Title page

Contents

Summary 1

I. Introduction 1

II. Challenges to civil society participation in environmental politics 3

Legal registration and status 3

Funding 5

Inclusion in decision-making processes 5

Access to data and knowledge sharing 6

Public awareness and perceptions 7

III. Opportunities for civil society participation in environmental politics 8

Framing and context-sensitive discourse 9

Working within the systemDepending on the existing 10

Focusing on awareness and capacity building 10

IV. Prospects for regional cooperation between civil society actors in the Gulf 11

V. Conclusion and recommendations 12

Abbreviations 15