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SYMPOSIUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL LAW

This symposium took place in Baden bei Wein, Austria, from 14-16 April 1994, where approximately 40 experts developed a series of recommendations for the CSD. These included: international environmental law should contribute to the objectives of sustainable development; soft law should be considered as an important interim step; equity is an important instrument to attain environmental justice; incentives are better than sanctions for monitoring and compliance control; compliance depends on national capacities; dispute avoidance provisions should be given preference over dispute settlement provisions; and measures dealing with international trade and international environmental law should involve greater cooperation between the World Trade Organization and environmental conventions. Delegates expressed skepticism about bringing convention secretariats together under an umbrella organization. No consensus was reached on the utility of principles in international environmental law.