You are viewing our old site. See the new one here
Canada said that the list put forward by the African Group was a good starting point. Australia later supported Canada and pointed out that there are other treaties that contain principles, including the Biodiversity and Climate Change Conventions, CITES, the Law of the Sea, and the environment protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. The Chair added the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution to this list. Benin commented that the UN Charter also has a section on principles.
A number of developing countries supported the list of principles put forward by African Group, as well as the need for a separate section on principles. Japan said that the principles should be incorporated in the preamble or the section on objectives. The US, supported by the UK, reserved its position on a separate section on principles. If principles are not intended to be binding, they should be in the preamble. If they are binding, they should be commitments.