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Nordic Toolbox for a Just Green Transition

This is how policymakers can engage people

Draw inspiration from examples of countries and regions that have organised citizens’ assemblies, children’s parliaments and more. Interesting tools include actionable guidelines and step-by-step instructions offered by various organisations and actors that can help to prepare and coordinate participation processes.

EXAMPLE: Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Issues

Location

Denmark 

Description 

The Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Issues was founded in autumn 2020. The Ministry for Climate, Energy and Utilities invited the members to debate challenges associated with the green transition and provide input and recommendations for the drafting of climate action plans. 
The 99 citizens of the assembly were selected based on several socio-economic characteristics (such as age, gender, geographical location and socioeconomic status) to form a group representative of the population.
The assembly members attended two weekend gatherings and five evening meetings between October 2020 and March 2021. Due to the pandemic, all meetings were held online. The Danish Board of Technology acted as a facilitator for the assembly meetings. A panel of climate experts assisted the participants with scientific knowledge. Participants received remuneration of DKK 1,000 for their participation in each meeting.

Outcome

The final report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Issues provided a large range of recommendations to the Danish Parliament’s Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee, as well as to the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities (among others). The recommendations concerned the topics of education, behaviour and participation, agriculture, land use and resources, transport and technical facilities. 

Read more

Information about the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Issues on Danish Board of Technology's website.

Example: Advisory Group for Children and the Children’s Forum

Location

Iceland 

Description

In 2009, the Ombudsman for Children in Iceland established an advisory group of children between the ages of 12 and 17. Many children have since participated in the group and discussed a range of matters concerning children in Iceland. 
Every other year, the Ombudsman also organises a children’s forum. Children are randomly selected from the national registry and invited to attend and discuss matters of their own choice with ministers, members of parliament, labour market representatives and NGOs.

Outcome

The proposals of the Children’s Forum are always presented to the government and the Ombudsman promotes them in his day-to-day work. 

Read more

Information on the Ombudsman, the Advisory Group and the Children’s Forum on the official site of The Office of the Ombudsman for Children in Iceland.
Additional information on The Children's Forum.

EXAMPLE: Citizens’ Assembly on Climate 

Location

Sweden 

Description 

During the spring of 2024, Sweden’s first Citizens’ Assembly on Climate kicked off. It forms part of the research programme Fairtrans, which aims to promote the transition to a fair and fossil-free future through cooperation between research and civil society. The goal of the Citizens’ Assembly was to inject new suggestions and ideas into the Swedish climate discussion.
The assembly consisted of 60 participants who were chosen based on a randomised scientific method with the aim of reflecting the population living in Sweden. 
Over the course of nine meetings, the participants developed suggestions on how Sweden can meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Climate experts and a consultation group consisting of public figures representing a broad political spectrum supported the work of the assembly. In addition, two mentors welcomed the participants and provided support and inspiration along the way. 

Outcome

The Citizens’ Assembly developed 22 proposals. On 20 May 2024, they were presented to politicians of both governing and opposition parties. 

Read more

About the Citizens’ Assembly on Fairtrains' website.
About the Fairtrans project on their website.

Example: Stakeholder engagement in regional development

Location

Jämtland Härjedalen region, Sweden 

Description 

Between 2019 and 2021, the Jämtland Härjedalen region developed a new regional development strategy. An evaluation of the previous development strategy had shown that several stakeholders did not view the goals as sufficiently inclusive, nor did the goals take into account the entire county or the different conditions in different locations. The regional government wanted to change that. The solution was to use a method called “collaboration staircase” – a model consisting of four steps: 
1. See and hear 
2. Understand 
3. Want 
4. Do 
Municipalities, business organisations, the local heritage association Heimbygda, the Southern Sami cultural centre Gaaltije and several other stakeholders collaborated on 14 different projects to gather input from across the entire region. A turning point came when the team chose to completely rethink the strategy, rather than merely revise it. The analysis phase revealed the need for more integration of the Sami perspective, as well as the viewpoint of the creative and cultural sectors.
After the initial listening and understanding phase, it became apparent that the third step of the collaboration ladder, “want”, was crucial to advancing the regional development strategy. The team then reset and started to create a future vision. 
In the final “do” step, the region refined its development fund structure and explored ways to coordinate financing more effectively to bolster regional capacity. That phase witnessed strong commitment from stakeholders who had previously been less involved.

Outcome

The process contributed to increased involvement of diverse stakeholders and the integration of new perspectives into the regional development strategy. 

Read more

Regional Development Strategy för Region Jämtland 2050 on Region Jämtland Härjedalen's website.
A description of the initiative is available here (in Swedish) on Tillväxtverket/The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth's website.

Example: Citizen dialogues on Canada’s energy future

Location

Canada 

Description 

In the autumn of 2017, Natural Resources Canada – the department of the Government of Canada responsible for natural resources and energy – began a series of cross-country dialogues with citizens to inform Canada’s national energy policy.
A total of 145 citizens participated in the process. The participants were randomly selected, based on a set of criteria to reflect population diversity with regards to gender, age, income, ethnicity, education and geographical location, as well as personal perceptions of economics and the environment.
Five regional dialogue meetings were held in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax in September 2017, each lasting for two days and facilitated by the Simon Fraser University Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. Ahead of the dialogue meetings, participants received written material about energy issues by post. During the sessions, participants discussed how energy impacts their lives, explored ideas about Canada’s energy future and developed recommendations.
Building on the results of the five regional dialogues, a three-day, pan-Canadian dialogue was organised in Winnipeg. During the event, 35 participants selected from the total group developed overarching principles for Canada’s future energy policy. 

Outcome

The participants developed 20 policy recommendations on critical issues related to energy, climate change and the economy. In addition, the citizens identified five key principles that should guide Canada’s energy future. The recommendations and principles were submitted to Natural Resources Canada to inform decision-making processes on Canada’s energy future.

