Last Wednesday, November 29, we held at itdUPM a new (im)probable dialogue organized jointly with Action Against Hunger and in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, in the framework of the DIECISIETE Magazine.
What was the session like?
The dialogue focused on the democratic dimension of just transition, and sought to answer the question of how much attention is being paid to the voice of the citizenry on this complex issue.
The theme was inspired by the publication of the 8th monograph of the journal (“Renewing the social contract to ensure the implementation of the 2030 Agenda”), where we delved into the fact that, in order to reduce polarization in a fragmented society, we need to be able to generate broad consensus, listen and incorporate voices hitherto partially or totally excluded from the public debate or the process of designing public policies.
We were joined by Yago Bermejo, physicist by training, co-founder of Deliberativa.org and expert in citizen democracy. After working at Medialab Prado and being part of the team designing and coordinating the City Observatory (the first permanent deliberative body), since 2019 he has designed and implemented multiple local and regional scale projects and has been heavily involved in the Future of Europe Conference, the Next Generation European Panels, and the Global Assembly on Climate Emergency.
Focusing on the formula of citizens’ assemblies, Bermejo emphasized that citizen participation should not be limited to a voluntary space, as this voluntariness entails certain cultural and educational biases. This is why he advocates a stakeholder participation approach, where a broader and more equitable representation is sought.
Citizens’ assemblies
In his presentation, he also highlighted the special legitimacy of citizens’ assemblies, where participation is decided by lottery among the entire citizenry. This method broadens diversity, but also transforms pre-existing biases. It is essential, he said, to achieve a stratification that truly represents the population the assembly serves.
In Europe, several important laws have been decided through citizen participation, from euthanasia in France to abortion in Ireland. Among the different formulas for citizen participation, Bermejo focused especially on climate assemblies, a particular area of focus for him and his team.
Through projects such as CLIMAte, for example, they are seeking to support the transformation towards climate resilience by providing an innovative toolbox to enable empowerment and participation strategies that promote a “resilient by design” society.
He also gave the example of the “Global Assembly”, which was held in the Green Zone at COP26 in Glasgow. In this case, he raised the question of who really governs the world and how these assemblies can challenge the prevailing leadership profiles. With this example, he highlighted the importance of assemblies in advancing social justice in the absence of global democracy tools.
In short, the issue is about reframing public debate, from diversifying voices in a balanced way to turning issues into political dilemmas.
The conclusion points to permanent processes of citizen participation, where citizens are continuously involved in debates and decisions.
Video of the session
Last Wednesday, November 29, we held at itdUPM a new (im)probable dialogue organized jointly with Action Against Hunger and in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, in the framework of the DIECISIETE Magazine.
What was the session like?
The dialogue focused on the democratic dimension of just transition, and sought to answer the question of how much attention is being paid to the voice of the citizenry on this complex issue.
The theme was inspired by the publication of the 8th monograph of the journal (“Renewing the social contract to ensure the implementation of the 2030 Agenda”), where we delved into the fact that, in order to reduce polarization in a fragmented society, we need to be able to generate broad consensus, listen and incorporate voices hitherto partially or totally excluded from the public debate or the process of designing public policies.
We were joined by Yago Bermejo, physicist by training, co-founder of Deliberativa.org and expert in citizen democracy. After working at Medialab Prado and being part of the team designing and coordinating the City Observatory (the first permanent deliberative body), since 2019 he has designed and implemented multiple local and regional scale projects and has been heavily involved in the Future of Europe Conference, the Next Generation European Panels, and the Global Assembly on Climate Emergency.
Focusing on the formula of citizens’ assemblies, Bermejo emphasized that citizen participation should not be limited to a voluntary space, as this voluntariness entails certain cultural and educational biases. This is why he advocates a stakeholder participation approach, where a broader and more equitable representation is sought.
Citizens’ assemblies
In his presentation, he also highlighted the special legitimacy of citizens’ assemblies, where participation is decided by lottery among the entire citizenry. This method broadens diversity, but also transforms pre-existing biases. It is essential, he said, to achieve a stratification that truly represents the population the assembly serves.
In Europe, several important laws have been decided through citizen participation, from euthanasia in France to abortion in Ireland. Among the different formulas for citizen participation, Bermejo focused especially on climate assemblies, a particular area of focus for him and his team.
Through projects such as CLIMAte, for example, they are seeking to support the transformation towards climate resilience by providing an innovative toolbox to enable empowerment and participation strategies that promote a “resilient by design” society.
He also gave the example of the “Global Assembly”, which was held in the Green Zone at COP26 in Glasgow. In this case, he raised the question of who really governs the world and how these assemblies can challenge the prevailing leadership profiles. With this example, he highlighted the importance of assemblies in advancing social justice in the absence of global democracy tools.
In short, the issue is about reframing public debate, from diversifying voices in a balanced way to turning issues into political dilemmas.
The conclusion points to permanent processes of citizen participation, where citizens are continuously involved in debates and decisions.
Video of the session
+34 910 67 13 97 | itd@upm.es
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© itdUPM 2024 | Centro de Innovación en Tecnología para el Desarrollo Humano. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. | by Marmarru Studio
+34 910 67 13 97 | itd@upm.es
Av.Complutense s/n. Ciudad
Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (España)
© itdUPM 2024 | Centro de Innovación en Tecnología para el Desarrollo Humano. | by Marmarru Studio
