  - The Role of NGOs and Civil Societyin Global Environmental GovernanceBarbara Gemmill and Abimbola Bamidele-IzusummaryThis chapter identifies five major roles that civil society might play inglobal environmental governance: (1) collecting, disseminating, andanalyzing information; (2) providing input to agenda-setting and policydevelopment processes; (3) performing operational functions; (4)assessing environmental conditions and monitoring compliance withenvironmental agreements; and (5) advocating environmental justice.Three case studies – the Crucible Group,TRAFFIC, and global ecosystemassessment processes – illustrate the success NGOs have had in steppingup to these roles.International decisionmaking processes seek legitimacy through theinvolvement of civil society, yet formal mechanisms for NGOparticipation within the UN system remain limited. Ad-hoc civil societyparticipation should be replaced by a strengthened, more formalizedinstitutional structure for engagement. The chapter offers concretesuggestions for such measures, including:•Wider use of the “commission” model for long-term, substantiveinvolvement of civil society in global policymaking processes;•Assistance for the development of NGO networks;•Development of standards for civil society participation andengagement in international decisionmaking processes;•Creation of a comprehensive database of information and analysis atdifferent geographic and political levels;•Involvement of a larger part of the public in issue spotting,assessment, and monitoring functions;•Support for knowledge-generating institutions in developingcountries.  introductionGlobalization has considerably weakened traditional governanceprocesses. Increasing global economic integration has reduced thepower of national governments while granting other economic andpolitical actors access to the world stage. The 1990s witnessed a dra-matic increase in the involvement of non-governmental organizations(NGOs) in global governance (Charnovitz, 1997).NGOs and other civil society groups are not only stakeholdersin governance, but also a driving force behind greater inter-national cooperation through the active mobilization of pub-lic support for international agreements.Enabling the constructive participation of civil society in globalenvironmental governance is thus one of the most important tasks forpolicymakers concerned with the effectiveness of global governance(Gemmill, Ivanova, and Chee, 2002).This chapter explores the potential for strengthened roles for civilsociety, and especially non-governmental organizations, within a newor a restructured global environmental governance system. We arguethat civil society should play a major role in five key areas:•Information collection and dissemination;•Policy development consultation;•Policy implementation;•Assessment and monitoring;•Advocacy for environmental justice.We further contend that existing structures do not enable civilsociety to fulfill these roles effectively and offer suggestions for reformmeasures to facilitate the participation of civil society in global envi-ronmental governance.  -who and what is civil society? The first step in examining civil society participation is describingexactly who is included within the delineation of civil society. In thebroadest sense, civil society has been characterized as a sphere of sociallife that is public but excludes government activities (Meidinger,2001). Michael Bratton describes civil society as social interactionbetween the household and the state characterized by communitycooperation, structures of voluntary association, and networks ofpublic communication (Bratton, 1994). The term civil society is gen-erally used to classify persons, institutions, and organizations thathave the goal of advancing or expressing a common purpose throughideas, actions, and demands on governments (Cohen and Arato, 1992).The membership of civil society is quite diverse, ranging from indi-viduals to religious and academic institutions to issue-focused groupssuch as not-for-profit or non-governmental organizations. In the realmof environmental governance,NGOs are the most prominent actorsand therefore comprise the main focus of this chapter.NGOs are:Groups of individuals organized for the myriad of reasons thatengage human imagination and aspiration. They can be set upto advocate a particular cause, such as human rights, or tocarry out programs on the ground, such as disaster relief. Theycan have memberships ranging from local to global.(Charnovitz, 1997: 186)1NGOs involved in environmental governance are highly diverse,including local, national, regional, and international groups with var-ious missions dedicated to environmental protection, sustainabledevelopment, poverty alleviation, animal welfare, and other issues.The diversity of civil society and its value to official intergovern-mental processes on the environment are acknowledged in Agenda 21,the comprehensive sustainable development blueprint adopted at the1992 Rio Earth Summit. The document does not make use of the termcivil society, although it expressly recognizes the members of civilsociety as a major constituency.1Charnovitz further points out that, “Indeed, some NGO’s are more ‘global’ than intergovern-mental organizations. For example, the International Amateur Athletic Federation includestwenty-one more members than the United Nations” (Charnovitz, 1997).  The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), responsiblefor implementing Agenda 21, classifies civil society into the followingMajor Groups:2•Wome n•Children and Youth•Indigenous Peoples and Communities•Non-governmental Organizations•Workers and Trade Unions•The Scientific and Technological Community•Business and Industry•FarmersAll of the Major Groups are officially recognized by the UnitedNations through an accreditation mechanism developed specificallyfor NGOs (Pace, 2002).A