Norway’s Citizen Assembly: An innovative step forward

My quiet summer fundraiser continues. So far we’ve received $3223 from 30 people. If you find my work meaningful, please send me some support (it’s tax-deductible). Thank you so much! – Tom

Dear friends,

In my July 2025 post Reimagining Deliberative Democracy to Meet the Metacrisis, I recommended that deliberative citizens assemblies “move towards non-governmental sponsorship.”  I explained that “the metacrisis is generated by our cultures and systems, which thus must be transformed to respond to it meaningfully. Most governments are disinclined and/or incapable of major systemic transformation – especially in the ways indicated by the metacrisis and its systemic drivers. How might we convene, facilitate, and implement participatory deliberative wisdom using institutions and/or resources that reach beyond the governments within whose domains we currently hold our citizens assemblies?”

THE NORWEGIAN ASSEMBLY

So I’m excited to share a recent significant innovation in that direction – the 2025 Norwegian Citizens’ Assembly (CA) for Norway’s Future (also called a People’s Panel).

Most of the quotes in the description below are from The Norwegian Future Panel (Framtidspanelet) website. (Choose English in the upper right hand corner of the home page if needed.) This Citizen Assembly was the latest in a trend I support – assemblies commissioned by civil society organizations rather than governments. 

Its organizers declared that “The aim of the People’s Panel is to initiate a public conversation about what Norway should do with its wealth” – notably with its large sovereign wealth fund consisting primarily of the surplus wealth produced by Norway’s petroleum sector (aka, “the oil fund”).

In the following sections I describe some of the innovative elements of this assembly.

THE CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY COMMISSION

This CA was commissioned by a group of seven  civil society “actors who want to create an inclusive and fact-based debate about Norway’s wealth, and who want to get the public’s input into their work in this area.” These groups ranged from the World Wildlife Fund and Save the Children to The National Council of Norwegian Children’s and Youth Organizations, as well as a long-term policy thinktank, Norway’s largest environmental group battling overconsumption, Norwegian Church Aid working globally to eradicate poverty and injustice, and an anti-poverty and immigrant integration group.  

These commissioners determined “the overall theme and … mission of the Future Panel” to tackle the broad question: “Norway is one of the richest countries in the world. How can we use our wealth to benefit the world, ourselves and future generations?” One of the sub-questions asked specifically about how its oil fund should be used now and in the future.

The commission ALSO committed in advance “to accepting the recommendations from the Future Panel, as well as assessing and publicly responding to how they will work further with the recommendations” AND have “a central role in lobbying authorities and politicians to promote the recommendations of the Future Panel”. So they, as civil society stakeholders, are engaged both in implementing the recommendations and in pressuring their government to follow them.

Other than those functions, the commission had “no influence on how the Future Panel was conducted, what knowledge was presented or the recommendations that the panel made”.  

THE STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY BOARD

A stakeholder advisory board was distinguished from the civil society commissioners (also made up of stakeholders) by their representing different perspectives and interests related to the panel’s topics. Unlike the commissioners, they had an advisory role with no commitment to the panel’s recommendations.

They supported bringing the question of Norway’s future to the attention of citizens and acted to ensure the legitimacy of the process. The main tasks included advising on:

• Formulation of the assignment
• Selection and quality assurance of expert witnesses
• Observation and advice during the implementation of the panel.

The stakeholder advisory group included two media figures and a journalist; two  environmental and social justice activists; a youth organizer; two investment bankers; an oil and technology executive; two former government officials; and a member of the post-panel research team.  

I think that the commissioners and the stakeholder advisory board together constituted a very interesting set of roles for stakeholder involvement in a CA – one held powerful roles both before and after the assembly and the other was simply advisory throughout.

THE SECRETARIAT

The Secretariat was a collaboration between two groups – SoCentral – specialists in collaboration – and WeDoDemocracy – the leading Nordic advisors in democratic innovation and deliberation. Together they were responsible for organizing the entire process, starting with recruiting participants. 

The members of the CA were chosen from 40,000 citizens randomly invited.  From those who expressed interest, 56* were picked who together represent the diversity of Norway in terms of age, gender, place of residence, education and political views.

Practitioners from the secretariat designed and facilitated the panel’s nine meetings – three sessions in person (the cost of travel, food and accommodations was covered) and six sessions online. The sixth meeting was open to both the media and the public and consisted of a presentation of the Panel’s work up to that point and an invitation for public input. 

The secretariat ensured that the panel had access to neutral and relevant information (listed in detail here) so that participants could make good and informed choices. They developed these materials with an expert group of six professionals who possessed strong knowledge and experience in the topics the Future Panel worked on.

The secretariat was also responsible for ensuring that the process was independent and impartial, and that the results were documented and communicated to both the commissioners and the public.All this work was overseen by an international deliberative advisory board made up of a half-dozen experts in deliberative democracy. They were there “to ensure the integrity” of the process and its adherence “to the OECD’s international standards for citizen panels“.

‍The Assembly began its work in January 2025 and launched its report at the Norwegian Parliament in May 2025. Its 19 recommendations (supported by at least 75% of the panelists) are listed here. The entire process and its impact are being researched.  You can find a good DemocracyNext article on the panel at Norway’s citizens want to share their fortune with future generations and the world.

CONCLUSION

I consider this Citizens Assembly to be a significant step in developing citizen deliberations that are capable of usefully contributing to society’s encounters with the metacrisis.  Such encounters promise to bring transformation in both horrific and life-serving ways.  The right kinds of CAs have much to offer to our navigating that challenge.  Freeing them from the constraints of government and creating new engagements with networks of stakeholders are two of the developmental trajectories I see needed – and this Norwegian innovation marks a great beginning on both counts.

There are many other dimensions to this transformation, including bringing in the voices, needs and wisdom of the more-than-human world and future generations as well as creative engagements with generative AI and the broader public.  I’ll share some tentative initiatives in those realms in coming posts.  In the meantime…

THE LEARNING CALL

On Thursday, September 4th, 2025 (at 15:00 – 16:30 (GMT+2), which is 6am Pacific Time), KNOCA (the Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies) is convening a “learning call on The Norwegian Future Panel”.

This call will consider the lessons that can be learned from this innovative initiative, in particular the opportunities and challenges associated with civil society-commissioned assemblies.

Participation is open and free.  We will be joined by colleagues from SoCentral, the organization (noted above) that led the process, along with other actors intimately involved in the Future Panel.

If you are interested, you can register here.

Coheartedly,

Tom

*  NOTE: I studied materials about the CA from before and after it happened.  The earlier materials speak of the panel having 66 members. Materials from the time afterwards speak of 56 members. So I’ve used 56 in this write-up.  I’m not sure where the difference comes from, but I imagine that some of the original selectees had to drop out for various reasons, such as illness, changing schedule conflicts, and so on.  But that’s just my conjecture based on what I witnessed in a few past mini-publics where last minute developments got in the way of prospective deliberators’ participation.

______________________________

We greatly value your heartfelt support!
Donate HERE.

________________________________

Tom Atlee, The Co-Intelligence Institute, POB 493, Eugene, OR 97440

Appreciating, evoking and engaging the wisdom and resourcefulness of the whole on behalf of the whole

*** Visit the Wise Democracy Pattern Language Project ***
*** Buy a Wise Democracy Pattern Card Deck ***

Read

• CO-INTELLIGENCE
• EMPOWERING PUBLIC WISDOM
• PARTICIPATORY SUSTAINABILITY
• THE TAO OF DEMOCRACY
• REFLECTIONS ON EVOLUTIONARY ACTIVISM

Please support our work. Your donations are fully tax-deductible.