2.

Civil Society Organizations

Some CSOs, such as sports teams and bridge clubs, are simply 'affinity groups' that have no purpose beyond the enjoyment of their members. Others exist to meet the economic needs of their members or communities. Service clubs, charitable organizations, and self-help groups are examples. CSOs which take on political tasks are more commonly called NGOs (non-governmental organizations). They act as interest groups to mobilize people who would not otherwise have access to state power, lobby for alternative policies, inform the public on important issues, and force governments to be more open and responsive. Many combine these functions. For example, there are more than 500 environmental protection organizations in India. They plant trees, conserve water and soil, and press for policies to fight agricultural and industrial pollution.

Increasingly, CSOs are forming international networks to address the growing range of issues that cross national borders, such as climate change, biodiversity destruction, deforestation, trade, debt, and development policy. CSOs have led the world in bringing these issues and their interconnections to the attention of the world's peoples and governments. The Group of Lisbon - 19 distinguished scholars from North America, Europe and Japan - has called this emergence of CSOs on the world stage 'global civil society' and noted that it plays an historically important role with regard to three basic functions. It acts as the emerging planetary moral consciousness; it shapes and expresses global needs, aspirations, and objectives; and it offers a global capacity for politically innovative behaviour, and so contributes to the solution of problems. Examples abound, from the persistent work of Amnesty International groups to defend prisoners of conscience to the Nobel Prize-winning campaign to end the use of land mines.

It is important not to romanticize CSOs. Civil society includes a good number of organizations that contribute little or nothing to the good of society. Violent groups that whip up hatred against minorities, religious extremists, and narrow interest groups of various stripes are part of civil society too. Some CSOs are not democratic in their structure, and questions can arise about their legitimacy, accountability to their members, and right to represent the interests in their sector. There are often clashes of interest between CSOs working in different sectors or geographical regions. Many are chronically underfunded and beholden to governments or foreign donors.

In general, however, the growing importance of CSOs on the international stage, and the positive roles they play there, are important contributions to the efforts of the world's people to empower themselves in a time when national governments are in retreat and private-sector interests are in the ascendant.

[global civil society enables sustainable development]

From Rio to Istanbul