Twenty-eight years ago today, on February 7, 1997 (January 1, 1997), the United Nations Environment Programme meeting adopted the Nairobi Declaration. On February 7, 1997, the 19th Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme adopted the Nairobi Declaration. The declaration called for the strengthening of UNEP's leadership in global environmental protection work. The declaration expressed concern over the continued deterioration of the global environment. The declaration said that Agenda 21 formulated by the 1992 World Conference on Environment and Development should be implemented as soon as possible. The agenda requires developed countries to provide additional funds for developing countries to implement this agenda and to transfer environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on preferential terms. In recent years, some Western countries considered UNEP to be inefficient and significantly reduced funding for the agency, causing its budget to plummet from $600 million in 1991-1992 to $90 million in 1996-1997.