United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

The United Nations (UN) Conference on the Human Environment, also known as the Stockholm Conference, was the first UN conference focused on international environmental issues. Held in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 5 to 16, 1972, the conference reflected a growing interest in environmental issues worldwide and laid the foundation for global environmental governance. The final Declaration of the Stockholm Conference was an environmental manifesto that remains a forceful statement of the finite nature of Earth's resources and the necessity for man to safeguard them. A further result of the Stockholm Conference was creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in December 1972 to provide leadership and to coordinate global efforts to promote sustainability and safeguard the natural environment.

The roots of the Stockholm Conference lie ...