40,000 Norwegians are invited by the Norwegian government to participate in the country’s first national climate referendum.
An advisory team consisting of We Do Democracy, SoCentral and Analyse & Tal is behind the referendum.
The parliament focuses on reducing consumption and promoting sustainable development in Norway.
Danish researchers point out that the Norwegians set a high standard for citizen involvement in the development of society and that they are learning from the less successful experiences of the Danish Climate Parliament. Norwegians from Kristiansand in the south to Hammerfest in the north are invited to enter the draw for one of the 66 seats in the Norwegian Citizens’ Parliament, which will spend the next six months developing recommendations to the Norwegian government on climate reduction in consumption.
The Norwegian Ministry of Digitization and Public Administration is in charge of the Climate Citizens’ Parliament, which will live up to international principles for citizens’ parliaments and, with a budget of NOK 2.7 million, will show that citizen involvement is central to government policy development. “The Norwegian government has created the framework for an ambitious Climate Citizens’ Parliament that commits to the OECD principles for the implementation of Citizens’ Parliaments.
Unlike the less successful Danish National Climate Parliament, Norway has set aside a realistic budget and established a strong advisory mandate around the Citizens’ Parliament, which obliges the government to receive and respond to citizens’ recommendations.
It will be exciting to follow” says Lars Tønder, Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen and part of an expert panel for the Norwegian Climate Citizens’ Parliament Focus on sustainable consumption The first Norwegian Citizens’ Parliament will focus on key consumption areas such as electronics, clothing, shoes, textiles and furniture – all areas with high environmental, climatic and social impact.
With this targeted focus, the ambition is for the Citizens’ Parliament to create recommendations that are practical and actionable, addressing the reality that the Norwegian population faces in promoting sustainable consumption.
A key focus of the Citizens’ Parliament’s work is to ensure that the green transition is fair and inclusive to inform future initiatives and policy development. Nordic cooperation will strengthen participation in democracy Like other countries, Norwegian society is facing complex challenges such as climate, biodiversity and welfare, while the distance between citizens and the political system is growing.
The Citizens’ Parliament is an internationally recognized and research-based method for strengthening participatory democracy that is gaining ground in the rest of Europe and Denmark in recent years “We have long worked to strengthen Nordic cooperation to promote deliberative democracy in the Nordic region. In Denmark, we have carried out 20 national, regional and municipal citizens’ parliaments and citizens’ assemblies that live up to the OECD principles and are excited that together with SoCentral and Analyse & Tal we can contribute our knowledge to Norway’s first citizens’ parliament. Our common hope is that the Norwegian Citizens’ Parliament will show the way for the rest of the Nordic region and the world.” says Zakia Elvang, founding partner of We Do Democracy.
Composition and working methods of the Citizens’ Assembly The Citizens’ Assembly will consist of 66 representative members selected by a lottery that reflects Norwegian demographics.
The Citizens’ Assembly will meet over two full weekends and three digital sessions in the fall of 2024 and the winter of 2025, where they will work together to make recommendations to the Norwegian government on sustainable consumption.
The work of the Citizens’ Parliament will be guided by independent experts in sustainable consumption and run by a secretariat led by SoCentral and We Do Democracy.
The draw for the Citizens’ Parliament will be conducted by Analyse & Tal in Norway and Norwegian Cicero will ensure follow-up research of the Citizens’ Parliament.
Read more about the Norwegian Citizens’ Parliament here