CM/Res.852 (XXXVII) RESOLUTION ON WORLD CHARTER FOR NATURE
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Thirty-seventh Ordinary Session in Nairobi, Kenya from 15 to 26 June, 1981,
Conscious that life on earth is part of Nature and that it depends on the uninterrupted functioning of natural systems,
Convinced that the benefits that can be derived from Nature depend on the conservation and maintenance of natural processes and of the diversity of forms of life and that these benefits are jeopardized by excessive or abusive exploitation and destruction of the natural habitats,
Strongly determined to safeguard the balance of natural systems and to ensure the protection and conservation of Nature,
Considering that the Extraordinary meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegations of Non-Aligned Countries, held in New York from 2 to 3 October 1980, retained the question of the World Charter for Nature as one of the priority items to be considered by the United Nations General Assembly,
Recalling the pertinent provisions of the Lagos Plan of Action on the protection of Nature and environment,
Recalling Resolution 35/7 of 30 October 1980 adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization on the Draft Word Charter for Nature which, solemnly invites, all states, in the exercise of their permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, to conduct their activities in recognition of the supreme importance of protecting the natural systems, maintaining the balance and the quality of Nature and conserving natural resources in the interest of humanity as a whole:
AFFIRMS that the destruction of the eco-systems and the over-exploitation of resources lead to the collapse of the economic, social and political structures of civilization;
RECOMMENDS therefore that the United Nations General Assembly adopt the draft World Charter for Nature;
REQUESTS the African Group at the United Nations to follow-up the matter;
REQUESTS the Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization, in conformity with operative paragraph 4 of Resolution 35/7 of 30 October, 1980, and in co-operation with the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and of its Resources, to speed up the formulation of appropriate recommendations for the final adoption of the World Charter for Nature.