The UN and the Global Commons: Development Without Destruction
Nico J. Schriver

An analysis of the contribution of international organizations to the idea of sustainable development and to the effective management of the global commons. This volume will include:

  • A review of UN and related work on global public goods and more especially in the seabed of the oceans and in space (including issues around the preservation of clean air).
  • The role played by the Law of the Sea deliberations and by the Independent World Commission on the Oceans.
  • The notion of the Common Heritage of Mankind.
  • Agenda 22 and the protection and preservation of the environment; follow-up conferences in Kyoto and Buenos Aires.
  • Changing views on population and sustainability including the role of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the series of World Population Conferences in Bucharest (1974), Mexico (1984) and Cairo (1994).
  • The notion of development as a precondition for voluntary reduction in family size.
  • The concept of sustainability as an integral component of all development efforts.