Abstract

The role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in monitoring the implementation of international treaties, their relevance in the organization of development projects, and their importance in the representation and education of civil society has been acknowledged and valued by both international organizations and national governments. Nongovernmental actors also play an important role in the negotiations of international agreements. Moreover, many UN agencies work closely with NGOs. NGOs have played an important part in numerous environmental conventions, and their role is becoming more clearly defined. The presence of NGOs has also been instrumental in the evolution and development of many international environmental agreements. This summary provides an overview of the role and increasing importance of NGOs. It then introduces nonbusiness NGOs and business NGOs and analyzes their common and differing characteristics. Finally, this analysis focuses on the role that NGOs are playing in the climate change negotiations.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1998

Download

Share

COinS