Since the beginning of the 1970’s, the international community of States has recognized that the goals of environmental protection can only be reached through international cooperation. As a consequence, numerous international treaties at the regional and global level have been concluded, primarily in the areas of air pollution control, water pollution control, protection of endangered species and sustainable use of natural resources, waste disposal policy, and the protection of the ozone layer.

The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 represented a turning point in international environmental and development policy. The conference provided impulses pointing the way to the future. Three significant environmental conventions developed out of the Earth Summit: the Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention to Combat Desertification.

Liechtenstein is a party to the three mentioned agreements and has ratified further numerous environmental agreements. The focal points of Liechtenstein’s commitment to international environmental and sustainability policy include

• climate protection and the implementation of the Climate Convention and of the Kyoto Protocol
• the sustainable development of the mountain regions , especially through cooperation with the Alpine countries
• the protection and sustainable use of water resources, especially through regional and transregional cooperation to protect and monitor the Rhine

Liechtenstein pays particular attention in all these questions to regional cooperation. The country is also aware of its responsibility toward disadvantaged countries, however, and provides both financial support and support by sending experts to promote resource-preserving development in these countries (International Humanitarian Cooperation and Development ).

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