2022 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"
16th Edition
Est Ensemble: Local Citizens' Convention for Climate and Biodiversity
To build responses today that are up to the democratic and climate challenges of tomorrow in connection with its PCAET (Plan Climat Air Energie Territorial), EPT Est Ensemble has launched a Local Citizens' Convention for the climate, bringing together 100 inhabitants of the territory. randomly drawn from September 2021 to January 2022 for five working weekends.
The mission was "to establish a series of concrete measures to fight against climate change, with respect for social and environmental justice, taking into account biodiversity, in the fields of competence of Est Ensemble and the cities of the territory. ". The main principles of this convention were:
- Draw representative of the territory
- Transparency of debates
- Co-development of concrete proposals
- Neutrality in the process ensured by the guarantors
- Full presentation of the recommendations to the Territorial Council.
The panel was formed by drawing lots faithful to the diversity of the territory. They were compensated up to the scale of the sitting jury, with payment of the various costs incurred. 86 citizens took part in all the sessions.
In complete autonomy, the citizens worked on different themes alternately in groups then in plenary, according to a reversed expertise methodology. Based on their knowledge of the territory, the citizens were able to question the experts (local associations, researchers, private and public companies) who came to provide concrete technical information, and not train them. Intersessions allowed citizens to better discover local initiatives and to propose responses adapted to the specificity of the territory. Agents from the community facilitated the process, others were mobilized by citizens to co-construct their opinion.
At the end of this unprecedented experience, the 100 participants took stock of the progress made: "In all sincerity, I didn't believe it at first, but it was a very important discovery for me and I'm sure it will serve the rest of my life. »
- 90% believe that they have been collectively able to produce solid proposals;
- 88% feel more involved in democratic life;
- 80% want to continue this civic engagement in associations, in politics or any other form of civic action;
- 83% specifically want to make a commitment to the environment.
These five months of work resulted in a citizen opinion – the Charter of the Local Citizens' Convention of Est Ensemble – made up of more than 220 systemic proposals. The Territory Council adopted a single deliberation, providing for more than 200 concrete measures. A commitment observatory, made up of citizens and elected officials, ensures follow-up rights and coordination with the PCAET and the Local Mobility Plan: "The most important part of the Agreement is yet to come and then we will know if we have served something. If cities and elected officials play the game of getting involved and getting involved, this could affect my desire to get involved or get involved in our fight for the climate”.
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