In the framework of the Council of Europe project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery” the memorandums of understanding were signed to implement three Citizens’ Assemblies in 2026 — in the Obolon District of Kyiv, the Lviv Agglomeration, and the Rivne Community.
The Memorandums were signed by Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, Secretary of the Rivne City Council and Acting Mayor Viktor Shakyrzian, and Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress.
These documents formalise the partnership between the Congress and the three communities to plan and implement citizens’ assemblies based on the principles of transparency, inclusiveness, and shared decision-making, and in line with Council of Europe standards.
The signing ceremony took place on 28 October 2025 in the margins of the 49th Session of the Congress.
The event was opened by Marc Cools, President of the Congress, and Mykola Tochytskyi, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe. In their remarks, they emphasised the importance of advancing democratic innovation and strengthening civic participation as an integral part of Ukraine’s democratic recovery. Vitalii Klychko, Andriy Sadovyi, and Viktor Shakyrzian highlighted their communities’ commitment to developing deliberative democracy and engaging residents in meaningful discussions on key local issues through citizens’ assemblies.
In closing, Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress, thanked signatories for their leadership and dedication to promoting civic participation and open governance practices that reinforce democratic resilience and support Ukraine’s recovery.
Previously, the Council of Europe project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery” launched an open call for applications to select local self-government bodies to receive comprehensive support in implementing citizens’ assemblies — an innovative tool of deliberative democracy. As part of the Project, a series of training sessions on deliberative democracy and the citizens’ assemblies were also held for national experts, as well as for representatives of local, regional and national authorities.
The citizens’ assemblies will be implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026 and the project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery”, implemented by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
