Yuva Association is launching the Antalya Climate Citizens’ Assembly with the support of the European Climate Foundation (ECF). As part of the project, 50 citizens representing Antalya’s five central districts will come together to develop policy recommendations for the city’s water future.
As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible, protecting and sustainably managing water resources has become one of the most pressing challenges facing cities. The Antalya Climate Citizens’ Assembly aims to create a participatory democratic process in which not only experts and decision-makers, but also the people who live in the city, have a direct role in shaping solutions to this critical issue.
Implemented by Yuva Association with the support of the European Climate Foundation (ECF), the project will bring together citizens from diverse age groups, educational backgrounds, professions, and life experiences to collectively develop recommendations for Antalya’s water future. Throughout the process, participants will receive balanced scientific information from experts, consider different perspectives, and work together to develop practical policy proposals.
An internationally recognised model brought from İzmir to Antalya
The Antalya Climate Citizens’ Assembly builds on the success of the İzmir Climate Citizens’ Assembly, which was implemented by Yuva Association last year.
In İzmir, citizens came together to answer the question, “How can we survive in a warming İzmir?” Throughout the process, participants attended expert presentations on topics such as nature-based solutions, water management, and public health, while facilitated table discussions enabled people with diverse perspectives to deliberate and identify common ground. The process resulted in the development and prioritisation of 30 citizen recommendations for İzmir’s climate future.
Recognised internationally for its innovative approach to participatory democracy, the project received both the Nets4Dem Impact Award and the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) Grundtvig Award. The Antalya Climate Citizens’ Assembly will build on this experience by adapting the methodology and lessons learned in İzmir to Antalya’s local context.
Shaping Antalya’s water future together
Throughout the Assembly, participants will explore topics including climate change, Antalya’s water resources, water governance, agriculture, tourism, urban development, and ecosystems. Guided by neutral facilitators, they will engage in small-group deliberations, evaluate different perspectives, and jointly develop recommendations for the city’s future.
Facilitators will ensure that discussions remain balanced, inclusive, and respectful, but they will not influence the content of the discussions or the decisions reached. As a result, the Assembly’s recommendations will emerge directly from the participants’ collective deliberation.
The participation process will begin soon
The application timetable and participation criteria for the Antalya Climate Citizens’ Assembly will be announced in the coming months. Once the application period has closed, 50 citizens representing Antalya’s five central districts will be selected through a computer-assisted random selection process, taking into account demographic criteria such as age, gender, educational background, and district of residence to ensure broad and balanced representation.
The Assembly will begin on 26 September and unfold over five meeting days in a three-stage deliberative process. At the end of the process, participants will produce a Citizens’ Recommendations Report containing proposals for Antalya’s water future. The outcomes of the Assembly will be presented to the public and relevant institutions.
Over the course of the approximately three-month project, updates on the Assembly’s work will be shared regularly with the public. By bringing the increasingly widespread model of citizens’ assemblies to Antalya, the project aims to strengthen more participatory, inclusive, and democratic approaches to water governance and climate decision-making in the city.
If the audience is the European Climate Foundation, international partners, or English-language media, this version is suitable. If the primary audience is EU institutions, I would make it even more policy-oriented and align the language more closely with EU terminology on deliberative democracy, climate governance, and citizen participation.
