Environmental Diplomacy and the Impact of NGOs

NGOs have had significant influence in international negotiations, exercising pressure on politicians and leaders and creating public awareness through public diplomacy. As for example, many NGOs use intersessional meetings to set the agenda of international environmental negotiations, often seen at large climate summit meetings, such as Klimaforum09 during COP15 in Copenhagen, also called People's Climate Movement, a space for the civil society to gather, share information, discuss and debate, share ideas and come up with alternative solutions. It was a place where people and organizations could meet and inspire each others to participate in the diplomatic process through taking action in terms of demonstrating, protesting, signing petitions and involve in different projects.

Betsill and Corell argue that non-state actors commonly influence the process of diplomatic relations rather than the outcomes. They have the capabilities to influence the outcomes in terms of providing education and information to delegates from particular countries, to help them pressure for certain outcomes. If they get themselves involved at an early stage, it is more likely they will effect the process of negotiations. Non-state actor involvement in environmental negotiations should rather be seen as a relationship between actors such states, organizations and representatives from different levels of government, and not defined by the outcomes its involvement achieves. Non-state actors can without any formal status highlight certain issues and create a public awareness, and thus put pressure on the process to be transparent, accountable and fair.

NGOs in particular should be seen as influential in global environmental matters. This is because they usually enjoy a good reputation in terms of high moral status. They tend to have resources and scientific legitimacy to be considered as truthful and reliable. They can therefore shape the agenda at negotiations and provide liable information to the public, under the same conditions as the scientific community.

It is very important to mention that NGOs are, to a higher degree than they use to be, recognized by states as actors in global governance. This is a proof of that states understand the importance of cooperation with non-state actors in tackling the problems the world faces.

During COP15, the buildings where the negotiations were going on were highly restricted and closed up from the public. Klimaforum09 provided a space that connected the people with the true issues and gave them an opportunity to express themselves and their concerns not restrained by government designed programmes for citizen participation. People were given the opportunity to search for alternative answers to their concerns and discuss with others. According to the Evaluation Report of Klimaforum09, the event also functioned as a logistic partner to the COP15 conference, as a summit point for people, grass root movements and NGOs from different parts of the world with different interests and concerns. People from the global south were present at the forum, sharing experiences of how it is to live under difficult circumstances caused by the climate change. All movie screenings, exhibitions, lectures, workshops and debates were free as a democratic opportunity to learn and share knowledge and experience. A Declaration was written and signed by about 500 of the participating organizations.

I believe non-state actors, in terms of civil society movements and NGOs, play an important part in environmental negotiations. Even if they do not directly effect the outcomes of the negotiations, they provides a sense of democratic organization and opportunities for people to get inspired, and inspire others, without any money or resources and without any power. Still, the event became recognized as a democratic and open arena of influence. It is very important to have a place where everyone is welcome to take a part, not least because everyone is affected by the environmental change.

Links/Sources:

http://09.klimaforum.org/09/evaluation-report

Betsill, Michele M. and Elisabeth Corell (2008). NGO Diplomacy: The Influence of Nongovernmental Organizations in International Environmental Negotiations. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. http://books.google.com/books?id=cuVt2ZNE-8UC&printsec=frontcover&hl=sv#v=onepage&q&f=false