The Global Assembly for COP26, 2021

The 2021 Global Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Crisis brought together people from around the world to deliberate on the topic: ‘how can humanity address the climate and ecological crisis in a fair and effective way?’

For 68 hours over 11 weeks, the 2021 Global Assembly met to consider independent evidence from a range of experts, wisdom keepers and ‘witnesses’ to climate change. Participants were supported to interrogate and respond to that evidence, exchanging their views in facilitated small group deliberations.

The Assembly consisted of a 100-person core, chosen by lottery (also called a sortition). Members were selected through a multi-phase process to reflect the demographic makeup of the global population. As such, 60% of participants came from Asia and 17% from Africa. 50% were women, and 70% earned $10 a day or less.

Community Assemblies - that anyone could run anywhere - were also facilitated through the Global Assembly's step-by-step toolkit. 408 local organizers and community organizations ran dialogues, with over 1,300 participants from over 41 different countries.

The Assembly aimed to set a precedent for bringing the voices of ordinary people to multilateral negotiations, a space where they were largely absent before. At the close of the 2021 Core Assembly, Members co-created the People's Declaration for the Sustainable Future of Planet Earth. This was then disseminated at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021.

"The Global Citizens' Assembly for COP26 is a practical way of showing how we can accelerate action through solidarity and people power." - António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations