Inspired by the release of European Civic Forum’s Civic Space Report 2026, followed by the launch of the Human Rights Cities Network’s (HRCN) Human Right Cities Compendium of Good Practices in Monitoring, our partnership is pleased to launch a webinar series on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Consultation Mechanisms !
Beyond examining the challenges facing civic space and showcasing effective monitoring practices, the webinar series will explore how local governments, civil society, and communities can work together to strengthen participation, accountability, and human rights implementation at the local level.
The “Boosting Democratic Participation in Cities to Recharge Democracy in Europe” (DeCiDE) project, implemented by the Human Rights Cities Network in partnership with Global Parliament of Mayors, aims to strengthen cooperation between municipalities and civil society organisations. Through its co-designed Standardized Monitoring System (SMS), the project assesses the implementation of human rights and EU values at the local level, while reinforcing democratic participation, transparency and accountability.
Building on these developments, engaging a wider European audience in reflecting on meaningful democratic participation has become increasingly important. With the cooperation of the European Civic Forum (ECF), the HRCN webinar series on CSOs Consultation Mechanisms to shape, implement and evaluate local policies seeks to enrich this discussion.
By creating a virtual space for open dialogue, peer learning and knowledge exchange among local authorities, CSOs, researchers, and policy actors, the series will contribute to stronger democratic governance and more effective civic participation across Europe.
The main objective of this series is to strengthen the capacities of cities and local civil society to guarantee democratic participation and access to human rights through inclusive structured dialogue mechanisms with CSOs in the design, delivery, and evaluation of public policies and services.
The Webinars:
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Webinar 1: From Consultation to Co-Creation: CSOs Participation in Local Decision-Making
2 July 2026, 15:00 CET
REGISTER HERE: Inscription à la réunion – Zoom
This webinar will explore how municipalities can move beyond one-off consultation processes towards more meaningful and institutionalised forms of participation, co-creation, and shared decision-making. Building on the findings of the Civic Space Report 2026 and the Human Rights Cities Compendium of Good Practices in Monitoring, the discussion will examine how local authorities and civil society organisations can work together to strengthen democratic governance, civic participation, and accountability. Drawing on experiences from cities, civil society organisations, and experts in participatory democracy, participants will explore practical mechanisms for ensuring that inhabitants and CSOs play an active role in shaping, implementing, and evaluating local policies.
The webinar is organised as an interactive panel discussion. We envisage each panelist providing brief introductory remarks (approximately 5–7 minutes), followed by a moderated discussion among speakers and a Q&A session with participants.
The audience will include civil society organisations, representatives of municipalities, human rights practitioners, researchers, and policymakers from across Europe.
Panelists
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- Daniela Grabovac, City of Graz and anti-discrimination office of Styria:
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- Presenting a Human Rights City’s experience in institutionalising citizen participation and monitoring democratic governance at the local level.
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- Dana Mareková, Climate Coalition Slovakia:
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- Sharing civil society perspectives on civic space, structured dialogue mechanisms, and enabling environments for meaningful participation.
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- Jonathan Moskovic, Senior Advisor at Democracy Next and Founder of What about Dem
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- Exploring innovative models of co-creation and deliberative democracy that strengthen citizen involvement in public decision-making
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- Natacha Kazatchkine, Secretary General at European Civic Forum
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- Presenting key findings from the Civic Space Report 2026 and the Civil Society Strategy 2025 as a tool for structured and civic dialogue.
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- Moderated by: Frederique Hanotier
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- Co-founder and board member of the Human RIghts Cities Network
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- Daniela Grabovac, City of Graz and anti-discrimination office of Styria:
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Webinar 2: Protecting Civic Space in Cities: Local Challenges and Community Response
Monday 13th July 16.00 CET
The European Civic Forum’s Civic Space Report 2026 highlights the impact of democratic backsliding on civic participation and fundamental freedoms across Europe. While restrictions on civic space are often shaped by national and European political dynamics, their consequences are felt directly at the local level, affecting the ability of people, CSOs, and communities to engage in public decision-making.
Bringing together evidence from the Civic Space Report and the experiences of practitioners working across different levels of governance, this webinar will explore how civic space conditions influence democratic participation in cities. It will examine the role of municipalities, civil society actors, and European institutions in safeguarding civic freedoms and fostering enabling environments for participation. The discussion will highlight the importance of coordinated action across all levels of governance and society in protecting civic spaces.
The webinar is organised as an interactive panel discussion. We envisage each panelist providing brief introductory remarks (approximately 5–7 minutes), followed by a moderated discussion among speakers and a Q&A session with participants.
The audience will include civil society organisations, representatives of municipalities, human rights practitioners, researchers, and policymakers from across Europe.
Speakers :
- Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament responsible for relations with European Civil Society organisations – Discussing the role and actions of European Parliament/ institutions and policymaking in defending civic space, democracy, and fundamental rights.
