Dialogue as the Foundation of Decisions: Development of Partnership Interaction in Hromadas

Public services work better when people are not only informed about decisions but invited to shape them. In frontline and border hromadas, this kind of dialogue is especially important: it helps local authorities understand what residents need most, address sensitive issues before they deepen divisions, and build trust through practical cooperation.

Ukraine’s international partners, through the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU), support initiatives that help local authorities strengthen inclusive, transparent and responsive governance in communities affected by war.

As part of this work, the PFRU Strategic Communications Team delivered two trainings on “Two-way Engagement for Participatory Service Delivery” for local government representatives. Held in Dnipro and Odesa in April and May, the trainings brought together 25 participants from 15 hromadas across Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa and Mykolaiv Oblasts.

The training focused on how to prepare and facilitate meaningful public consultations: define priorities together with residents, develop clear and constructive messages, manage scepticism and emotionally charged discussions, and assess whether engagement efforts lead to visible results.

Participants worked with real issues faced by their hromadas – including water supply, memorialisation, street renaming, barrier-free routes and the construction of school shelters – and tested consultation approaches through practical simulations. This helped them practice how to hold difficult conversations, hear different groups and turn public input into more informed local decisions.

By strengthening two-way engagement, PFRU helps hromadas move from communication as information-sharing to communication as a tool for trust, participation and better service delivery.