Despite the challenges of wartime, the Rivne community is proving that democracy does not wait for peace. On 28 March 2026, 45 randomly selected residents gathered for the launch of the community's first-ever citizens' assembly, a bold step towards shaping a future where the next generation chooses to stay and thrive.
While the war and its consequences remain a constant backdrop, the focus in Rivne has shifted to reconstruction and resilience. Supported by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, this assembly is more than just a meeting: it is a mechanism for direct participation. The 45 participants - representative of the diversity of the community - have been tasked with developing concrete recommendations for local authorities on how to make Rivne a place where people want to stay and build their lives.
The launch of the citizens' assembly followed a recruitment phase that defied all expectations. In February, 5 000 invitation letters were sent to households across Rivne city and the settlement of Kvasyliv. Despite the harsh winter conditions, 772 residents stepped forward to volunteer. This represents a response rate of almost 9%, a figure that would be considered remarkably high in any European city, let alone one facing the daily realities of war.
"The Council of Europe has placed a particular focus on deliberative democracy as a meaningful way to achieve participation beyond elections," noted Congress Vice-President Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden, SOC/G/PD) during the opening session. "Owing to their random selection of participants, citizens' assemblies include all perspectives, especially those of under-represented groups who do not usually have the opportunity or motivation to speak up."
The first two-day session focused on the learning phase. Supported by independent experts and facilitators, participants engaged in a "speed dialogue" format, rotating between groups to interrogate challenges and co-ordinate potential solutions. The level of engagement was high, with residents openly sharing personal experiences to help bridge the gap between policy and reality.
The citizens' assembly will meet again on 4-5 April and 25-26 April 2026 to finalise their recommendations.
The preparation and implementation of the citizens' assembly is conducted as part of 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 Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. It provides comprehensive expert and methodological support for the organisation and implementation of citizens' assemblies in the Rivne community, the Obolon district of Kyiv, and the Lviv Agglomeration in 2026. In October 2025, bilateral memorandums of understanding were signed in Strasbourg.