- Kersty McCourt, Senior Advocacy Advisor at Civil Liberties Union for Europe.– Sharing perspectives from civil society on threats to civic space and strategies for strengthening community resilience and participation.
- Municipal officials working on participation, inclusion and community engagement – Presenting local government approaches to protecting civic space and creating enabling conditions for citizen and CSO involvement.
- Kerttu Willamo, Civic Space Monitoring and Capacity Building Officer at European Civic Forum – Presenting key findings from the Civic Space Report 2026 and highlighting emerging trends affecting civic participation and democratic engagement across Europe.
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Webinar 3: The European Democracy Shield and Local Democratic Resilience: Bridging Policy and Practice
16 July 2026, 15:00 CET
REGISTER HERE: Inscription à la réunion – Zoom
Building on the discussions in the previous webinars, this session will examine how European policy frameworks can support democratic resilience at the local level. Focus will be on the European Democracy Shield and its potential to strengthen civic participation, protect democratic freedoms, counter disinformation, and reinforce trust in democratic institutions.
This webinar will explore how local authorities, CSOs, and Human Rights Cities can contribute to and benefit from emerging EU initiatives aimed at safeguarding democracy. Bringing together policymakers, practitioners, and CSO representatives, the discussion will assess whether current European frameworks adequately address local democratic challenges and identify opportunities for strengthening the connection between EU policy priorities and local democratic practice.
The webinar is organised as an interactive panel discussion. We envisage each panelist providing brief introductory remarks (approximately 5–7 minutes), followed by a moderated discussion among speakers and a Q&A session with participants.
The audience will include civil society organisations, representatives of municipalities, human rights practitioners, researchers, and policymakers from across Europe.
Speakers (to be confirmed)
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- Stephen De Ron: Rapporteur on the European Democracy Shield for the Committee of the Regions– Presenting the objectives, priorities, and implementation pathways of the Democracy Shield.
- Representative from Human Rights Cities: (Brussels)– Sharing local perspectives on democratic resilience and discussing how EU initiatives can better support municipalities in protecting participation, rights, and civic engagement.
- Net4Dem – Exploring the role of civil society in addressing disinformation, defending civic space, and strengthening democratic participation.
- Emma Quaedvlieg, European Partnership for Democracy– Providing insights into emerging threats to democracy and the factors that strengthen resilience at local, national, and European levels.
- Moderated by: HRCN Team member– Capacity Building and Policy Lead at Human Rights Cities Network
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Webinar 4: Monitoring Local Democracy: Tools and Indicators for Inclusive City Governance
23 July 2026, 15:00 CET
REGISTER HERE: Inscription à la réunion – Zoom
This webinar will focus on the importance of monitoring as a tool for strengthening accountability, transparency, and evidence-based policymaking. Effective democratic participation requires not only inclusive mechanisms and enabling environments but also the ability to assess whether these efforts are producing meaningful outcomes for communities.
Through the DeCiDE project, municipalities and civil society organisations have jointly developed a Standardized Monitoring System that enables cities to assess progress in advancing human rights and democratic participation. This webinar presents the methodology, indicators, and tools developed through the project and explores how monitoring systems can support policy developments, identify participation gap / shrinking of civic space and track discrimination and inequalities, and strengthen accountability between local authorities and civil society.
Drawing on experiences from Human Rights Cities, researchers, and practitioners, participants will discuss how monitoring can move beyond data collection to become a strategic tool for improving local governance and fostering more inclusive, democratic, and rights-based cities.
Panelists:
- Marianna Belalba, Senior Legal Advisor at European Centre for Not-for-profit Law (ECNL)– Presenting the Monitoring Action for Civic Space (MACS) and sharing how the national civic space monitoring tool can complement local monitoring initiatives.
- Marshall Wanimo, DeCiDE Project Coordinator at Human Rights Cities Network– Presenting the DeCiDE Standardized Monitoring System (SMS), its methodology, indicators, and lessons learned from implementation.
- Jaume Muñoz, Head of Department of Human Rights and Non Discrimination of the City Council of Barcelona– Sharing practical experience in monitoring discrimination, participation, and human rights at the local level and using evidence to inform policymaking.
- Moderator: Jacqueline
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Webinar 5: What Works – Democratic Innovation in Practice: Inspiring Examples from European Cities
REGISTER HERE: Inscription à la réunion – Zoom
This session will highlight practical examples of democratic innovation and successful cooperation between municipalities and civil society organisations. It will also provide evidence from the DeCiDE pilot cities’ work in advancing the Charter of Fundamental Rights at the local level.
Speakers (to be confirmed):
- Representative from the European Civic Forum network.
- Municipal representatives implementing innovative participation initiatives.
- Civil society organisations involved in successful local governance practices / Cascais 2026 European Capital Democracy .
- Practitioners and experts in participatory democracy and democratic innovation.