Deliberative Democracy Lab launched

On February 19, the first meeting of the Deliberative Democracy Lab took place as part of the BRIDGE project. The session marked the beginning of a series of five thematic meetings, which will continue in a policy lab format until July 2026. 

The first citizens’ assemblies and a citizens’ panel have already taken place in Ukraine. Despite the growing public interest in these formats there is still a lack of coordinated adaptation of the methodology to the Ukrainian context, as well as insufficient institutional readiness to integrate this type of participation into everyday processes.

The Deliberative Democracy Lab is a platform for exchanging ideas and experiences with the aim to identify effective adaptations of international deliberative practices to the Ukrainian context. The Lab’s ultimate goal is to develop recommendations for the effective integration of deliberative democracy into Ukraine’s public participation system.

What happened at the meeting?

The online meeting brought together 37 participants — representatives of local communities, public authorities, civil society organisations, researchers, and public participation experts. In this first meeting, they introduced themselves, outlined their expectations for participation, agreed on principles of cooperation, aligned understanding of key terms, and identified questions for consideration within the next Lab meetings. Participants also agreed to ensure transparency and openness in the Lab’s activities. Therefore, updates will be provided regularly.

What’s next?

The BRIDGE team will process the outcomes of the preparatory session and share consolidated materials with participants. The next online meeting, dedicated to citizens’ assemblies as a tool for social cohesion, will take place on March 4 and 5.

By July, the Lab aims to move from aligning terminology to developing practical recommendations for Ukrainian communities and executive authorities.