Rebuilding a country after war is a complex process that cannot rely on government initiatives alone. This process requires the active participation of the public, including non-governmental organisations, businesses and others. Only through joint efforts can we create the conditions for a transparent and effective reconstruction process.
on 30 April 2024 , the event “UAct: The Voice of Transparent and Democratic Reconstruction” was held in Kyiv. The event was attended by over 200 participants from all over Ukraine, including representatives of local governments, NGOs, businesses, residents, internally displaced persons and independent experts.
“The process of rebuilding in the context of a full-scale war is an extremely challenging task that requires joint efforts of the public and the authorities. Only in such a dialogue can we create a tool that will allow us to effectively influence recovery and development ,” said Kateryna Ivanchenko, CEO of the Innovation Development Centre.
During the event, a prototype of the eIDEA platform, developed within the framework of the Transparent and Democratic Recovery project, was presented. More than 1500 representatives of the public, business, government and experts took part in the development of the platform’s terms of reference.
“We are convinced that engaging citizens in the reconstruction process through digital tools is a key to transparency and trust. The prototype of the e-participation platform presented today is a step towards building the democratic future of Ukraine,” said Mykhailo Leichenko, STO of the Centre for Innovation Development, project manager of Transparent and Democratic Reconstruction.
Viktoriia Podhorna, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Deputy Head of the Committee on Digital Transformation, said: “I am inspired that despite all the risks to democracy that arise during the war, the e-democracy community exists and creates such important solutions as an e-participation platform – a platform that can combine opportunities for discussion for a wide range of the public, local and national authorities.”
During the panel discussions, the speakers and participants discussed the role of civil society in the process of rebuilding Ukraine and the importance of democratic tools to ensure transparency and efficiency of this process. The importance of engaging citizens in the country’s recovery and development was emphasised. Particular attention was paid to digital solutions that can significantly enhance the participation of citizens, allowing them to join civic initiatives, express their opinions and monitor the processes taking place in the country.
“During the full-scale war, there was a huge surge in public participation. Currently, there are more than 100,000 active, institutionalised NGOs. The beginning of 2022 gave rise to the desire to find effective forms of unity and cooperation, including volunteering and volunteers. In addition, research has shown that more than 70% of civil society institutions want to take an active part in the reconstruction process,” said Serhiy Loboyko, a key e-democracy expert and architect of the Kyiv Citizens’ Budget e-petitions.
The panel discussions were attended by: Viktoriya Podhorna, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Viktor Nestulia, Head of the DREAM Project Office, Valeria Ovcharova , Programme Specialist on Recovery and Rehabilitation of USAID/ENGAGE, Serhiy Loboyko , key e-democracy expert, architect of e-petitions of the Kyiv Public Budget, Oleksandr Solontai, Head of the NGO “Agency for Recovery and Development”, and other experts in the field of recovery, development and e-democracy.
An important part of the event was group work, during which participants discussed planning activities to strengthen citizen participation in local recovery processes using digital tools. The group work was moderated by Andriy Sherepa, Senior Business Analyst at the Centre for Innovation Development.
The result of this work was the formulation of proposals aimed at strengthening the participation of citizens in the recovery and reconstruction of the country. Among the key ideas were the need to introduce online platforms for interaction between citizens and government organisations, the development of educational programmes to improve digital literacy and citizen engagement. The participants also stressed the importance of regular monitoring and sharing of experience to achieve better results in the field of recovery at the local level.
The event was attended by more than 250 participants, including representatives of local governments, NGOs, businesses, residents, internally displaced persons and independent experts.
For more information: This event was organised by the Centre for Innovation Development jointly with the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, with the participation of the DREAM Project Office and the RISE Ukrainecoalition within the framework of the Transparent and Democratic Rebuilding Project under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The contents of this event are the sole responsibility of Pact and its partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.