From Citizens' Voices to Climate Action: Let's Shape the Future Together!
How can citizens have a real say in the climate decisions that affect their lives? And what can we learn from communities across Europe that are already finding ways to make climate participation happen?
Join us in Cologne from 19–21 November 2026 for the Shaping Democracy Conference 2026, where Cit4Climate brings together experiences, ideas and best practices from across Europe!
Bürgerhaus MüZe, Berliner Straße 77, Cologne, Germany
Conference language: English
Participation is free of charge
Meet our project partners from across 8 European countries, connect with citizens, civil society organisations and democracy practitioners, and discover the best practices gathered through the Cit4Climate Participation Pop-Ups. Together, we will explore how people are getting involved in climate decision-making, share experiences from different national and local contexts, and discuss what makes citizen participation meaningful, inclusive and effective.
But this is not just about presenting what our partners have learned. It is about bringing everyone into the conversation! You will have the opportunity to exchange ideas, share your own experiences, question existing approaches and contribute your perspectives on how we can make climate democracy work in practice.
Bring your ideas, share your experiences and join the conversation. Let's turn the lessons gathered across Europe into new ideas for action and explore how citizens' voices can help shape a more democratic and sustainable future!
The programme is preliminary and will be finalised closer to the event.
You can join the event for the full day or just for a selected session.
19 November, Day 1: Connect | When? | What? |
17:30-18:00 | Registration | |
| 18:00-19:00 | Opening exhibitions: Democracy for Climate Action: What Europe Can Learn from Climate Activists in South America |
| 19:00-21:00 | Networking evening |
20 November, Day 2: Exchange | ||
09:00-10:00 | Registration | |
| 10:00 - 11:30 | Panel: Shaping Democracy Together: From Citizens' Voices to Political Action How can citizens meaningfully have a say in political decisions beyond elections? Bringing together experts, local politicians and participation practitioners, this panel explores how to make citizens' participation more inclusive, effective and impactful, drawing on examples from local democracy and climate action. |
| 13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 - 16:00 | Workshop: Climate Best Practices in Europe This workshop presents best practices in citizen participation in climate policymaking from seven European countries. Together, we will explore practical tools and approaches to strengthen citizen engagement and encourage active participation in climate action. |
| 16:15 - 17:00 | Interactive Workshop: Democracy Fitness Achim Wölfel, Executive Director, Mehr Demokratie e.V. NRW |
| 18:30 - 19:00 | Keynote tba |
| 19:00 - 22:00 | Celebrating 15 years of Democracy International Join us in celebrating 15 years of Democracy International! We invite all our partners, friends, and supporters to celebrate this milestone together with drinks, finger food, and good company. |
21 November, Day 3: Shape |
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| 10:00 - 12:30 | Citizens for Climate Partner Consortium Meeting |
Our partners
