Local Stakeholders and Ukraine’s Resilience: Community-Level Engagement and EU Financial Support

As Ukraine continues to navigate the profound challenges of wartime resilience and postwar reconstruction, the strength of its democratic fabric lies in its communities.
 
Join us for the launch of “Local Stakeholders and Ukraine’s Resilience: A Survey of Community-Level Engagement During the War”, a policy report by Clara Volintiru and Valerii Kravets, published by GMF and Institute Respublica. Based on a comprehensive expert survey of 18 diverse Ukrainian localities, the report highlights how civil society, local authorities, the private sector, and international actors have shaped community responses during the war.
 
The event will explore current developments in Ukraine, such as the state of the implementation of the EU’s Ukraine Facility, the structure of the new public investment management system, and the involvement of local and regional stakeholders in strategic planning processes. Panelists will discuss how stakeholder cooperation has evolved under crisis conditions, what the current capacity and agility of local actors are in managing the circumstances of the war and its devastating impact in local communities, the effects of centralization on social trust, accountability, and where opportunities lie for a more inclusive, bottom-up recovery planning process. The event will highlight how international assistance can better align with local priorities, the need for structured mechanisms for civic engagement, and the implications for Ukraine’s democratic resilience as the country advances toward EU integration.
 
The event brings together policy experts, local civic leaders, researchers, and international donors to reflect on the path forward for Ukraine’s recovery—starting at the local level. The aim of this conversation is to move toward a common understanding of how local actors should be involved in key planning processes that will support the recovery and development of local communities in Ukraine.

The discussion is co-organized by the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation and the ReThink.CEE programs of GMF, the European Association for Local Democracies, and the Kyiv Dialogue/European Exchange.

Language: English and Ukrainian (interpretation provided).

Please join us by registering via the button above. 

Should you have any questions, please contact Zsuzsanna Végh at [email protected].

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a nonpartisan policy organization committed to the idea that the United States and Europe are stronger together.