New York, 13 December 1973

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming principles 21, 22 and 24 of the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment[77], held at Stockholm from 5 to 16 June 1972,

Recalling its resolutions 2995 (XXVII), 2996 (XXVII) and 2997 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972 relating to co-operation between States in the field of the environment, to international responsibility of States in regard to the environment and to the establishment of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme, respectively,

Reaffirming the duty of the international community to adopt measures to protect and improve the environment, and particularly the need for continuous international collaboration to that end,

Convinced of the need to pursue, in the field of the environment, the elaboration of international norms conducive to the achievement of those purposes,

Taking note with satisfaction of the important Economic Declaration adopted by the Fourth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-aligned Countries, held at Algiers from 5 to 9 September 1973[78],

Conscious of the importance and urgency of safeguarding the conservation and exploitation of the natural resources shared by two or more States, by means of an effective system of co-operation, as indicated in the above-mentioned Economic Declaration of Algiers,

1. Considers that it is necessary to ensure effective co-operation between countries through the establishment of adequate international standards for the conservation and harmonious exploitation of natural resources common to two or more States in the context of the normal relations existing between them;

2. Considers further that co-operation between countries sharing such natural resources and interested in their exploitation must be developed on the basis of a system of information and prior consultation within the framework of the normal relations existing between them;

3. Requests the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme, in keeping with its function of promoting international co-operation according to the mandate conferred upon it by the General Assembly, to take duly into account the preceding paragraphs and to report on measures adopted for their implementation;

4. Urges Member States, within the framework of their mutual relations, to take fully into account the provisions of the present resolution.