The BRIDGE project, which focuses on developing tools for deliberative democracy in Ukraine, has now concluded a competition for hosting a pilot citizens’ assembly. Based on the results of the evaluation of applications submitted by Ukrainian local self-government authorities , the project consortium selected the proposal by the Zhytomyr City Territorial Community.

A selection committee, consisting of the representatives of all partner universities, made this decision after the rating of applications and deliberation during a BRIDGE partners’ meeting in Tartu, Estonia. The citizens’ assembly in Zhytomyr will be the first in Ukraine to be held in a regional center. This innovative format for public deliberation will be used for decisions, related to the recovery and development of urban infrastructure.

The citiznes’ assembly is scheduled for fall 2025. Over the next few months, the project team will collaborate with the Zhytomyr City Council to prepare for the assembly. This preparation includes signing of a memorandum of cooperation and organizing a stakeholder forum. During the forum, topics proposed for discussion will be presented, and, together with active community residents, one topic will be chosen as the main topic for the assembly.

The BRIDGE project is implemented by the Kyiv School of Economics (project coordinator), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Technische Universität Berlin, University of Tartu, and Center for Innovation Development (CID, Ukraine).

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