DEPARTMENT OF STAT E WASHINGTO N August 24 197 0 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDEN T Subject U S Policy toward the Majo r International Organization s Dealing with the Environmen t Recommendation That the United States a exercise affirmativ e leadership in each of the three major internationa l organizations dealing with the environment -- th e United Nations the OECD and NATO -- b encourag e each organization to develop its special competence s to the fullest having due regard for political an d economic realities and the potential performance o f each organization Approve Disapprove Background Following your recent conversation with member s of the Council on Environmental Quality in which yo u emphasized the need to consider environmental problem s in the global context Chairman Russell Train in consultation with Daniel P Moynihan and the Special Assistant for Environmental Affairs Christian A Herter Jr recommended that a memorandum be prepared with a description of the major international organization s dealing with the environment and assessing how th e United States might wisely allocate its prioritie s among these organizations We sought this kind of a n appraisal as a guideline to our officials at home and - 2 abroad at a time when international activity on th e environment is increasing when planning for importan t international conferences in 1971 and 1972 is advancing rapidly and when two of these organizations the OEC D and the UN's Economic Commission for Europe have reor ganized their structure to concentrate more effectivel y on environmental problems The appraisal concludes that the United State s benefits by continued substantial participation in the work being done on the environment within the Unite d Nations the OECD and NATO Each of these organizations has special and unique attributes experienc e and potential for dealing with various aspects of th e environmental problems that will face us in the comin g years Each organization provides an important frame work to facilitate United States cooperation with othe r nations The United States has the opportunity in eac h organization to provide significant assistance and advi ce in making technology available to deal with specifi c environmental problems Equally this country has muc h to learn from other nations in areas where they appea r to have greater expertise e g regional planning i n land use population distribution and urban planning The appraisal recommends that the United State s encourage the fullest and most practical developmen t of the special attributes within each organization with due regard to political and economic realitie s and the actual potential of each It recommends that as areas of strength within each organization develop the United States give appropriate support to thos e developments which promise to have a genuine impac t in solving environmental issues At the same tim e the U S should strive to achieve mutual enforcemen t of their environmental activities according to an overall U S plan so as to assure effective utilizatio n of limited fiscal and manpower resources in furtheranc e of U S interests A summary description of the three organization s and of the work in which they are or plan to be engage d is enclosed The description also appraises the specia l strengths and competence of each organization Acting Secretary Enclosure As stated SCI -- Christian A Herter Jr THE SECRETARY OF STAT E WASHINGTON Summary Description and Appraisa l of th e Major International Organization s Dealing with the Environment There are three principal international organization s dealing with environmental problems They are th e United Nations proper as well as the regional U N Organization for Europe the ECE and the U N specialize d agencies the Organization for Economic Cooperatio n and Development OECD and NATO through the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society CCMS 1 United Nation s a The 1972 Stockholm Conference Sweden wil l host a major U N Conference on the Human Environmen t in Stockholm in June 1972 The decision to hold thi s Conference reflects the intensified work on environ mental problems undertaken in the General Assembly the Economic and Social Council and the U N Secretariat resulting for example in research planning and de velopment assistance programs on the urban environmen t and non-renewable natural resources and on the cause s and impact of pollution on a worldwide scale The President's public endorsement of this Conference ha s expressed U S recognition that this forum is of th e greatest importance for mobilizing the nations of th e world to deal effectively with certain environmenta l problems as intrinsically international problems It is the only conference of this kind in which th e less developed countries will participate and it i s of utmost importance that these countries take part i n a substantive Way which would reflect their real a l though still largely unacknowledged self-interest i n joint action to improve the environment -2 The U N Conference can lead to one or more conven tions treating international environmental problems an d may establish an international organization of a new kind to handle these problems In short the Stockholm Conference provides a focu s for work on broad issues of environmental policie s and administration in the international field It s success in realistic and lasting terms will be important not only for the reputation of the United Nations itsel f but also for the work of international cooperation i n this field over the next decade b TheU N Economic Commission for Europe ECE The ECE has planned a conference of industrialized nation s from the East and West for May ' 1971 in Prague ECE i s a principal forum in which East West relations can b e improved Environmental problems common to East Wes t industrialized nations can often transcend politica l differences and ECE provides a setting in which continu ous contacts with Eastern Europe and the USSR can b e maintained Further the U S has pushed hard -- includ ing through NATO CCMS -- to upgrade the participation i n the Prague Conference to that of ministerial level and Chairman Train has been designated to lead the U S delegation at Prague Although the ECE because of its politically divergent membership Cannot itself be expected to undertak