Al Masri, Muzna; Daher, Mariam; Shehabi, Ala'a; (2026) A toolkit for organizing participatory democracy processes in the Arab countries: Citizen Assemblies as a model

This toolkit aims to contribute to strengthening inclusive and participatory democratic practice in the Arab region. It builds on the growing success of citizens’ assemblies (CA) and deliberative practices globally, but provides a Global South perspective on the possible value and use of citizen assemblies in countries where democracy is generally curtailed. This toolkit provides practical guidance and tools to individuals and groups interested in organising a CA in countries of the global south. It was created and adapted during the process of organising three citizens’ assemblies by the authors and partner organisations, Jibal in Lebanon and Al Bawsala in Tunisia, as well as colleagues in civil society who have contributed to workshops and consultations on the methodology and its alignment with the political realities of the Arab countries. The guide has four sections: Section 1 presents a theoretical and conceptual framing on the added value of citizens’ assemblies for Arab countries. Section 2 elaborates on the governance model of bottom-up citizens’ assemblies, highlighting the partnerships needed across all its stages. Section 3 is a step-by-step guide for designing the citizens’ assemblies, including setting the aim and remit, the recruitment strategy, the processes of learning, deliberation, and decision making, and the processes of documentation and evaluation. Section 4 gives practical suggestions for post-assembly follow-up, and the possibilities of assemblies to break political deadlock and expand collective imagination and learning.