UNEP’s Governing Council (GC), realizing the important role of civil society, decided to assist civil society to better engage themselves in the ministerial debates. Decisions that take into account civil society views early in the policy making process, will have stronger and broader recognition and support by the public when being implemented. In addition, common strategies between UNEP and civil society are necessary as civil society plays a direct role in the formation of policy, and as an advocate for policies and strategies in the global environment.

The GCSF preceding the GC/GMEF is the main entry point for civil society participation at the governance level. To ensure that Governments can truly benefit from expertise and views of civil society, it is critical to achieve a successful GCSF. Each GCSF is a two-day event, which takes place at the beginning the Governing Council or its Special Session. The first day of the GCSF focuses on the regional dimensions and the second day on the global dimension of the relevant topics. The agenda items for the GCSF are the same as the Ministerial Agenda. Approximately 150 civil society representatives from around the world attend the GCSF. UNEP is particularly keen to have fair representation of civil society. The regional offices take into account appropriate selection criteria of participants, such as gender equity, the different civil society components and regional balance. The thematic focus of the 5th GCSF will be water, sanitation and human settlements.   Read more about the GCSF...