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Once the Summit for Democracy is over and we move into the year of action, legislators and political leaders who want to promote respect for human rights and help build disability-inclusive societies would do well to bear this set of skills and qualities in mind – and make sure they cultivate them
One of the least-trumpeted outcomes of COP26 is the Glasgow work programme on Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE). Its substance is unmissable as countries bite the bullet and start working out how to deliver on their Glasgow pledges.
Supported by WFD's British Embassy funded-programme, the Committee on Economic Development conducted a post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) pilot to assess the effectiveness and the impact of COVID-19 emergency legislation and presented its findings to the government in a PLS report.
While the UK Climate Assembly is seen to have been a success by the select committees and a number of them have launched inquiries referencing CAUK’s recommendations, it has had an agenda-setting influence at best.
What does it take to organise a successful citizens’ assembly on climate change?
With a ‘new deliberative wave’ sweeping across the world, politicians and citizens have an incredible opportunity to save our democracies from polarization and lack of trust and build a strong democratic culture for the future.
WFD, in partnership with the Coalition of Women MPs from Arab countries recently held a roundtable on the opportunities and challenges facing women’s electoral success in North Africa.
WFD engaged with the Climate Change Committee and Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change in Uganda by offering support to coordinate all the actors involved to review the bill and generate consensus and advocate for its passage.
Environmental civil society organisations in Albania often face difficulties in accessing decision-makers and being included in consultation processes. WFD is helping to change that.
WFD supported Pakistan's Standing Committee on Climate Change (CCC) to expand opportunities for citizens and experts to get involved in decision making.
WFD, in partnership with the Digital Transformation Network (DTN) and Nudge Lebanon, recently ran a two-day workshop on applying behavioural insights to help the transition towards a civil state in Lebanon. The move towards a civil state in the Lebanese context means a move away from the confessional system that has replaced national identity as a source of citizens’ rights by sectarian affiliation.
Both experiences highlight the value of citizens’ assemblies in spurring greater and fairer climate ambition thanks to different representation, legitimacy and deliberation methods. They also provide early lessons on the decision-making process that follow.
There are challenges for legislatures to make use of citizens’ assemblies successfully, but if these key lessons from CAUK are heeded, they could become a regular fixture of parliamentary public engagement.
The mission focuses on the rights and opportunities of women, youth, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups to participate in the electoral process. It will also consider media freedom and media and social media coverage of the election.
WFD, under phase II of the Kenya Inclusive Political Parties (KIPP) programme, continues to promote people with disabilities' (PWDs) inclusion in politics. We are doing this by partnering with political parties to ensure they respond to the needs of PWDs within their internal party structures, political commitments, policies, and in elections.
