The selected projects include innovative work from municipalities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across Portugal to involve citizens in local climate policy development; promote participation in marine, coastal and river ecosystem restoration; enhance community resilience; and develop new climate narratives and stories of positive change.

The projects will be implemented over the next year, and represent an investment of around 300,000 euros. They will be led by consortia involving municipalities and environmental NGOs, and also other public and private entities linked to academia and research centres, and the business sector.

The 11 final projects in the Climate Participation Initiative share a common aim of contributing to sustainable local development, using participatory and capacity-building approaches (such as citizens’ assemblies, workshops, participatory budgets and other community initiatives) to involve under-represented groups in the local climate agenda. Groups who will be reached by the projects include rural communities, fishing communities, the elderly, young people, furniture production workers, social and solidarity sector organisations, and local businesses.

They were selected from a total of 139 applications – representing the depth and breadth of climate participation work happening across Portugal, including the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores. The finalists were chosen after assessment by an independent jury formed by Luísa Schmidt, Principal Researcher at ICS; Maria José Rebelo, Sustainability Director at CTT; and Sofia Guedes Vaz, Director of the Environmental Engineering Programme at NOVA CAIRO, The Knowledge Hub Universities (Egypt).

Together the 11 projects will provide new evidence of what works and what could be replicated and scaled. The initiative focuses on supporting municipalities and NGOs as they are well placed to work directly with local citizens and partner with stakeholders to catalyse change at a larger scale.

The initiative is part of the Foundation’s longer-term strategy to promote investment in public participation and support a thriving civil society in Portugal and beyond.

It follows the Climate Action and Public Participation conference that brought together around 100 representatives from municipalities and civil society organisations, and 600 online participants, to exchange knowledge on climate action and citizen involvement in a fair transition.

“We are incredibly excited by the portfolio of projects chosen in the Climate Participation Initiative. Together the demonstrate the broad appetite for climate action across Portugal, and the potential for even greater involvement of local communities. Our aim is to ensure that all of society gets to contribute and shape the sustainability agenda, particularly those most impacted,” said Louisa Hooper, Director of the Sustainability Programme and UK Branch at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.