Joanna Osiejewicz

Global Governance of Oil and Gas Resources in the International Legal Perspective


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rel="nofollow" href="#ulink_457d3f5e-90a4-50f6-991e-6530515510ac">55 The last document contains a catalogue of rules of conduct, among which the key principle is putting humanmankind at the centre of the process of sustainable development (No. 1). This process itself must take into account the needs of present and future generations (No. 3). Finally, environmental protection must be linked to economic development (No. 4). The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development aims to strike a balance between environmental protection and economic development in developing countries. Although the document is based on the Stockholm Declaration of 1972, it more explicitly refers to the exercise of sovereignty over resources both in the context of development and environmental protection. While No. 21 of the Stockholm Declaration declares that states have a sovereign right to exploit their own resources in accordance with their own environmental policy, Rule 2 of the Rio Declaration adds: “and (policy) of development”. Article 2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity introduces the term “sustainable use”, defined as using elements of biological diversity in such a way and with such intensity that it does not lead to long-term decline of biodiversity, by maintaining its potential in the way that meets the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.56 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity were open for signature at the Rio conference. Further global conferences, in particular the World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002 and the Rio+20 Sustainable Development Conference in 2012, continued global engagement in sustainable development and confirmed sovereignty over natural resources, along with state commitments for environmental protection and development as one of their essential elements.