National Strategy for Promoting Civil Society Development (UA0118)

Development of the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032

Civil society plays a key role in democratic transformation, human rights protection and the development of social responsibility. Public authorities and local self-government bodies must create favourable conditions for the establishment and operation of civil society organisations, civic participation and cross-sectoral cooperation, in accordance with national legislation and with due regard to international standards.

From 2021 to 2026, Ukraine has been implementing the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society, approved by Presidential Decree No. 487 dated 7 September 2021. As part of the implementation of this Strategy, it has been possible, in particular, to improve the legal framework governing civic participation mechanisms (legislation on public consultations and popular sovereignty at the local self-government level); introduce and promote new tools for such participation (school budgets, public assemblies, etc.); simplify the procedure for registering civil society organisations and enable them to operate under a model statute; improve procedures for organising competitions to provide financial support for programmes (projects and events) implemented by civil society organisations; expand opportunities for involving civil society organisations in the provision of social services; and improve conditions for the development of civic education and volunteering.

At the same time, as a result of the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine and in the context of European integration, the state and society are facing new challenges that affect the development of civil society. To address these challenges, it is important to take additional measures to safeguard civic space and strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations, as well as to implement updated legislation on civic participation and promote cross-sectoral partnerships for tackling issues of public importance. In this regard, there is a need to further develop and implement a consistent, comprehensive and coherent state policy to promote the development of civil society.

Given that the implementation period of the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2021-2026, approved by Presidential Decree No. 487 of 7 September 2021, comes to an end in 2026, it is planned to organise, in collaboration with civil society organisations and experts, the drafting of the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032. The new Strategy will update the objectives of public policy in this area for the coming years, in line with European Commission Recommendation C(2023) 8627 of 12 December 2023 on promoting the engagement and effective participation of citizens and civil society organisations in public policy-making processes, insofar as it encourages states to adopt specific action plans or similar initiatives to maintain a safe and enabling civic space and ensure the effective participation of civil society organisations. Furthermore, the drafting of the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032 is envisaged by the Roadmap on the Functioning of Democratic Institutions, approved by Order No. 475 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 14 May 2025.

The implementation of this activity will contribute to the development and implementation of a consistent, comprehensive and coherent state policy to promote the development of civil society, aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity of civil society organisations and their contribution to socio-economic life, expanding opportunities for civic participation, and developing cross-sectoral partnerships.

The expected outcomes of these measures are:
- cooperation with civil society organisations, experts and other stakeholders has been established to discuss issues affecting the development of civil society in Ukraine and ways of addressing them;
- the priority objectives of state policy to promote the development of civil society in Ukraine have been identified;
- effective implementation of the European Commission's recommendations and the objectives of the Roadmap on the Functioning of Democratic Institutions has been ensured.

It is envisaged that this activity will be submitted for the Open Gov Challenge organised by the international OGP Initiative. The activity aims to identify public policy priorities for promoting the development of civil society in the context of martial law, recovery and European integration through the drafting, in collaboration with civil society organisations, of the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032. The draft of this Strategy will be based on the results of the implementation of the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society for 2021-2026, while taking into account the new challenges arising from the Russian Federation's armed aggression, the needs of post-war recovery, and Ukraine's aspiration to join the European Union. The main thematic area of the Open Gov Challenge addressed by the activity is civic space, as the activity aims to identify public policy priorities for promoting the sustainable functioning and strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations. An additional thematic area is civic participation, given the envisaged joint development of priorities, practical implementation of improved legislation on civic participation, and dissemination of tools for engaging the public in the development and implementation of public policy.

Milestones Table:

Steps:
1. Organisation of public consultations to collect proposals for the draft National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032
Responsible agency: Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine; Ministry of Justice; relevant executive authorities
Completion time/period: June - September 2026
Partners: Initiative Center to Support Social Action "Ednannia” (subject to consent); Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (subject to consent); Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (subject to consent); other civil society organisations (subject to consent); OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine (subject to consent); International Renaissance Foundation (subject to consent); United Nations Development Programme (subject to consent); other international organisations, development partners engaged in international technical assistance projects (programmes) (subject to consent); local self-government bodies (subject to consent); academic institutions, experts (subject to consent)
Delivery indication: At least five events involving representatives of civil society organisations, international organisations, local self-government bodies, academic institutions and experts have been held

2. Preparation of the draft National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032, taking into account proposals received through public consultations
Responsible agency: Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine; relevant executive authorities
Completion time/period: August-November 2026
Partners: Initiative Center to Support Social Action "Ednannia" (subject to consent); Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (subject to consent); Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (subject to consent); other civil society organisations (subject to consent); OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine (subject to consent); International Renaissance Foundation (subject to consent); United Nations Development Programme (subject to consent); other international organisations, development partners engaged in international technical assistance projects (programmes) (subject to consent)
Delivery indication: A draft National Strategy has been drawn up

3. Public consultations on the draft act on the adoption of the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032 and its coordination with the relevant executive authorities
Responsible agency: Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine; relevant executive authorities; local self-government bodies (subject to consent); academic institutions, experts (subject to consent); Initiative Center to Support Social Action "Ednannia" (subject to consent); Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (subject to consent); Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (subject to consent); other civil society organisations (subject to consent); OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine (subject to consent); International Renaissance Foundation (subject to consent); United Nations Development Programme (subject to consent); other international organisations, development partners engaged in international technical assistance projects (programmes) (subject to consent)
Completion time/period: November - December 2026
Delivery indication: The draft act has been published for public consultation, revised in the light of the feedback received, and coordinated with the relevant executive authorities.

4. Submission of a draft act on the approval of the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032 to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
Responsible agency: Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Completion time/period: February 2027
Partners:
Delivery indication: The National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2027-2032 has been approved.