Tímarit lögfræðinga - 01.12.1989, Page 8

The United Nations Charter is meant to be the modern covenant of
man for co-existence and co-operation across frontiers regardless oí.
sex, race, colour, religion and language. And let me here emphasize
the very opening words of the Charter: “We, the Peoples of the United
Nations”. This formulation, taken from the Constitution of the United
States and proposed by the United States delegation to the San
Francisco Conference, is meant to emphasize that tlie United Nations
Charter expresses the will of the Peoples of the world — the human
race as a whole is involved, not only member States. This establishes
rights for mankind under international law, but it also entails obli-
gations.
9. Thus it follows from the principles laid down in the opening
paragraphs of the Preamble that we, States, nations, races and we as
individuals have far-reaching obligations for the conservation and
protection of our strange little spaceship, earth. These commitments
are beautifully summed up in the very first paragraphs of the
Preamble. “We the Peoples” of the United Nations determined:
1. “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war ...”
2. “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity
and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women
and of nations large and small”
3. “to establish conditions under which justice and respect for ...
international law can be maintained ...”
4. “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger
freedom”.
In order to attain these ends the Preamble further provides that
we are committed to “practice tolerance” and “live together in peace”
with one another. Our mutual relations shall be those of “good
neighbours”. And these golden rules of mankind are laid down as legal
commitments. They are truly expressions of Albert Schweitzer’s axiom
already mentioned: “Reverence for life and everything alive”.
10. These general principles have been further defined through the
activities of the United Nations and other appropriate fora. Thus a
series of United Nations General Assembly resolutions and declarations
have formulated the underlying legal principles for the protection of
our globe against pollution. Among the main contributions mention
may be made of the report of the United Nations Conference on the
Human Environment, the Stockholm Conference, which convened in
Stockholm in the period 5—16 June 1972.
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