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In Serbia, coal-dependent local communities risk having limited influence over the green transition.
When national plans began to be drawn up, there was a risk that the process would become overly technical and top-down, without sufficient consideration for jobs, local development and the people most affected.
During the year, the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Democratic Dialogue Network (DDN), helped to change this. Together with BOŠ and CEPLOR, they brought together civil society, local authorities, experts and institutions in a joint process to promote a fairer and more inclusive transition.
There was a particular focus on the coal mining region of Lazarevac, where local stakeholders took part in focus groups and open discussions on the challenges and opportunities of the transition.
The work resulted in a policy document guiding Lazarevac’s development in the climate transition – with a focus on employment, the local economy and social sustainability. It was handed over to the municipality as a basis for future planning and decision-making.
The initiative helped to broaden the issue from a narrow expert discussion to a wider public and political process, with increased opportunities for affected people to influence their future.
Young people shapes local policy for a just transition in ColombiaIn several of Colombia’s most vulnerable regions – Amazonas, Chocó and Sierra Nevada – the natural environment is under threat from deforestation, mining and climate change.
At the same time, young people often lack the opportunity to influence the political decisions that determine their future.
The Palme Center’s partner organisation, VozEs, is working to change this by training and mobilising young environmental leaders.
In 2025, 800 young people from eight rural municipalities in Chocó took part in a training programme on the environment, democracy and political advocacy. The programme was carried out in collaboration with regional authorities and the Pedagogical University of Colombia and forms part of a wider initiative to train over 3,000 young environmental leaders in the coming years.
A key part of the work is linking the training to real political processes.
Following the training, the participants developed their own policy proposals for a green economy and presented them in dialogue with mayors, regional authorities and national ministries. Several of the ideas have already begun to be integrated into local development plans.
The initiative is particularly significant as it brought together, for the first time, eight municipalities in Chocó around a joint programme for the environment and youth participation – in a region where cooperation otherwise mainly revolves around mining and industrial projects.
Through community education methods and close collaboration with decision-makers, VozEs strengthens young people’s opportunities to influence development in their communities.
In regions characterised by poverty, conflict and organised crime, this work contributes both to protecting the Amazon and to strengthening democracy by encouraging more young people to engage in community decision-making.
Breakthrough dialogue within the energy sector in North MacedoniaAs coal-fired power in the Pelagonia region is phased out, concern is growing among workers and people in local communities.
At the energy company REK Bitola, relations between management and trade union representatives have long been characterised by mistrust and uncertainty about what the transition will mean for jobs and livelihoods.
Together with the Palme Center, our partner organisation MKC Bitola created a forum for dialogue within the Local Economic and Social Councils (LESC). In 2025, representatives of company management and trade unions gathered for the first time for a joint discussion on the future energy transition.
The discussions provided a space for workers to openly voice their concerns about losing their jobs and facing reduced incomes, whilst company management acknowledged the need for better dialogue regarding the changes ahead. Experiences from other European coal regions demonstrated how a just transition can best be achieved through collaboration between companies, trade unions and the local community.
The meeting marked a clear breakthrough. The focus shifted from concerns and conflicts to how the transition can be managed collectively. As a next step, an international exchange of experiences with trade unions from other coal-mining regions in Europe is now being planned.
By establishing dialogue between workers, industry and civil society, this work contributes to a fairer climate transition in which people are given a say in their future.
Local communities in Thailand enforce new climate policy against forest firesRecurring forest fires in northern Thailand have become increasingly severe as a result of climate change. The fires particularly affect local communities through rising health problems, destroyed ecosystems and threats to livelihoods.
At the same time, the people who are most affected by this have had limited influence over the political decisions that govern the efforts to combat these fires.
With support from the Palme Center, local communities in Chiang Mai province received education on climate change, environmental impacts and forest fire management. Through the education, participants developed their own policy proposals based on their experiences and needs.
The proposals were presented to a progressive parliamentary partner in Thailand, who took the initiative further and transformed the recommendations into a draft bill. The bill was passed in two of three readings in the Thai parliament before parliament was dissolved in December 2025. At the same time, a breakthrough was achieved at regional level: the Lamphun provincial administration adopted both the education methodology and the policy proposals as the basis for its own strategy for managing forest fires.
This work has brought about a significant change. Local communities that previously tried to fight the fires themselves have now been given the opportunity to influence the policies that govern climate adaptation and environmental work.
By combining public education, local engagement and parliamentary influence, the initiative has demonstrated how climate policy can be developed from the bottom up – where those affected by climate change also have a say in decisions on how to address them.