e dramatic operational tasks on the environment it ha s a respectable capability for joint studies leading t o agreement on regulations and standards Its reorganize d Secretariat Staff should be able to focus more systemati c ally on questions of the environment Under the leade r ship of its energetic Yugoslav Secretary-General Jano s Stanovnik the ECE will unquestionably play a usefu l and more active role in consequence of Prague and Stanovnik hopes that this conference can be preparator y to that of the U N in Stockholm As planning for the Conference proceeds the U S will explore the attitudes of the USSR and the mos t interested Eastern European states particularly Romania Poland Czechoslovakia and Hungary and identify possible -3 new areas for realistic East-West environmental cooperatio n within the ECE framework Prospects for this are reason ably bright sin e both NATO and the Warsaw Pact have a nowledged the value of environmental cooperatione ck Th Warsaw Pact states will doubtless push hard to secure Eas t German participation in the ECE Conference The U S handling of this sensitive issue will hinge in part on th e state of inter-German relations and in part on the cours e of international negotiations affecting Germany in which the U S and other Western governments are currently in volved c United Nations and the Specialized Agencies The specialized agencies of the U N have by and large compiled impressive records of achievement on a sound technical and non-political basis in such fields a s land use and conservation of natural resources FAO atmospheric monitoring disaster prediction services and weather forecasting information WMO internationa l health problems of the broadest range WHO certain as pects of oil pollution on the high seas IMO nois e ICAO and monitoring of radioactive pollution IAEA Clearly we should continue to take an active part in th e work of these agencies and in addition should conside r ways in which their individual fields of specialization can be more effectively related one to the other and placed in the broader context of world environmenta l quality 2 The OECD whose membership includes the nation s of Western Europe in addition to Japan Canada and th e United States brings together all the major non-Communis t industrial powers in a forum dedicated to developin g international economic cooperation It has been engaged for a number of years in work on environmental problems and is developing the particular experience and professiona l competence needed for analyzing the economic aspects o f environmental control An Environment Committee has recently been established to study a wide range of economic questions related -4 to environmental problems and to coordinate the work o f the relevant sections of the Organization on thes e issues in order to offer governments specific policy oriented conclusions and recommendations for action The Committee will appraise the possible effects o f environmental measures on international trade develo p and improve indicators of economic and social well-being and analyze how the diversion of resources to combatin g environmental degradation might affect economic growt h and production Such economic and social problems hav e international aspects that will require the developmen t of close cooperation among the developed countries fo r effective solutions a function for which the OECD i s especially suited There is no doubt that the U S as a major trading nation has a vital interest in the work of the OECD in general as well as in specific OECD activities i n the environment field such as air pollution water re sources management unintended occurrence of pesticide s in the environment noise urban development and trans port policy OECD Secretary General Emile van Lenne p takes a strong personal interest in strengthening thi s aspect of OECD work and the U S strongly supports th e development of this improved OECD capability and th e Organization ' s emphasis on the economic issues of th e environment 3 NATO CCMS Established in 1969 as a direct resul t of the President's initiative the CCMS has effectivel y tackled specific issues such as air and open water pollution flood and earthquake disaster relief water pollution and road safety Despite initial reservations on the part of some NAT O members CCMS has shown that the pilot country concep t applied to environmental problems is an effective manager ial device to cut through international bureaucracy an d achieve specific results in clearly defined areas within a specific time period under the leadership of one or two interested countries The NATO capacity to gain acces s to authoritative political levels and its orientatio n toward action have also given through CCMS a new kind o f impetus to work on the environment -S Because of its derivation as a major Presidential initiative and the importance we have accorded CCMS politicall y and in the environmental field the United States should giv e special attention to pilot projects launched under CCMS aegi s to assure their timely success CCMS was conceived primarily not as an operationa l agency but rather as a catalyst that would generate actio n by member countries either individually or in appropriat e international organizations The unique character of CCM S deriving from its links to high policy levels in Allie d Governments renders it most suitable as a primary initiato r for major innovative programs and-policies requiring a hig h degree of coordination among the technically advanced an d industrialized Allied countries To achieve our politica l and environmental purposes it is imperative that project s under CCMS sponsorship be given special support with respec t to obtaining the cooperation of our Allies Thus not only is our full commitment needed but we must continu e our efforts to win full Allied support The U S believes that the momentum and experienc e gained in this framework represent valuable assets wit h useful implication$ for other international organizations The CCMS effort warrants our continued strong support Any sign that the U S is slackening in this support would create doubt$ in the minds of our Allies as to ou r willingness to follow through on our commitments in thi s case a Presidential initiative which NATO Secretary Genera l Brosio and several Allied political leaders have supported