Washington, DC. A number of civil society representatives met in Washington today with members of the US government delegation to the upcoming 18th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, discussing why and how US citizens can learn about and engage in the process.

The meeting, organized by the Citizens Network for Sustainable Development and hosted by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) focused on both questions of process and substance, with major attention to the issue of public participation as well as the purpose and value of this next two-year cycle, which addresses five sustainable development themes: transportation, chemicals, mining, waste management, and the 10 year framework of programs on sustainable consumption and production.