For the first time in UN climate summit history, ordinary citizens will have a direct, formal role in shaping international climate policy. The COP30 Presidency today launched the Citizens' Track, a new initiative that connects thousands of local community assemblies worldwide to a permanent Global Citizens' Assembly, creating a structured, global platform for public influence over climate decisions.
Alice de Moraes Amorim Vogas, Director of Program at COP30. Image Credit: Iswe Foundation
The announcement was made at an Action Agenda event in Belém, where Alice de Moraes Amorim Vogas, Director of Program at COP30, confirmed that findings from the initiative will be formally presented at the upcoming mid-year Bonn Climate Conference.
"We need a regime that is inclusive, people-centered, and truly responsive to both climate action and tackling inequalities. This will require different approaches, tools, and methods, and that's the beauty of the Citizens Track, it gives a structured process that can allow for more organic forms of mobilization. It's about creating a bridge between formal negotiations and informal participation. Without civil society and citizens, we won't be able to deliver this."
The first Citizens' Track cycle will engage over 100,000 participants in 30 countries, with an ambitious goal to scale to one million people by the global stocktake in 2028.
The idea was first proposed in a policy paper by Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and COP30 Special Envoy for Europe, in collaboration with the Iswe Foundation. Tubiana said: "Ten years after the Paris Agreement opened the door to cities, businesses, and civil society, COP30 has the opportunity to be remembered not just for new pledges, but for rebooting the relationship between citizens and the climate regime. This is the future a Citizens' Track can deliver and the legacy Belém must leave behind."
The initiative has also been supported by policy leaders and climate leaders around the world.
Xiye Bastida, climate justice activist and indigenous rights advocate, said: "We need spaces where people can have on-the-ground dialogues about how to implement climate solutions. Without that, we miss out on so much of our communities' potential. Intergenerational learning is essential, otherwise, a big part of the population won't get to shape our communities and our world. It's not just making our voices heard here at COP, but bringing this process to the ground and ensuring people feel empowered to help shape the policies that affect their lives."