UN General Assembly
1989

In the developing countries, the environment crisis is acute. In fact, foe close to a billion people living in these countries it is a matter of survival; and yet they have so far had the least say, given their economic situation. Effective protection of the environment cannot, realistically, take place in situations of human deprivation because the already limited financial and other resources can only be channelled towards economic and social development. There is, therefore a need for international co-operation in order to co-ordinate all our efforts and arrest the degradation of our common heritage: the environment. Success in this urgent international effort can be realized only if the developed industrialized countries extend all the necessary assistance - financial and technical - to the developing countries, as these countries still lack the necessary means.