Decentralisation and civic participation contributes to resilience in the face of crisis – this is the conclusion from an upcoming study of Ukrainian municipalities. Civil servants and local politicians share insights on challenges and strategies to improve collaborative governance, for the sake of societal resilience.
16 Ukrainian municipalities, including seven from ICLD’s Democratic Resilience Network, came together with scholars from the Kyiv School of Economics to explore the vital role of citizen participation at the local level during Russia’s ongoing invasion. The researchers have found municipalities to be at the forefront of managing the humanitarian crisis, ensuring access to essential services such as water, electricity, and shelter for displaced and vulnerable populations. Their experiences demonstrate the power of decentralized crisis management, where collaboration with civil society and businesses plays a crucial role in mobilizing resources and maintaining social cohesion.
The event focused on exploring both the opportunities and challenges of public engagement during wartime. Recommendations were developed to sustain and improve civic participation, further strengthening societal resilience in Ukraine. Using the “World Café” method, open dialoguea nd collective problem-solving was possible. Municipal representatives and experts discussed pressing issues such as coordination with central authorities, managing security risks, and finding practical solutions for strengthening citizen engagement. Five municipalities presented case studies representing these challenges, focusing on possible solutions and identifying specific tools and strategies for improving civic participation in wartime. Participants then voted on the most critical issues, leading to the identification of key tools and strategies for improving collaborative governance.
The event provided a platform for validating research findings from a project on local democracy in wartime and produced a user-friendly brief in Ukrainian with elaborated solutions. The collaborative approach of the event, alongwith diverse perspectives, ensured that the recommendations from the research are grounded in practical realities, further empowering municipalities to engage their communities effectively.
Stay tuned for the launch of the research report and policy brief!