On 19 February 2026, over 300 representatives of Ukrainian local self-government bodies, military administrations, and civil society organisations gathered online to champion transparency and citizen participation. The round table “Open Government – Local Level: From Principles to Practice”, highlighted the unwavering commitment of Ukrainian municipalities to democratic values, even in the face of extraordinary challenges.
During the event, speakers emphasised that in the context of war and recovery, transparency, accountability, and citizen participation are essential foundations for building trust, managing resources effectively, and ensuring sustainable development.
The gathering provided a vital platform to discuss the implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative at both national and local levels. Representatives from OGP Local member communities, including Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Zviahel and Orzhytsia, exchanged practical experiences and presented concrete examples of local action plans in motion to advance participatory budgeting, youth engagement, digital transformation and inclusive consultation mechanisms.
The event also featured the presentation of a 2025 survey on the awareness and implementation of open government principles at the local level. Conducted by the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) in co-operation with the Congress, the findings reaffirm the role of Ukrainian municipalities as true drivers of democratic resilience and innovation. National digital tools designed to support communities were also showcased.
The dialogue built on exchanges held during the 2025 OGP Global Summit in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, where Ukrainian local representatives previously shared their practices with international peers.
Looking ahead, participants stressed the crucial need to systematically involve local self-government bodies in the development and implementation of Ukraine’s National Action Plan under the OGP initiative, ensuring co-ordination and coherence between the national and local levels.
The round table was held within the framework of the grant agreement “Promoting the Development of Resilient, Inclusive and Accountable Local Self-Government Bodies to Support Ukraine’s Recovery”, implemented by the AUC. The grant is part 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 within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026.
