Goñi, I. (2025)
As part of my work with the Global Citizens’ Assembly (GCA), I’ve led the design and implementation of a democratic data infrastructure that connects citizen deliberation with global climate governance. This project sits at the intersection of civic technology, participatory democracy, and climate action.
Since 2024, I have led the data strategy of the Global Citizens Assembly.
Our goal is to create a data ecosystem that respects the integrity of local assemblies while enabling global discourses that have a greater chance of influencing global policy. I developed a strategy that prioritises contextual richness over numerical volume, (what we call “little data”) and ensures that personal stories and community-driven ideas are central to how we analyse and present information.
We are also building tools to support collaborative analysis, allowing NGOs, researchers, and policymakers to curate and mobilize citizen-generated insights. I also helped shape the architecture of Assemblis, a digital platform that enables communities to run their own assemblies, share outcomes, and connect with others globally. This platform supports both input (toolkits, training, support) and output (data aggregation, storytelling, policy briefs), creating a feedback loop between local action and global governance.
The result is a living infrastructure that supports decision-makers, researchers, and advocates in using citizen data to drive climate policy, strengthen democratic legitimacy, and foster solidarity across borders. It’s not just about data in itself; it is about democratic politics through data.