News & Views

Civic Initiative publishes final report on Citizen Assemblies and Cross-Border Cooperation. 

 iCommunity’s project lead, Suzie Cahn was a member of the Initiative’s process design group (a sub-group of the Civic Initiative Oversight Committee) set up to share ideas and advice on early stages of the Civic initiative. Suzie attended the launch of the final report on citizens assemblies and cross-border cooperation at the end of February to learn more about how it had progressed and what learning’s were being shared.  

The Civic Initiative has released its report advocating for the use of citizens’ assemblies. The report highlights findings from a variety of public engagements which underscore strong support for these democratic structures, alongside increased cross-border cooperation. 

Established in 2023 during the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, the Civic Initiative was developed to address the absence of a Civic Forum. Over 18 months, the pilot project engaged a diverse coalition of civic organizations and individuals, conducting: 

• 38 community workshops and public forums, engaging over 500 participants – 61% of whom had never taken part in a similar event before. The most pressing issues identified were Healthcare, Education, and Housing. 

• A cross-border survey addressing public perspectives on Health, Education, and Housing. 

• A Citizens’ Forum on Housing, composed of 84 individuals selected through a postal lottery system, which generated 38 policy recommendations with over 80% consensus and developed a shared vision for housing policy. 

• Public opinion polling by LucidTalk, analysing 1,051 responses, revealing 69% support for implementing citizens’ assemblies or forums by the Northern Ireland Assembly. Additionally, significant backing was found for cross-border cooperation in Infrastructure (71%), Health (67%), and Economic Development (60%). 

Emma DeSouza, Civic Initiative Project Manager and Co-Facilitator, emphasized the impact of the initiative: “The level of engagement at all stages of the civic initiative project suggests that communities want greater levels of political participation. 

“There are considerable benefits to using the structure of a Citizens’ Forum or Assembly structure; 54% of those who participated in the Citizens’ Forum on Housing said they felt more inclined to engage in politics as a result and the breadth of recommendations and level of consensus from the Forum shows how effective assemblies can be in consensus-building and gaining public-buy-in for tough decisions.” 

She continued, “Seeing firsthand the enormous untapped potential in providing a forum for members of the public to examine complex policy issues, has been an incredible privilege.” 

Housing emerged as the focal topic for the pilot Citizens’ Forum based on insights from 38 initial community-based workshops, where participants highlighted it as a critical concern. The UK-based NGO Sortition Foundation facilitated the recruitment process, ensuring that members were generally representative of Northern Ireland. Over three days, participants engaged with 18 expert speakers, gaining insights before formulating their recommendations. 

Les Allamby, independent Chair of the Civic Initiative Oversight Committee, remarked, “The Citizens’ Forum on Housing brought together a randomly selected group of individuals to examine a key issue that affects us all. The level of engagement demonstrates the potential for citizens to make meaningful contributions to policy discussions. Notably, over a third of the participants had not voted in the last election, yet they dedicated three days to deliberating on housing policy. This underscores the existing disconnect between the public and political processes.” 

He added, “The Citizens’ Forum on Housing involved a random selection of people coming together to look at a critical issue that affects all of us. The initiative shows how engaged people are and the valuable contribution they can make. Over a third of the participants had not voted in the last election yet they gave up three days to examine housing policy issues.”  

Adding that, “It was also recognised in the recommendation to implement Citizens Assemblies in New Decade, New Approach. The Civic Initiative is proof of concept as to why Citizens Assemblies are needed and can work.” 

Avila Kilmurray, Board Member of the International Fund for Ireland, emphasized the broader significance of the project: “This project is supported thorough the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme, which has a real focus on embedding relationships and delivering work that will benefit communities. It is encouraging to see how this has become a valuable platform to discuss important issues. It has enabled participants to have a voice, overcome challenges, form local leadership and help create a more equal society for all.”