On March 13, 2024, the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” held a round table "Innovative methodologies for monitoring and evaluation of participatory processes and their results" and presented the toolkit "Monitoring and evaluation of participatory processes and their results".

The objective of the event was to increase awareness and capacity among representatives of local, regional and national authorities, representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) to conduct monitoring and evaluation of participatory processes, as well as impact of public decisions, particularly those aimed at recovery and development of Ukrainian communities during periods of high uncertainty and considering limited resources.

"According to the standards and guidelines on civil participation in political decision-making of the Council of Europe, monitoring of participatory processes is an integral element of each stage of the decision-making cycle. At the same time, assessing the proper organisation and conduct of such processes and their results allows for the development and implementation of high-quality decisions. Such an approach will promote transparency, openness, accountability, inclusiveness of the authorities' activities, the decisions will become more relevant to the public demand, effective and strategic, and their results will contribute to the restoration and sustainable development of Ukrainian communities," emphasised Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine.

"Civic participation is a sign of a democratic state. We, as a country, have chosen the vector of integration into the European Union and cooperation with international organisations, including the Council of Europe, whose activities are based on democratic principles and values. These international partners help us a lot, including building our capacities to engage citizens in decision-making. It is gratifying that our experience is useful for other countries in the world," noted Oleksander Yarema, State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, during the panel discussion.

"How can we increase civic participation? It is important not only to develop various engagement tools but also to work on ensuring that they are actively used in the interests of the community," added Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister for Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure of Ukraine. She also told about the tools currently being actively developed by the Ministry to enable citizens to influence processes at the local, regional, and national levels. These tools include the development of important legislative changes that will open up new opportunities for participation and transparency, as well as the implementation of digital tools.

During the hybrid event, 60 representatives of Ukrainian public authorities and civil society organisations, including 30 online participants, provided suggestions for the practical implementation of the Toolkit and its improvement. During the roundtable, the following topics were also discussed:

• the experience of cooperation between civil society organisations and public authorities regarding monitoring the implementation of projects and decision-making;
• the needs and requests of representatives of local, regional, and national authorities regarding the monitoring and evaluation of participatory processes and their results;
• outline plans about piloting of the toolkit in several municipalities in 2024.

It is expected that the methodology will become a tool for the monitoring and evaluation of the participatory decision-making  processes and their results on local, regional and national level and that it will be piloted in selected territorial communities in 2024.

The Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” is designed to support the implementation of the objectives set out in the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026) to strengthen the democratic processes and address the challenges public authorities are facing in the time of war and in post-war context through active and effective civic participation at the local, regional and national level.

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