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The Case for Public Participation in Multilateral Environmental Governance Forums

Public participation in decisions that affect human health and the environment is essential in a democracy, as this is crucial to ensure individuals’ right to engage in decision-making processes that impact their lives at local, national, and global levels. While participation considerations vary among different forums, meaningful participation requires the ability to intervene in developing policies, resolutions, and laws and to track the development of each negotiation. Only in this way may global policies reflect the views of those affected by policy decisions, who ultimately should be involved in their implementation.

In recent years, the participation of civil society in international decision-making has been constrained, raising concerns about inclusivity and transparency. Despite being key stakeholders, civil society organizations (CSOs), Indigenous Peoples, and representatives from affected communities have been sidelined in forums that shape critical policies. For example, the Fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC5) process for a Plastics Treaty involved numerous closed-door meetings that excluded CSOs, undermining public participation without any justification being provided for closing meetings. At the Sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2024, limited speaking rights for CSOs hindered their meaningful contributions to urgent environmental discussions.

This decline in civil society engagement weakens accountability and risks overlooking essential diverse perspectives in decision-making. Worse, it creates conditions for the development of less effective policies that fail to incorporate the deep knowledge and experiences of people who know the problems best: those whose lives are most affected by environmental problems.

Read the full brief, below.