Unche And Unep

The Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment was a pioneering venture. Its novelty came primarily from the nature of the subject matter on its agenda. It spanned disciplines and jurisdictions. It could not be readily fitted within the framework of the organizations used by governments either to run their domestic affairs or to conduct international relations. Furthermore, the knowledge and appreciation of environmental issues was still rudimentary. Indeed, this was an area where international consciousness had been raised before the subject became a domestic concern in most countries. This was in contrast to other more traditional subjects dealt with by international conferences where, in devising their positions and strategies, governments could draw on their own practice, the existing domestic structures, well-defined interests, and an institutional memory. As a result, governments had to seek advice and guidance on how to approach this still uncharted terrain. They found it in the relatively narrow circle of those in the vanguard of environmental consciousness, namely, the scientists, academics and a few non-governmental organizations (NGOs). ¹ Also, they found it in the secretariats of the Conference itself and of the specialized agencies of the UN system, which, as a result, enjoyed a significant degree of initiative and were the principal shapers of the proposals and consensus that eventually materialized.