Forum “Civic Participation: A New Reality”: How Ukrainian Communities Are Rethinking Participation During the War

26 листопада 2025

On 20–21 November, Kyiv hosted the Forum “Civic Participation: A New Reality” — an event that brought together more than 160 representatives of communities, local self-government bodies, civil society organizations, experts and donor institutions from across Ukraine. The Forum was organized by the Association for Communities Participatory Development in partnership with the Union “Civil Initiatives of Ukraine” and with support from international partners.

It became a space where experience, challenges, community energy and an honest need to speak about participation came together — sincerely, deeply, and meaningfully.

Today, civic participation has acquired a new meaning. The war has limited many traditional mechanisms of influence, including representative democracy. Yet this has made the need for participation even stronger.

During the opening of the Forum, much was said about the fact that participation has not disappeared — it has transformed. Where once we focused on procedures and tools, we now turn to practices grounded in trust, solidarity, dialogue and shared responsibility.

Our partners also emphasize that despite the war, communities continue engaging residents, collecting feedback, organizing public discussions and involving people in recovery processes. This makes participation in Ukraine not symbolic, but truly alive.

We explored how approaches to participatory democracy are changing: — from formal procedures to more human-centered practices, — from standard tools to inclusive formats of dialogue, — from “projects” to shared responsibility.

Communities shared their experience of implementing participatory budgeting during the war, how decisions are made when resources are limited, and what strengthens public trust.

Modern participation tools are becoming increasingly digital. Participants discussed the use of data in decision-making, online platforms for engagement and new communication channels between authorities and residents.

We talked about honest and meaningful consultations, engaging people in difficult topics, and ensuring that different voices are heard — especially during a time of turbulence.

Sessions focused on models of cooperation between local governments and civil society organizations — how to move from formal partnerships to sustainable, co-created solutions.

A significant part of the programme was dedicated to youth engagement, participation from an early age, and accessibility. We discussed how communities involve young people in recovery, integrate internally displaced persons, and ensure inclusiveness for all groups.

Many discussions moved beyond programme topics and turned into deeply personal conversations about responsibility, exhaustion, trust, meaning and mutual support.

Participants described the Forum as a space where one could share challenges, hear others, find like-minded people and see that communities across Ukraine face similar issues. This atmosphere — warm, open and sincere — became one of the Forum’s greatest values.

• Civic participation in Ukraine is not only preserved — it is evolving and adapting.
• Communities are actively seeking solutions and have a strong demand for dialogue and openness.
• Cooperation between local authorities, civil society and international partners is yielding concrete results — from improving inclusiveness to strengthening public dialogue.
• Human connection remains crucial: through collaboration and mutual support, communities become more resilient and stronger.

The Forum marked an important step in re-establishing a national conversation on civic participation — but it is only the beginning.

In the coming weeks, we will share: — key insights and practical outcomes of the discussions, — plans for 2026, including the next edition of the Forum, — new opportunities for communities and partners.

We are grateful to everyone who joined us over these two days. Together, we are shaping a new standard of participation — open, inclusive, meaningful and alive. Stay with us — we will soon announce the next steps.

ℹ️ The Forum “Civic Participation: A New Reality” is organized by the Association for Participatory Community Development (APCCD) together with the Union “Civic Initiatives of Ukraine”, with the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine (UNDP) and funding from the Government of Denmark, the “EMPOWER” program, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) together with the European Union and implemented by GIZ Ukraine, the Swiss-Ukrainian EGAP program, implemented by the Eastern Europe Foundation, the European Local Democracy Association (ALDA), the NGO “Center for Community Development and Cooperation” and the IAC “Public Space”.