The Global People’s Assembly 2024, held on September 22-24, brought together representatives from grassroots movements, civil society organizations, and marginalized communities worldwide in a vibrant display of unity. Convening around pressing global issues, the event provided a unique platform for participants to formulate policy demands for governments and international institutions.
This year’s assembly highlighted the success of a multi-layered, bottom-up approach. Beginning with community-level gatherings and progressing through national and regional assemblies, the process culminated in a globally inclusive event. A significant focus of the assembly was on amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups, such as women, youth, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ communities, to ensure that global policies are shaped by those often overlooked.
A Platform for Global Civil Society
Key speakers made strong calls for coalition-building and systemic reform. Renowned economist Jayati Ghosh urged civil society to adopt proactive strategies and push for new economic indicators beyond GDP. Ghosh’s address stressed the importance of building coalitions to address economic and social issues with a long-term perspective, championing civil society’s role in shaping metrics that reflect holistic well-being rather than mere economic growth.
Alessandra Nilo highlighted the importance of coherence between G20 and UN agendas, underscoring civil society’s role in ensuring that G20 decisions align with broader UN commitments. Nilo called for issue-based coalitions and a unified message to strengthen civil society’s impact on international policy.
Testimonies from Youth and Grassroots Movements
Youth activists took center stage, sharing impactful stories and strategies. Kenyan activist Faith Kadami Mutegi discussed successful grassroots movements like the End Femicide campaign and the Reject Finance Bill 2024 protest, which led to the Kenyan government rejecting tax hikes on essential sanitary products. These testimonies demonstrated how local movements can directly influence national policy and set examples for other regions.
Regional assemblies from Asia and Africa also presented their distinct demands. Adrian Bhattarai of the Asian People’s Assembly shared key themes, including calls for universal social protection, financial reform, and the expansion of civic space. Similar issues were echoed by African representatives, who stressed the importance of youth engagement and gender justice, reflecting Africa’s young demographic and the urgency of addressing gender-based violence.
Core Demands for Global Change
Emerging from the assembly were ten core demands for advancing social justice, economic equity, environmental sustainability, and inclusive governance:
- Universal Social Protection: A call for adopting a public-funded social protection floor with a broadened concept of food security that includes nutrition access.
- Financial System Reform: Participants urged radical reform of international financial institutions to serve developing nations better.
- Universal Health Coverage: The assembly advocated for publicly funded health coverage, prioritizing marginalized communities.
- Climate Action and Ecological Planning: Inclusion of local communities in ecological planning for sustainable management of natural resources.
- Economic Metrics Reform: A shift from GDP to more comprehensive economic metrics that incorporate labor and time use indicators.
- UN Tax Convention Progress: Support for a UN-led tax reform framework to modernize international financial architecture.
- Civic Space Protection: A strong stance on expanding civic space, allowing civil society greater involvement in decision-making.
- Gender Justice: Addressing gender violence and promoting equality, with campaigns like Kenya’s End Femicide serving as models.
- Youth Empowerment: Recognizing the importance of youth in policy-making, especially given the youth-majority demographics in many regions.
- Systemic Change Approach: Advocating for interconnected solutions to global challenges, including conflict, arms trade, and climate action.
Ensuring Marginalized Voices Are Heard
To incorporate diverse perspectives, the Global People’s Assembly used several strategies. Beginning with grassroots gatherings and moving through a tiered structure from local to global levels, the assembly ensured that voices from the ground informed each stage. Regional assemblies provided tailored platforms, such as the Asian People’s Assembly and African People’s Assembly, to discuss region-specific concerns.
Youth representation was a critical focus, with young leaders like Faith Kadami Mutegi from Kenya sharing firsthand experiences. Multilingual participation, digital accessibility, and a toolkit for organizing local events were other strategies that promoted inclusivity. Cross-regional dialogues and consensus-building techniques helped synthesize diverse demands into cohesive, global policy recommendations.
Looking Ahead: A Call to Action
The Global People’s Assembly 2024 underscored the power of civil society in global governance. Through unified, grassroots-driven demands, the assembly aimed to hold governments accountable and bring forth policies that serve all citizens, not just the powerful few. As global issues become increasingly interconnected, the need for a systems change approach rooted in justice, sustainability, and equity has never been more urgent.
The Assembly’s comprehensive demands and inclusive process stand as a testament to the power of collective action. Now, civil society and its global allies await government responses, hopeful that this display of solidarity will translate into meaningful, systemic change.
