The Secretary of the Rivne City Council, Viktor Shakirzyan, carried out an honorable and responsible mission — representing our city at the opening of the 49th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
Together with the mayors of Kyiv and Lviv, Viktor Volodymyrovych participated in signing Memoranda of Understanding between the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and our cities regarding the implementation of Citizens’ Assemblies in 2025 and 2026.
The signing of the Memorandum ensures partnership, trust, and shared responsibility for the development of local democracy. For the Rivne community, this is an opportunity to more actively involve residents in decision-making and shaping the city’s future.
"A Citizens’ Assembly is a powerful tool of deliberative democracy. I am convinced that our joint work — between Ukrainian communities and European partners — within this initiative will help strengthen our Ukrainian state institutions," said Viktor Shakirzyan.
We sincerely thank the Council of Europe for supporting Ukraine, believing in our democratic path, and for sharing a vision of a future in which every voice matters.
Together we are building Europe — united, peaceful, democratic, and open for future generations.
The preparation and implementation of the Citizens’ Assembly is carried out within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023–2026 “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” under the project “Strengthening Multilevel Governance and Local Democracy to Support Ukraine’s Recovery,” implemented by the Centre of Expertise on Local and Regional Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
