On November 3, 2024, Ukraine’s first Citizens' Assembly (CA) finished in Zvyahel, Zhytomyr region. This three-weekend event, held from October 5, brought together around 60 residents of the Zvyahel community. The Assembly, themed "Creating urban spaces as public locations for social interaction and recovery" was organised by Zvyahel City Council with expert, methodological, and financial support from the Council of Europe project «Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine».
Over the course of three sessions (weekends) in October and November, members of the Citizens' Assembly worked in groups, crafting recommendations for the local government on creating urban spaces for social interaction. Their work was guided by experts and facilitators from the Council of Europe project. The outcomes included:
- A vision for urban spaces in the community and an advocacy action plan for related initiatives.
- The formation of eight initiative groups and a civic society organisation to continue working on public spaces, seeking funding and participation in related events.
- A foundation for a higher level of collaboration between the government and citizens, where officials are willing to consult with citizens, and residents have a voice in community decisions.
The Citizens’ Assembly consisted of 45 participants and 12 alternates, all selected randomly to represent the community’s social and demographic profile. Many participants had no prior experience with civic engagement tools and shared positive feedback about the process:
“The Citizens’ Assembly showed that it’s possible to change something in the community where you live. It motivated me to take action on building public spaces and working with like-minded people.”
“The Citizens' Assembly brought valuable experience in working with other residents and local government initiatives. I now think about starting my project, and I see its importance for myself and the community.”
“The Citizens’ Assembly in Zvyahel met all expectations. Accessible, tolerant, optimistic. The facilitators were professional, and the residents were creative. Many thanks to the organisers!”
The results and a comprehensive report of the CA process will be presented at a city council session, to which all Assembly participants are invited.
To commemorate this historic event, the youngest participant, Maksym, and the oldest, Nelya, planted a tree in the central part of Zvyahel.
More about the beginning of the Citizens' Assembly in Zvyahel: https://go.coe.int/YHgML.
The Citizens' Assembly is a deliberative democracy tool that has already been implemented in many countries across Europe and globally. This is the first time Citizens’ Assemblies are being held in Ukraine, in cooperation with two communities—Zvyahel and Slavutych.
The organisation of the Citizens' Assembly has been a complex process in the making since March 2024. Its planning, preparation, and execution fully adhere to the Recommendation CM/Rec(2023)6 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on deliberative democracy, as well as international standards for participatory democracy (https://go.coe.int/VUeis).
In Slavutych, the Citizens' Assembly is currently ongoing, with one more session scheduled for November 23-24. The Assembly is focused on the theme «How can we improve the household waste management system in our community?».
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.
