Rebuilding Ukraine is about far more than restoring physical infrastructure; it is about embedding fundamental human dignity and rights into everyday local governance. This was the driving message in Kyiv on 2 July 2026, during the round table “Human Rights in Local Governance: Challenges and Pathways for Post-War Ukraine”. Organised with the Congress support, the event gathered local and regional authorities, their national associations, and representatives of the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) to forge practical strategies for protecting citizens and anchoring the country’s post-war recovery at the municipal level.
Opening the event, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori emphasised that “human rights are not legal concepts confined to international treaties and national mandates; they are lived every day in our communities. A citizen’s daily experience of dignity, equality, and protection depends heavily on decisions made locally.”
Ukrainian Ombudsperson Dmytro Lubinets underlined the crucial role of local authorities in safeguarding these principles: “Ukraine’s recovery is about restoring trust, justice and human dignity. The success of post-war recovery will ultimately be determined at the local level. It is within communities that people see, day by day, whether decisions are effective, whether their rights are respected, and whether the state can respond to their needs.”
The central focus of the round table was the Ombudsman’s 2025 Annual Report [English | Ukrainian], with participants examining its key findings and recommendations. Attendees dedicated particular attention to fostering safe, secure communities and protecting the rights of children, veterans, and internally displaced persons.
The essential European dimension of local democracy also took centre stage. Peter Drenth, Congress Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights, stated that “nowhere is the link between human rights and local governance more evident or urgent than in Ukraine today. Local authorities are not just service providers. For Ukraine’s recovery to be built on solid foundations, it is crucial that municipalities and regions fully understand their human rights obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, and that they are provided with the necessary practical tools, guidance and support to uphold these obligations.”
Following the productive discussions, participants developed recommendations to strengthen human rights protection at the grassroots level, identified key priorities for future co-operation, and agreed to maintain this momentum through an upcoming series of regional round tables.
The event was organised with the support of the project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine's recovery”, implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023–2026.
