Institutional framework for the participation of civil society organizations in sustainable development

Abstract

The promotion for the fulfillment of sustainable development at a global level was driven by the main interstate organization during the second half of the 20th century, although some attempts at institutionalization had been observed previously, these did not generate a transcendental impact. During the 1970s, the first efforts were coordinated between interstate programs and sovereign states and it was not until the end of the Cold War that the change in the international panorama and the new global paradigm allowed other non-state actors such as Civil Society Organizations to become involved in meeting the goals and objectives set to achieve sustainable development. However, the participation of civil society depends on the will of governments, which can be volatile and is conditioned to the change of local political scenarios, so it is essential the formality of institutional mechanisms that permanently recognize the participation of organized civil society to influence local and global development policies.