How to include displaced people in government decision-making: Case study from Ukraine

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Written by Pam Bailey

The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) around the world reached 71.1 million by the end of 2022, an increase of 20% over the previous year, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. This situation is worsening, as wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and elsewhere are leading to widespread suffering, displacement, and a humanitarian emergency that demands global attention and action. 

We urgently need more inclusive, empathetic, and effective responses to displacement worldwide. This includes preemptive efforts to bring people together across differences, to build relationships and empathy. These human cross-cultural connections are essential for reducing the divisions and distrust that lead to displacement.

How well displaced individuals are integrated into their new communities and local decision-making also plays a significant role in the health of democracy. This case study from Ukraine, developed as part of our Building Inclusive Democracy program, offers lessons for integrating IDPs into their new communities through participatory programs.

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and initiated the biggest attack on a European country since World War II.

A bombed school in eastern Ukraine (photo credit: Jakub Laichter)

Almost overnight, the work of Ukraine’s Association for Community Participatory Development (ACPD) changed in two critical ways: 1) A new segment of the population – IDPs – had to be considered when planning participatory programs, and 2) the organization itself had to pivot to meet the unique needs of this massively growing group of citizens.

Today, the number of IDPs in Ukraine has swelled to more than 5 million and serving them has become a core mission of ACPD, augmenting its commitment to participatory community development.

“In times of crisis, like this one, participation in decision-making, by all segments of the community, is essential,” says Leonid Donos, executive director. “Yes, it would be much easier to make decisions autocratically and quickly, and some decisions must be made this way, when an immediate response to an emergency is required or the safety of people is at stake. But the development of human capital is very important, because local communities and the state itself consists of people. The more we involve people in decision-making, the more we will generate new knowledge and wisdom. We need that now more than ever.“

Leonid Donos

Participatory democracy in Ukraine: then and now

ACPD was formed in 2020 to serve the 12 cities that were its founding “members.” The Ukrainian constitution and regulations were amended under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to mandate public participation in government decision-making both nationally and locally. ACPD was founded to support local authorities in implementing this new requirement. Before the full-scale Russian invasion, says Leonid, its main activity was promoting local democracy through participatory budgeting (PB) and other forms of citizen consultation. At its height, 300 Ukrainian cities were implementing participatory budgeting. And Leonid became one of the founding coaches in the People Powered Rising Stars mentorship program for individuals new to participatory democracy.

Then came the all-out war. Now, that total has plunged to 20.

“It’s a challenge with martial law, because some types of information, including parts of the local budget, aren’t published on official websites, due to fears concerning cybersecurity,” Leonid explains. “So, we are trying to determine how to share information using other types of communication channels. Before the war, we tried to implement citizens’ juries in Ukraine but didn’t succeed fully. Now, however, this could be a good approach. Unfortunately, local authorities don't have money for it.”

Still, the interest in participatory budgeting is surviving, albeit in a smaller and different scale. Not long after the full-scale invasion in the summer, some NGOs launched participatory budgeting in schools in a community in the north of Ukraine. Others followed, and now it has spread to 160 Ukrainian educational institutions with more than 2,000 participants. Leonid is quick to note that the financing available to such programs is greatly reduced due to the war – UAH 25 million compared to the previous 30 million in 2022. But Leonid considers its revival one of his organization’s biggest achievements.

“In these times, it’s important to show children that their opinion is important and that their dreams can come true,” he says.

And, in fact, that’s one reason why Leonid is intent on preserving participatory democracy, despite the urgent demands of war.

“I think about this all the time,” muses Leonid. “If we believe democracy is the best way to protect human rights, then the need for participation becomes stronger during war. Of course, it depends on the situation. We have cities that are totally destroyed and we have others under temporary occupation. Still, we are trying to relaunch wherever we can. We also understand that the process of PB will be really helpful during the process of recovery, and that NGOs will need to play even more of a role in this process than they did before.”

A new focus: IDPs

Due to the war, however, ACPD has found itself in new territory.

“A lot of nongovernmental organizations moved out of Ukraine during the war and lost contact with their communities at a time when local authorities had a lot more responsibilities, especially with the destruction of infrastructure. So, we tried to fill some of that gap with practical skills and services, as well as by helping new NGOs form,” explains Leonid, who stayed in Ukraine but moved to Kiev from Poltava city to better fulfill the new demands of his work. However, his daughter now lives and studies in Switzerland.

Meanwhile, however, the war drove ACPD to shift its work to include a focus on IDPs. And that meant first addressing the most urgent accompanying needs: humanitarian aid, recovery and maintaining social cohesion. That included pivoting into a service that is not typically considered part of participatory democracy work: aid delivery.

The most urgent need of IDP, and the heart of participatory democracy is being attentive to the people,” explains Leonid. “So, we worked with local communities and government authorities to provide goods to IDP shelters, like food, beds and boots. We also launched call centers to support IDPs, so they can quickly and easily ask questions about accommodation, employment, the law, etc. in their new location. In one region alone, we received more than 1 million calls.”

