https://globalassemblies.org/cop30
People in the lead for climate action
The political system isn’t working – that much is clear. But let’s not forget: People built this system, and we can build a new one. Indeed, we already are.
How it works: A multi-level structure
The GCA operates at multiple levels to make sure everyone can join in, and that it’s fair, and creates impact:
- Civic assembly – A group selected by global lottery to discuss global challenges and shape decisions.
- Community assemblies – Thousands – eventually millions – engaging locally to generate solutions and drive action.
- Coalition – Governments, UN bodies, and organisations who support and act on assembly recommendations.
- Cultural engagement – A movement using media, influencers, and creative expression to encourage people to get involved.
Under COP30's leadership, people participation is moving to the centre of the global climate agenda — not as an add-on, but as a core principle for how decisions are shaped in the years ahead.
Real climate action must be co-created and rooted in people’s lived experience. Around the world, this is already happening: Indigenous communities safeguarding ecosystems, youth movements demanding justice, and local groups hosting assemblies on issues that shape daily life.
The Global Citizens’ Assembly is helping connect these efforts. Over the past year, it has evolved into a living architecture of participation: from the beta launch of Assemblis and dozens of local conversations, to the COP30 Presidency’s launch of the Citizens’ Track, and the start of the 105-member Civic Assembly on food and climate.
As we move beyond Belém, the momentum is clear: people are in the lead. The task now is to deepen this collaboration and show how global decisions are strengthened when they are informed by communities everywhere.
The journey from Belém to Antalya
From Bonn to New York — and now Belém — a global movement has been quietly gathering pace, bringing together people and partners who believe participation must be a permanent part of climate governance. What began as ideas and early prototypes has become real: a living Mutirão for people and planet.
The journey now continues from Belém to Antalya. Over the next year, the Global Citizens’ Assembly and its partners will deepen local-to-global participation, expand community assemblies through Assemblis, and deliver critical recommendations on food and climate.
This is our path towards COP31: ensuring that citizen voices not only enter the process, but help shape the decisions the world will take in 2026.
The journey now moves from Belém towards COP31 in Antalya. In the year ahead, the emerging institution will connect communities, inform policy, and show that legitimacy begins with people, not only at the COPs, but wherever decisions take root.
