Despite the uncertainty and risks of the protracted war in Ukraine, municipalities make participatory decisions about their future. “We aim to achieve a higher quality of life for the future, unhindered access to services, active and effective governance institutions”, explained Volodymyr Matseliukh, city mayor of Novoyavorivsk on the 2 March 2023, when he presented to the public a 2026 community-focused strategy prioritising the development of an industrial and agricultural community on the border with the EU.

Between 2022 and beginning of 2023, Council of Europe supported Novoyavorivsk city council to formulate a truly integrated vision of a shared future, anticipating possible scenarios and adapting to changes during the war and post-war context. Using a range of innovative and tailored civic engagement methods, the multi-stakeholder participation, featuring more than 500 representatives of various social groups and stakeholders, helped to identify the main barriers to socio-economic development, community-specific needs, potential in relation to sources of local comparative advantage. Future options were considered, strategic objectives were chosen in line with a concrete implementation action plan and evaluation monitoring system. It also improved communication and strengthened the engagement between local government, the public and private sectors, helping to empower social groups, including those seldom-heard, to voice their opinions and proposals. In Zhovkva, where 493 residents have been engaged so far, the participatory process is at the final stage of implementation.

In the context of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026), the project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” will further channel its action, like it has done in Novoyavorivsk, inter alia, to respond to the growing demand of regional and local authorities for participatory decision-making in the rapid development, recovery and reconstruction process, ensuring wider participation and engagement of all stakeholders, transparency and inclusiveness, disclosure and access to information applying a wide spectrum of participatory tools in the course of decision-making and implementation of important policies which have an impact on people’s lives.