Today, at a meeting hosted by the Mayor of Sarajevo Benjamina Karić, at the historic Vijećnica, the Citizens Assembly process for the Sarajevo Net Zero Mission was launched. Citizens Assemblies are deliberative bodies made up of representative samples of citizens who can provide input to elected authorities on issues of relevance. With the environment and air quality being issues of central importance for citizens in Sarajevo, Citizens Assemblies could be a crucial tool in supporting the objective of a climate neutral city.
Mayor Benjamina Karić explained the new and unique approach to listening to the public stated that “Today marks an important moment in our city, one that not only reaffirms our commitment to participatory democracy but also opens new horizons for our community. This process is called deliberative democracy and has been successfully used in Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Hungary, France etc. to better engage with a public who rightly feel their real concerns and issues are not listened to, and more powerful voices dominate public debates”.
Stefano Ellero, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina – which is funding the Net Zero Action Plan and the Citizens Assembles noted that “The launch of the Citizens Assembly process once again makes Sarajevo unique because this will become the first city in the Western Balkan to use this tool to greatly enhance the input of citizens to secure a cleaner, greener and more liveable city. Over the next 9 months, we will be working hand-in-hand with our partners in the City of Sarajevo, Canton Sarajevo and East Sarajevo to produce a climate action plan and investment strategy. The plan will outline the concrete steps in mobility, buildings, spatial planning and waste management to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. The Citizens Assembly will help ensure that this process takes the views of citizens into account.”
Sarajevo Functional Urban Area – which includes the City of Sarajevo, Canton Sarajevo and Istočno Sarajevo – was selected from over 375 competing cities to join the European Union Mission: “100 Net Zero Emission Cities” to deliver climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, EU in BiH writes.
