To support the members of the EU Projects City Network in the Western Balkans Sarajevo, Podgorica and Elbasan to progress in the process of becoming climate neutral cities, NALAS provided a training for two representatives from each of the three cities in managing Citizens’ Assemblies, as it is one of the requirements for developing Climate City Contracts. Seven participants took part in the Autumn School on Citizens’ Assemblies, organised by the Federation for Innovation in Democracy (FIDE), on 12 and 13 October 2023 in Helsinki, Finland.

The event brought together 46 participants from 15 countries and was organised in partnership with Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund. It empowered the participants with the building blocks of Citizens’ Assemblies. The programme was structured around real-world case studies presented by international experts in the field of deliberative democracy. The three cities were very satisfied with the knowledge gained from the training, but they also realised that the process ahead of them requires a lot of resources and commitment from the municipal decision-makers.  

“This was one of the best trainings I have attended. It covered various aspects of planning and organising citizens assemblies and making them really meaningful”, said Ms. Nermina Suljevic, Head of Department for Sustainable Development at the City of Sarajevo.