Successful promotional events to raise awareness about the forthcoming Skopje Climate Assembly, supported by the Council of Europe, took place in Shtip and Tetovo, North Macedonia, on 6 and 15 November respectively.
The Skopje Climate Assembly will be North Macedonia’s first citizen’s assembly. It is designed to engage the citizens of North Macedonia in formulating recommendations towards a comprehensive municipal environmental policy that will tackle air pollution in Skopje. Government officials from the City of Skopje and the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning have committed to respond to the proposals and recommendations of the citizens, as the topic of air pollution is highly relevant, given the potential health and environmental consequences due to bad air quality.
The ZIP institute, which was mandated by the City of Skopje to facilitate the Climate Assembly, is currently conducting a series of promotional meetings across North Macedonia to explain the process of the Skopje Climate Assembly to interested citizens. In Shtip and Tetovo municipalities, the Climate Assembly team presented the Assembly's objectives and the strategic measures taken to guarantee its successful execution. In Shtip, the participants, including dedicated municipal employees from the sectors of urbanism and ecology, as well as representatives from local non-governmental organizations, also discussed potential challenges within their own municipalities, which could be supported through engagement in a Citizen's Assembly.
These events marked a crucial step in building local support for the Skopje Climate Assembly, and to develop a vision of addressing environmental challenges collaboratively.
The Council of Europe is providing financial support for the successful implementation of the Citizen Assembly. Additionally, a graduate from the Council of Europe School of Participatory Democracy is supporting the ZIP Institute in the successful implementation of the Climate Assembly enhancing the process with expertise on Council of Europe standards and tools on deliberative democracy.
