895 and Add. 1 and 2); and the ECA (UN Document E/CN.14/513).

42 See Balk, Walter and Heaphey, James J., “Centralization of the International Civil Service: A Critique,” Public Administration Review, 05/06 1970 (No. 3), pp. 254–257.Google Scholar

43 The articles by Anthony Judge in International Associations over the last several years explore some of these needs and possibilities for future international organizational arrangements. See, for example, “The World Network of Organizations: A Symbol for the 70s,” International Associations, 01 1972 (24th Year, No. 1), pp. 18–24.Google Scholar

44 It has been suggested that “the time lag between detection of, and action on, a growing problem by a non-political body and recognition of a problem by political bodies May be precisely the difference between a minor problem requiring few resources and a major problem requiring much more resources.” See Judge, Anthony, “Planning for the 1960s in the 1970s,” International Associations, 1970 (22nd Year, No. 3), p. 140.Google Scholar