Read more

The report "Citizen dialogues on Canada’s energy future" describes the process and participant selection, as well as the recommendations and principles that were developed through the citizen dialogues (PDF).

EXAMPLE: Annual National Youth Assembly on Climate

Location

Ireland 

Description 

Around 70 young people convene every year in Dublin to discuss climate challenges. They choose the priority areas to be discussed and develop recommendations for the national government. Participants come from around the country and are aged between 12 and 24. The Irish Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth convene the assembly, but it is co-designed and co-facilitated by a youth advisory group. In 2024, the youth assembly was held for the third time, focusing on engagement.

Outcome

The recommendations of the Youth Assembly feed into the government’s climate action plan.

Read more

More information on the 2024 assembly is available on Government of Irelands's website.

EXAMPLE: Children’s Parliament

Location

Scotland 

Description 

In 1996, a children’s parliament was established in Scotland to strengthen children’s human rights and influence on national legislation and policy. The initiative involves children aged up to 14 years. Between autumn 2020 and spring 2021, around 100 children aged 7 to 14 from across Scotland participated in a children’s parliament on climate change. During that period, the participants learned about climate change and developed ideas and suggestions on how the Scottish government should tackle climate-related challenges. The group was led by 12 “investigators” – children who further explored the concepts and ideas discussed by the assembly members and who analysed the ideas and opinions that where shared. They were supported by climate experts and a team of facilitators. Due to the pandemic, all meetings and workshops took place online.

Outcome

The recommendations of the Children’s Parliament were shared with the members of the adult Citizen’s Assembly that took place at the same time. The children’s recommendations were included in the recommendations of the adult Citizens’ Assembly. The government developed a comprehensive report on how it would respond to the proposals. 

Read more

Final report describing experiences of the Children’s Parliament on Climate Change: “It’s up to you, me and all of us". Children’s Parliament investigates climate change for Scotland’s Climate Assembly (PDF).

EXAMPLE: Just transition listening project

Location

United States

Description

In 2020, the Labor Network for Sustainability gathered stories from more than 100 people who have experienced the green transition first-hand, for example due to plant closures or downsizing. The stories told by the participants focused on the support systems that are available and on what is lacking. Participants could also share their visions for the future.

 Outcome

The stories were shared online, through social media and webinars and were summarised in a final report. 

Tool: Inclusive Community Engagement Playbook: Engaging with Children

Author or Publisher

C40 Cities 

Year of publication

2021 

Description 

This document is an annex to the “Inclusive Community Engagement Playbook”, which contains tools, ideas and strategies to engage various stakeholders in climate policy planning at local level. This annex document focuses on how to engage with children. It discusses key considerations and presents case studies from various countries. That includes a “Traffic Agent” app developed in Oslo. C40 has published similar annexes offering ideas on how to engage with young people, older adults, trade unions and the broader public (see links below). While the documents are targeted towards local-level engagement in cities, many of the ideas and approaches presented could inform similar engagement practices at national or regional level.

Read more

The playbook "Inclusive Community Engagement" on how to engage children.
The playbook "Inclusive Community Engagement" on how to engage youth.
The playbook "Inclusive Community Engagement" on how to engage older adults.
The playbook "Inclusive Community Engagement" on how to engage trade unions.
The playbook "Inclusive Community Engagement" on public consultation guidance. 

Tool: Making consultations and dialogues inclusive and accessible for all – practice note

Author or Publisher

European Commission 

Year of publication

2021 

Description 

This practice note provides specific tips and suggestions on how to make consultations and dialogues accessible and inclusive. That includes practical suggestions on how to engage with civil society organisations that represent various marginalised groups. The note is written specifically for EU Delegations, but the recommendations can be useful for other actors as well.

Read more

The material can be accessed on EU International Partnerships Academy. Note that it is a restricted link and an account needs to be created to obtain access.

Tool: Youth for a just transition – a toolkit for youth participation in the Just Transition Fund

Author or Publisher

European Commission 

Year of publication

2021

Description 

The toolkit was developed to intensify the involvement of young people in work involving the EU Just Transition Fund in European regions. It offers numerous tips, methods and examples for youth engagement during the design phase, implementation phase and evaluation of the Just Transition Fund. Many of the examples and methods are likely also useful in a Nordic context to foster youth engagement during the green transition.

Read more

The toolkit "Youth for a just transition" (PDF).

Tool: Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies

Author or Publisher

Knoca

Year of publication

 n/a 

Description 

The Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies (Knoca) offers a range of materials and examples on how to conduct climate assemblies. The website contains guidance documents on how to organise such an assembly, how to involve children and young people and how to integrate climate assemblies into the policymaking process. The website also offers short summary descriptions on the national-level climate assemblies that have been held across Europe to date, including examples from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Tool: Empowering youth in cohesion policy

Author or Publisher

Jakubowska, J. and Stępién, M.

Year of publication

2024 

Description 

This publication identifies barriers that hinder effective youth engagement in the green transition and describes strategies to overcome them. Written for policymakers working on cohesion policy at EU level, many of its lessons and recommendations should be useful for a Nordic national context as well. 

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Tool: Make the invisible visible – how to engage with hard-to-reach citizens for policy development?

Author or Publisher

Rübel, J. and Steinberg, R. 

Year of publication

2023 

Description 

This hands-on guide provides methodology, learnings and best practices from the “Fair Energy Transition for All” project. The method guide aims to be a practical tool for everyone planning to better involve hard-to-reach citizens in the public debate, decision-making and policymaking processes – regardless of the topic.

Read more

The method guide "Make the invisable visable" (PDF).
Nordregio I www.nordregio.org/publications