The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has taken an innovative step towards reducing the effects of the global climate crisis and making the city more resilient to climate change. With the “Izmir Citizens’ Assembly for Climate” project, the people of Izmir will be directly involved in the development of climate policies. This project, which is a first in Türkiye, aims to create an important model for a sustainable future by encouraging democratic participation.
Citizens Join Climate Action
The “Izmir Citizens’ Assembly for Climate” project, which will be implemented in collaboration with the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Yuva Association and the Law, Nature and Society Foundation (HUDOTO), is supported within the scope of the Civil Participation Project carried out by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and financed by the European Union. This important initiative, which will last for 15 months, will make significant contributions to Izmir’s goal of becoming a low-carbon and climate-resilient city.
How Will the Izmir Climate Council Be Formed?
Within the scope of the project, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality will reach a wide range of people reflecting demographic diversity via SMS. Izmir residents who apply via the link in the short message sent will be selected through a special software prepared in accordance with democratic and transparent election principles. 50 people The “Izmir Climate Assembly” will be formed by electing. The members of this assembly will come together in the Historical Akın Passage for a total of 7 sessions on September 21, September 5, October 9, October 2 and November 5.
Parliamentary Studies and Solution Proposals
In the first session of the Izmir Climate Assembly, 50 selected citizens will receive comprehensive training on climate literacy. After this training, participants will focus on a vital question during the following 4 sessions: “How to Survive in a Warming Izmir?” They will develop solution proposals under three different headings: health, water management and urban green areas. These proposals, which will be put forward by the council members in line with their own experiences, knowledge and demands, will be directly integrated into the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality's existing Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan. In this way, the voices and needs of city residents will be prioritized when creating climate policies.
Participatory Governance Models Examined
This important grant program aims to strengthen cooperation between civil society organizations and local governments and to encourage democratic, participatory governance models. In this context, representatives from the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Yuva Association and the Law, Nature and Society Foundation (HUDOTO) carried out a technical review visit in London. During this visit, they had the opportunity to come together with three citizen assemblies and one local government with different functions and examine participatory governance practices on site. Thanks to the information and experiences gained, successful examples that can be adapted to Izmir were evaluated. It is aimed that this innovative model that Izmir will develop will also be a source of inspiration for other cities by sharing the experiences to be gained during the project process on national and international platforms. This initiative of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality stands out as a strong indicator that more sustainable and fair solutions can be produced with the active participation of citizens under the leadership of local governments in the fight against the climate crisis.
