Deliberative democracy has been on the rise globally as more governments embrace citizen participation as a tool in policymaking. Despite this progress, and commitments in the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement for a Civic Forum – envisaged to be an umbilical cord between political institutions and wider civic society - Northern Ireland lags on public participation.
The Civic Initiative was launched during the 25th anniversary year of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement to test the appetite of people in Northern Ireland and cross-border communities for engagement in economic and social issues in conjunction with wider involvement in devolved political institutions. The results are compelling. Over the course of 18 months the Initiative held 38 community-based forums and workshops, opened a submissions portal for consultation response, ran a Citizens’ Forum on Housing that delivered 38 policy recommendations ratified by a consensus vote of 80% or higher and commissioned cross-border public opinion polling that demonstrated a clear appetite for the use of citizens’ assemblies and forums.
Voting should not be the only means of participation in the democratic process, and whilst there are those who would point to alternative mechanisms such as public consultations, the reality is that consultations have limited reach and often limited impact. Over 500 people took part at stage one of the Civic Initiative; 60 per cent of participants had not taken part in a similar workshop or process previously. None of the participants in the Citizens’ Forum on Housing had ever participated in an assembly or forum structure.
The delivery of the Civic Initiative project was cross-sectoral, bringing together a wide-range of civic society organizations, academics, and community-workers. The intention was to deliver a proof of concept with a standalone project, but having witnessed first-hand the demand within society, and the enormous, untapped potential in creating a space for wider consultation on complex policy issues, the Civic Initiative project has become the Civic Initiative organization, formalized as a permanent structure.
There are many lessons to be learned from our initial pilot, and delivery requires constant adaptation. This evaluation from Tasc, our partners for the initial project, has provided invaluable feedback that applies not just to our work but to public participation processes more broadly.
Going forward, the Civic Initiative will be working on delivery and implementation of the recommendations of the Citizens’ Forum on Housing, which included cross-border recommendations. In addition to Housing, stage 1 of the Civic Initiative project delivered a significant body of research and community-based solutions in areas such as education, poverty, healthcare and human rights, the Civic Initiative is sharing this research and exploring partnerships with other organizations working in these areas. Political engagement is essential to achieve legislative change, in this spirit the Civic Initiative has been engaged with political representatives in the Northern Ireland Assembly, as well as the Irish and UK governments.
Trust in democratic processes is slipping; voter turnout is decreasing, North and South. The structure developed by the Civic Initiative is one tool that has the potential to strengthen democracy, and a reminder to all of us working within civic society that we have the potential to step forward and create our own space when political institutions fail to provide one for us.
Emma DeSouza is the Chair of the Civic Initiative.
Emma DeSouza @@EmmaCDeSouza
Emma DeSouza is an award-winning campaigner, journalist, and peace activist who changed UK law in a landmark human rights case relating to the Good Friday Agreement. She is the Founder and Co-facilitator of deliberative democracy platform Civic Initiative, Director of the Northern Ireland Emerging Leaders Program at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, and a global adviser on peace processes and civic innovation.
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