Workshop on Hosting Climate Assemblies in Challenging Environments

Organisers of climate assemblies have often worked within stable political systems in which conflicts remain mostly civil and very rarely pose a serious challenge to participants or organisers. But what happens when you organise assemblies in areas characterised by social and political polarization, where politicians are accustomed to fierce confrontations or worse; where  democracy is backsliding or the rule is authoritarian or some of the key stakeholders are willing to resort to fake news, threats, or outright attacks to get their way?

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In this workshop, organised in collaboration with DemNet, we heard various perspectives from experts and stakeholders with varied backgrounds and experiences with assemblies that have faced different challenges. These cases brought us to Hungary, Poland, and Bosnia. We heard stories and worked together to draw out lessons on the ethics and standards of legitimate practice that must and can be defended.

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About the speakers:

• Éva Bördös, Director of DemNet, Hungary
• Örs Tetlák, Deputy Mayor, Municipality of Érd, Hungary
• Agnieszka Pędzich, Field of Dialogue Foundation, Poland
• Damir Kapidžić Associate Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Download the presentation "Deliberation in a politically challenging environment" by Eva Bordos here.

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We’ve summarized key takeaways from the workshop on Linkedin (here) and Twitter/X (here).

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