ABSTRACT
This chapter clarifies the term 'civil society', and its roles in international governance for sustainable development. It describes a framework for understanding how to evaluate civil society participation in governance for sustainable development – both from the perspective of civil society actors, and through assessing institutional rules. Civil society actors perform a variety of functions in international governance for sustainable development. Those civil society actors without the endowments in the dimensions that promote engagement, those who do not conform to the 'ideal' organizational type of the UN, many of whom are likely based in the developing world – can considered disenfranchised from international policy-making. The Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters represents a new precedent for participation. The Aarhus Convention promotes access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters.
