On December 12, 2025, as part of the preparations for the Citizens’ Assembly to be held in the Lviv Agglomeration in 2026 with the support of the Council of Europe, a Stakeholder Forum was convened. Representatives of local communities, experts, and activists gathered to identify key challenges and issues regarding the Assembly’s central theme: the rational use of water resources.
The event, held at the Hnat Khotkevych Palace of Culture, marked a crucial stage in defining the scope of the upcoming Citizens’ Assembly. The Assembly aims to involve citizens in developing evidence-based recommendations for authorities on the conservation and sustainable management of the region’s water resources.
Citizens’ Assembly: A European Approach to Local Democracy
Форум був організований за підтримки проєкту Ради Європи «Посилення багаторівThe Forum was organized with the support of the Council of Europe project “Strengthening Multi-level Governance and Local Democracy in Support of Ukraine’s Recovery.” This project provides the Lviv Agglomeration with comprehensive assistance in organizing the Citizens’ Assembly—a tool of deliberative democracy that was successfully piloted in Ukraine (specifically in the Zviahel and Slavutych communities in 2024).
The “Lviv Agglomeration” Association is implementing the Citizens’ Assembly in cooperation with the Agglomeration and Community Development Office of the Lviv City Council.
What is a Citizens’ Assembly? A Citizens’ Assembly is a mechanism of deliberative democracy where a representative group of citizens, selected through a random and stratified lottery, studies a significant public issue in depth with expert support. After deliberation, they formulate recommendations for authorities, who in turn commit to considering them.
The Forum demonstrated the Agglomeration’s readiness to implement innovative European policy-making approaches.
Defining the Theme and Challenges
The primary goal of the Forum was to prepare for the Citizens’ Assembly by:
- Finalizing the Assembly’s theme.
- Identifying key challenges and problems related to water resources.
- Outlining the essential information required by future Assembly participants to make informed recommendations.
The preliminary theme was: “What can we do to preserve and rationally use the water resources of the Lviv Agglomeration?” During the Forum, participants actively proposed refinements. After the discussion, three consolidated options were put to a vote:
- “What can we do to preserve and rationally use the water resources of the Lviv Agglomeration?” (Original formulation)
- “Ways to preserve and rationally use the water resources of the Lviv Agglomeration and strengthen control over them.”
- “Tools for water resource conservation.”
Following an open vote by over 40 participants, the original theme prevailed. Nineteen votes were cast in favor of: “What can we do to preserve and rationally use the water resources of the Lviv Agglomeration?”
The discussion was effectively facilitated by Council of Europe project consultants Nataliia Chornohub and Olha Hvozdyk.
Special emphasis was placed on creating an information package for future participants that must be objective, accessible, and grounded in expert data.
Next Steps:
The Forum’s outcomes will serve as the foundation for the three sessions of the Assembly planned for 2026. This process ensures that recommendations regarding the future of the Lviv Agglomeration’s water resources are not only expert-driven but also legitimate in the eyes of the public, as they will be formulated by the citizens themselves.
This initiative exemplifies how the Lviv Agglomeration utilizes international support to build more resilient, transparent, and democratic local governance, which is vital for Ukraine’s recovery and development.
“Interaction is key to forming truly strong bonds for building the future. Therefore, a tool like the Citizens’ Assembly is the best way to build connections with our communities—not just at the local government level, but directly with the residents,” says Nataliia Alieksieieva, Head of the Agglomeration and Community Development Office of the Lviv City Council.
The event was organized under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2023–2026, “Resilience, Recovery, and Reconstruction,” within the project “Strengthening Multi-level Governance and Local Democracy in Support of Ukraine’s Recovery,” implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multi-level Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
