On June 6, 2024, in Kyiv, the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” held an international conference ""Volunteerism – a prerequisite for building a strong civil society". During the event, the prospects, challenges, and trends of volunteering in Ukraine and around the world were discussed, as well as the cooperation between volunteer movements and authorities.
The Minister of Social Affairs of Ukraine Oksana Zholnovych and the State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Oleksandr Yarema delivered the opening remarks.
The event was attended by about 50 participants, including representatives of public authorities at local, regional, and national levels, representatives of authorities and volunteer movements from Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Turkey and other, representatives of national and local volunteer organisations, and CSOs from various regions of Ukraine.
During the conference, the following topics were discussed:
- Trends in volunteer movements worldwide;
- International best practices of cooperation between volunteer movements and authorities;
- Volunteering in Ukraine before and after 2022;
- Experiences of local authorities and volunteers in implementing the Programme on promotion of voluntarism;
- Best practices of volunteering in Ukraine.
The volunteer movement is a crucial component of civil society development, especially now in Ukraine. Therefore, one of the tasks of the Council of Europe project on civic participation is to support and strengthen the role of volunteering in general (military, humanitarian, social, educational, youth, etc.), as well as volunteer initiatives in the reconstruction and recovery of communities and regions affected by the war.
Earlier, in June-July 2022, the Council of Europe project on civic participation developed a unique targeted Programme on promotion of voluntarism, involving experts, civil society, volunteers, and local government representatives from across Ukraine. The programme was already adopted in nine Ukrainian communities.
The Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” is designed to support the implementation of the objectives set out in the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026) to strengthen the democratic processes and address the challenges public authorities are facing in the time of war and in post-war context through active and effective civic participation at the local, regional and national level.
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