The Emerging Global Civil Society: Achievements and Prospects

Abstract

Global CSOs have emerged as a response to the deficiencies of global governance, of a ‘gap’ left by states and international organizations in representing public concerns and interests of citizens (Scholte 2000: 281 ff.). Governments often show a lack of adequate attention to ‘global concerns’, like environmental degradation, the depletion of natural resources needed also by future generations, epidemic illnesses, preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, global warming, human security including food security and water security. Increasingly, citizens do not feel adequately represented at the global level, where no parliamentary institutions exist. Critique addressed to the United Nations exemplifies this trend. There appear to be certain imbalances in the international agenda, namely neglect of developmental and environmental concerns and of the social dimension of international economic relations (Weinz 2000: 94ff.). The main deficit of global governance, however, derives from the preoccupation of governments with short-term national, mainly executive interests, leading to the neglect of long-term global concerns. International public goods tend to be neglected also by private economic interests. One reaction was the organization of public interests through CSOs as non-state actors (Thürer 1999: 37 ff.) representing an emerging global civil society.