One of the project managers hired by ACPD to organize the call centers is Nadiya Devyaterikova.

Nadiya Devyaterikova

“My city of Primorsk in the Zaporizhia region was occupied very quickly,” she recounts. “In the first days of the war, thousands of units of Russian troops drove through Primorsk on their way to Mariupol. Before the war, I worked in the city council. At the end of March, a representative of the Russian special services came to my house, and I realized his visit would not be the last. I decided to leave immediately, although my parents and other relatives stayed. On the road out, I passed 17 Russian checkpoints, where our documents, telephones and belongings were checked. In search of safety, I went to Kraków (Poland).”

Nadiya is not alone in that decision. The population of Ukraine was estimated to be between 38 and 42 million on February 24, 2022. Since then, between 5 and 8 million people have fled – mostly women and children, since martial law prohibits able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving. The result has been a historic breakup of families.

However, unlike most emigrants, Nadiya returned after just five months, to Kyiv.

“I could only see my life, work and professional development in Ukraine,” she said simply. “I understood that my country needs my experience and skills, especially in such a difficult time. I should be here.”

Today, Nadiya manages a call center for IDPs in five communities, as well as psychological support courses, employment assistance, etc.

“Our team currently operates nine call centers in partnership with international organizations and Ukrainian businesses,” she explains. “We set up the first one literally the day after February 24, because people were leaving their homes en masse and they needed at least some information about their new places.”

Role of participation

It wasn’t long before ACDP began applying its expertise in participatory programming to its work with IDPs, starting with a needs assessment via a series of workshops and focus groups. The result is what Leonid calls a “social passport,” a description of the community’s social infrastructure, a SWOT (strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats) analysis of the services offered and recommendations for improvement. Likewise, people living in shelters are asked to report on the human rights challenges they face, with the information fed to local authorities. Funding for these activities comes from international organizations such as the UN Development Programme (UNDP), GIZ and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Dialogue session among IDPs, original residents and local authorities

To help nurture social cohesion, ACDP organizes dialogue groups for each of its projects, combining IDPs with the community’s original residents and local authorities. Each group includes 10 to 15 people, engaging about 600 individuals to date. About 65% of the discussions have been offline, but Leonid says online events are increasing as security threats become more severe.

“The security challenges depend on the region,” explains Leonid. “In our 40 target communities, I’d say about 70% of activities are taking place where there is active fighting, in the east and central part of Ukraine. Right now, for example, we are preparing a big training course for local NGOs in Kyiv. We are monitoring the situation every day because a major challenge is the nightly Russian bombing of our capital city. I also live in Kyiv and there is big noise every night. So, we constantly watch the news on websites and on Telegram.”

Another challenge is motivating initial participation. IDPs face urgent, practical challenges like securing food and safe shelter. Participation in dialogue sessions with local authorities often seems like a low priority. So, ACDP put a lot of effort into informing people about the event, using different communication channels such as email, telephone and Telegram,” says Leonid. “In addition, we combine the dialogue about team building and leadership with hard offerings such as donations of laptops and furniture.”

Mariam Poloyan manages the trust-building workshops for ACDP. She too is an IDP, leaving her studies in Kharkiv in search of a safer area.

“My family is from Georgia, which they fled due to the conflict there,” she explains. “I was born in Ukraine and have lived here all my life. Thus, my family is experiencing war for the second time. I will never forget the fear I saw in my mother's eyes and heard in her voice at 5 am on February 24 last year. What scared me the most was that I saw how familiar this fear was to her. Witnessing the same upheaval she saw in Georgia unfold in my homeland, Ukraine, fills me with sadness and a sense of responsibility to contribute to the reconstruction of the nation.”

Mariam Poloyan

The trust-building program Mariam oversees was expanded this year to include a focus on shared leadership. Too often, local authorities and long-term residents look at IDPs as “problems.” The goal is to shift the perspective to the new possibilities for economic development offered by IDPs, because many are businesspersons and civic leaders.

“One of our participants who had moved from Crimea launched his own sports NGO, and we’re supporting it with information on how to register, prepare policies, etc.,” says Leonid. “Our goal is to maintain and even increase social cohesion and trust. That is what I consider success. That people support each other.”

Mariam adds, “Our program is not only about post-war reconstruction. It is about healing the wounds that divide us. It is important that IDPs are not seen as a burden on society. We strongly believe that every voice and every opinion has value, and it is through inclusivity and collaboration that we can pave the way to a strong, free and united nation.”

Key lessons

  • Conduct a needs assessment.

  • Pay attention first to IDPs’ most urgent needs, such as safety and shelter.

  • Conduct both on- and offline activities, adjusting according to the security situation.

  • Counteract resentment of IDPs in their new communities through “participatory trust building” that engages all parties involved.

For further development