19 B. Legal articulation

1. International law milestones — Stockholm Declaration 1972; Rio Declaration 1992 (Principle 3: "the right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations"); Agenda 21; Johannesburg 2002; the SDGs (2015–2030) — 17 goals, to which Nepal is committed as the global national framework. 2. Principles — inter-generational equity; intra-generational equity (today's poor); sustainable use of natural resources; precaution; polluter pays; integration of environment and development in decision-making. 3. Nepali implementation — the Constitution's directive principles and state policies (Art. 51) demand sustainable use of natural resources; the Environment Protection Act 2076 introduces climate-change provisions and sustainable permitting; the 15th and 16th Periodic Plans mainstream the SDGs; sector laws (forest, water, energy) carry sustainability conditions; Nepal's NDCs (nationally determined contributions) under the Paris Agreement bind policy on emissions and adaptation. 4. Judicial articulation — Nepali PIL decisions ordering development projects to comply with EIA express precisely this balance: development and environment, not development or environment.