Learning call: The Norwegian Future Panel

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The Norwegian Framtidspanelet is the latest in the emerging trend of assemblies commissioned by civil society organisations.

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The 66-person Citizens’ Assembly for Norway’s Future was commissioned by seven civil society organisations and tackled the broad question: ‘Norway is one of the richest countries in the world. How can we use our wealth to benefit the world, ourselves and future generations?’ One of the sub-questions asked specifically about how its oil fund should be used now and in the future.

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The Assembly began its work in January 2025 and launched its report at the Norwegian Parliament in May 2025.

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The learning call considered the lessons that could be learned from this innovative initiative, in particular the opportunities and challenges associated with civil society-commissioned assemblies.

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We were joined by colleagues Sofie Furu and Thomas Berman from SoCentral, the organisation that led the process, along with commissioner Else Hendel from WWF, assembly member Edd Meby, and documentarist Thomas Østbye, who observed the process from the outside.

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The key take-aways from the Learning call was:

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Norway’s Future Panel is a step-change in civil society-commissioned assemblies that aim to shape public discourse and action.

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The Panel shows that it is possible to bring diverse civil society organisations together (seven!) to commission an assembly and work collaboratively towards a shared goal

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The Panel was able to deal with a broad remit – and at the same time focus on tangible outcomes, including the values that should guide the use of the country’s wealth and the strategy of its Sovereign Wealth Fund.

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Impact is always challenging to achieve (and measure) for civil society-commissioned assemblies, but critical is the role of commissioners and other multipliers

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Watch the recording of the event here:

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