On 4 June 2025, representatives of local and central authorities and civil society organisations gathered in Kyiv for a round table titled “Best Stories of Resilience and Co-action in Communities in Time of War”, followed by discussions to establish a new Community of Practice on transparency, integrity and citizen participation. The event was organised jointly by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the Association of Ukrainian Cities.
“The strength of Ukrainian communities lies in their commitment to openness, integrity and inclusion — even during times of war,” said Marc Cools, President of the Congress, during his opening remarks. “Local authorities have not only continued to deliver essential services under extraordinary pressure, but have also embraced democratic innovation, encouraged citizen participation and upheld the values of transparent governance. Their resilience and determination set a powerful example for communities across Europe,” he added.
As part of the Third National Competition “Best Stories of Resilience and Co-action in Communities in Time of War”, 12 communities were recognised for their achievements in applying open government principles across three key areas: youth engagement in local decision making, the creation of support centres for veterans and their families, and innovative communication tools to boost dialogue between local authorities and communities. The award-winning initiatives demonstrated how local governments collaborated with young people to co-design policies, established inclusive civic spaces to support veterans’ reintegration, and adopted modern approaches to public communication during Ukraine’s ongoing recovery.
Building on the inspiring experiences shared, the event also led to discussion to establish a Community of Practice, a peer-to-peer platform designed to enable Ukrainian municipalities to regularly exchange knowledge, tackle shared challenges and scale up successful democratic practices.
The event is organised within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026 and the project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine's recovery”, implemented by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
