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. The basis for strengthening participation of civil society in environmental policymaking lies in Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration and in Agenda 21. At the regional level, the 1998 Aarhus Convention aims to encourage states to put into place procedures for effective public participation at the early stages of legislations, policies, and program development. Provisions for public participation may make issues more intractable. The impact of participation thus depends on its context and on the nature of the issue.