A/HRC/7/21 page 18 Declaration of Human Rights and several other international instruments. The exercise of the right to participation would be meaningless if there was no access to relevant information on issues of concern. 67. The Special Rapporteur believes that the Human Rights Council may want to recognize explicitly the right to information as a precondition for good governance and the realization of all other human rights. States should move towards implementing the right to information enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Special Rapporteur notes that information held by the State should be considered to be held in trust for the public, not as belonging to the Government. Although the State can invoke national security or defence clauses, it is the view of the Special Rapporteur that this responsibility should not be abused by States or used to derogate from their duty to protect and promote the rights of their citizens in relation to the adverse effects of toxic and dangerous products and wastes. 68. The Special Rapporteur would like to appeal to both developed and developing States to adhere more strictly to international normative frameworks, such as the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. The Special Rapporteur notes that there are currently 170 parties to the Convention and appeals to those States that have not already done so to consider ratifying it. The Special Rapporteur also urges States to take into account, and if possible become parties to, other legal instruments such as the Aarhus Convention, which are central to the full realization of the right to information with regard to environmental matters, which in turn would help combat the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights. 69. While the Special Rapporteur acknowledges that developing countries are sometimes left with little choice owing to developmental needs and situations of poverty, both developing and developed States need to find alternative solutions to the trade of toxic wastes and dangerous products. Although the income generated by such trade is very attractive, States need to take into account the future costs and long-term consequences of environmental degradation, as well as their obligation to save future generations from a multitude of health problems. The Special Rapporteur is particularly concerned about the consequences of these health problems for women and young persons and appeals to States to put in place adequate means for their protection. 70. The Special Rapporteur would like to emphasize that developed countries must not see developing nations as “cheap dumping grounds” to get rid of unwanted and hazardous products and wastes. While the Special Rapporteur welcomes the high environmental and health standards that often prevail in developed States, at both the national and the regional level, it is his hope that developed countries will consider passing on key knowledge on the safe handling of toxic and dangerous products, and their experience in monitoring safety standards and the effective running of regulatory mechanisms, to developing countries. -----