ABSTRACT
International environmental governance rests on the activities of a variety of actors that do not restrict their action to one level of governance or one issue area. The United Nations takes it for granted that broad public participation in decision-making is a fundamental prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development. Accordingly, Agenda 21 in 1992, recognized that the “major groups” (local authorities, workers and unions, indigenous peoples and local communities, farmers, business and corporations, the scientific and technological community, women, children and youth, and nongovernmental organizations) have a right to participate in decisions that affect them or touch upon values they promote. Indeed, the United Nations has given civil society a significant role since its creation, a role that has kept expanding although its dimensions vary greatly among agencies and organizations.
