International experts' conference 'Promotion of environmental protection at municipal level - strategies and approaches for action' in preparation of the UN conference on environment and development (UNCED)

This meeting took place in Berlin in February 1992 in the run-up to the Rio UNCED conference. The proceedings compile the schedule, the opening speeches and the papers contributed on different subjects by the working groups. A declaration ('Berlin Declaration') was passed to summarize some important statements and central targets: An environmentally compatible market economy is an essential prerequisite for a lasting ecologically acceptable development of the urban areas; the towns and cities are the natural allies of the corresponding environmental policies; urban development strategies must comprise all fields which are of environmental relevance; urban development and municipal pollution abatement are interdependent; there must be enough room for sufficiently autonomous decision-making and development at the local level to ensure, last but not least, an efficient municipal environmental management (orig./HP)