On 15 October, the Global Citizens’ Assembly brought together people from across continents and time zones for "People in the lead: How citizens’ assemblies are shaping global climate action". The full recording is now available to watch.

The conversation began with three members of this year’s Global Assembly on Food and Climate: Ahmad Marzuki, Abraham Jayariyu and Anna Mbabazi. They shared what it was like to bring their lived experience to a global table, and what they took from deliberating alongside people from around the world.

The event also looked at how community assemblies are helping people create change where they live. Examples ranged from Casa do Hip Hop in Brazil, where an assembly helped young people find ways to take a more active role in the climate response, to Londoners pressing City Hall for the right to grow food on unused public land.

Expert voices made the case for why citizens belong at the heart of climate decision-making. Laurence Tubiana, Oliver Escobar and Kirsten Dunlop each offered their perspective. Joining live from Kuala Lumpur, Kirsten described the climate fight as a race against despair, with people’s agency as the antidote. Representatives from COP30 and the UNFCCC then looked at what comes next.

Rich Wilson closed the event by calling on Türkiye and Ethiopia, hosts of the next two COPs, to give citizens a real seat at the negotiating table.

Participants also sent in a large number of questions. As the event ran a little over its scheduled 90 minutes, they weren’t answered live, and a follow-up FAQ will answer them all.

Read the Methodology and Outputs Report of the 2026 Global Assembly on Food and Climate.

Read more about the event in the blog: From participation to influence: A year of people in the lead.