Citizen engagement. Current societal challenges mean that a number of crises coincide with the climate crisis: the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, crises in respect of energy, food, raw materials and critical minerals, biodiversity and demography. These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that we are also experiencing a democratic development where a growing proportion of the population feels excluded. This increases the need for initiatives aimed at inclusion and putting citizens at the centre of the transition to a climate neutral, sustainable society through initiatives such as new forms of citizen involvement (such as citizens’ councils) and the development of attractive living environments (such as New European Bauhaus) and policies for the designed living environment. It is necessary to make the most of citizens’ knowledge and expertise with regard to the decisions that affect their lives, and these decisions must be supported by the vast majority so that action and change can be implemented at the pace and to the extent required. There will be further development of cooperation between cities, agencies and other stakeholders in 2024 in order to pave the way for citizen engagement in the climate transition; not least by developing new forms of citizen involvement in local Climate City Contracts and interaction with European initiatives in this respect. A number of learning cases, tests and initiatives in respect of citizen participation will be mobilised in 2024 with a view to building on empowering citizens so as to accelerate the climate transition.
Citizen engagement. Citizen engagement activities through the Project will be implemented throughout the life of the Project and at multiple levels. At the broader level, the preparation of the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and prioritization of investments will be based on multi-stakeholder consultations (e.g. national government, regional and local governments and NGOs). A national communication strategy on flood risks and their management will also be developed. At the sub-project level, the location and design of the investments will also be subject to public information and consultation through the corresponding municipalities. Additionally, the preparation of the Project’s ESMF and RPF have been subjected to public disclosure and consultations and the resulting EMPs and RAPs for each task/sub – project will be also subjected to more in-depth consultation processes and the RAPs will include robust grievance redress mechanisms. Both type of documents will be also discloused before, during and after public discussion. More detailed explanations on it are included in chapter 4 and 5.6.5, 5.6.6, 5.6.7. Finally, project impact monitoring will include surveys for disaggregated analysis (by gender, age, income, etc.) of flood impacts and flood protection impacts, and on citizen engagement.
Citizen engagement. The Town and Chamber will take all steps necessary to engage the citizens and business operators of the Town of Amherst to ensure that the project is successfully completed and improves the Town of Amherst as a whole.
