Citizens' assemblies
Earth4All advocates for citizens’ assemblies as a way of restoring public trust and participation in politics and creating safe spaces for dialogue around polarising issues.
We are calling for citizens’ assemblies on economic systems change so that we, the people, get a say in the kind of economic system we want.
What is a citizens’ assembly?
Citizens’ assemblies are designed to allow for a public debate outside of political parties. A randomly-selected group of citizens representing the full diversity of society are invited to participate in a process to explore an issue and formulate recommendations to government or parliaments. Often, independent experts are brought in to discuss problems and potential solutions.
Learn more in Power to the people and Democracy4All by Earth4All narrative lead Owen Gaffney.
Why should we have citizens’ assemblies?
We are living in a time of social and political polarisation. Social tensions are on the rise, bolstered by skyrocketing inequality, and democracy is increasingly at risk. Just 39% percent of people trust their governments to make good decisions. We urgently need to rebuild trust in our political systems.
On the other hand, we know that around the world, people want economic systems change. Holding citizens’ assemblies on this topic would open up space for exploring the kind of change we want, building trust and understanding between different groups, and co-creating a common agenda for the greater good.
In the 2024 Earth for All survey, 62% of people surveyed supported the use of citizens' assemblies to increase citizens’ influence in political decision-making.
What are some examples of citizens’ assemblies?
Citizens’ assemblies have already been used successfully to navigate politically contentious issues in highly polarised democracies. Prominent examples include:
- The Irish citizens’ assembly on abortion. The assembly is credited with helping Irish society navigate a deeply polarising issue. It led to a referendum and eventually a change in law.
- The Canadian Citizens’ Assembly on Democratic Expression, a three-year initiative to look at impact of digital technologies on society.
- France’s Convention Citoyenne Pour le Climat, the climate citizens’ assembly and a similar UK Climate Assembly.
- The Global Citizens’ Assembly for People and Planet was launched at New York Climate Week in 2024 and aims to bring citizen participation to the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.
Videos
An introduction to the Global Assembly, a new piece of international infrastructure designed to bring more voices to the decision making table.
Watch the live-streamed launch of the Global Citizens’ Assembly for People and Planet.
Learn more
Find more explainers, FAQs and resources on economic systems change at our resource hub.
