Environmental Democracy for the Protection of Environment in International Law

Decisions made at the international level by states, international organizations or even multinational companies, influencing international community and eventually citizens, are of an undemocratic nature. Because, these institutions are not representative of people. One of the solutions for redressing this democratic deficit, is the participation of citizens and civil society institutions, especially NGOs in the process of international decision-making which is not surely possible without factors such as awareness, information and knowledge. Participation and awareness are mutually influential, constituting the key concept of environmental democracy. Also, the participation of all interested groups on international decision-making enhances the efficiency of the decisions. Given the unconcentrated structure of international law, the legitimacy of international regulations is vital for their effective implementation. Among the ways of the participation of NGOs in international decision-making, we can mention: holding conferences for having access to public views, using the potentials of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), establishing a set of regional consultative processes or roundtables and etc.