Dear John
Where are the real leaders at COP?
While heads of state gather to congratulate themselves on targets that fall short for humanity, an alternative body of leaders from the world’s first Global Citizens’ Assembly will present their proposals for addressing the climate and ecological crisis at COP26 on 1st November.
In an open letter to the World Economic Forum launched this week, XRUK, together with more than 100 leaders from banking and business, are calling for global citizens’ assemblies like this one to be backed.
These ‘Leaders for Global Assemblies’ include the ex-Head of Global Tax at KPMG and the CEO of Triodos Bank UK. The letter issues a clear warning that our political economy is broken and asserts the need for global citizens' voices to navigate a legitimate way out of worldwide crises.
The Global Assembly is enabling the most representative voice of humanity to be heard for the first time on the climate & ecological crisis.
At the heart of the Assembly are 100 citizens - everyday people, selected by lottery - to learn from independent experts, share their lived experience and decide how the world should respond to the crisis.
Alongside this group, the Global Assembly is inviting anyone in the world to organise a Community Assembly, which will enable even more citizen voices to be heard, and contribute to a final report in March 2022. There is a toolkit to support Community Assemblies, that provides the same learning materials available to the core 100 citizens.
Although this is the pilot year for the Global Assembly it already has the backing of key figures at the UN, including António Guterres, UN Secretary General, and looks set to become a permanent feature of global governance.
To show your support, add your name to the letter from Leaders for Global Assemblies.
As COP26 progresses, XRUK will be listening carefully to the voices of global citizens, and standing by to act.
With love and rage,
Extinction Rebellion UK
