Representatives from two Beijing-based groups — Friends of Nature and Global Village of Beijing — were appointed as environmental consultants by the Beijing Olympics organizing committee.
But international environmental group Greenpeace said in a recent report that while the outreach brought about by the Olympics was a good first step, China “still has a long ways to go in engaging with civil society as true partners.”
Besides environmentalists, the Olympics have also cheered advocates for the disabled. The Paralympics, a competition for athletes with disabilities, is also held in Beijing and will begin Sept. 6.
The event helped build support for an amendment in July that strengthens China’s law protecting its 81 million disabled people, said Lu Shiming (呂世明), the deputy director of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, a government-appointed group. The amendment, among other mandates, makes sure local governments provide stable funding to help them.
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