Today, 24 June 2026, civil society organisations from Ukraine, Poland, across Europe, and around the world launched the “Gdańsk Common Message” — a collective call to put people, communities, accountability, and local leadership at the heart of Ukraine’s recovery and EU accession.
More than 400 civil society leaders gathered at the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk for the first-ever URC Civil Society Forum. At the Forum, they finalised the the Common Message to present to governments, donors, international institutions, and business leaders attending URC 2026 on 25–26 June. Developed during weeks of consultations, the Message combines contributions of more than 200 civil society organisations and is intended to shape the URC agenda while building momentum toward URC 2027 in Estonia.
The Gdańsk Common Message draws on the experience of Ukraine’s civil society, which throughout Russia’s war has mobilised millions in support of defence and security, delivered humanitarian assistance, strengthened community resilience, and advanced innovation, transparency, reconstruction, and reform. Its war-shaped experience shows - Ukraine’s recovery must be people-centred, rights-based, and built through genuine partnership, with civil society recognised not simply as a stakeholder, but as a strategic partner.
The Message argues that lasting recovery depends on both security and justice. Recovery can and must continue during wartime, but it can only fully take root when Ukraine is secure through an end to aggression, credible security guarantees, and stronger protection for its people and infrastructure. A just and durable peace must also include accountability for aggression, prosecution of war crimes, and legally binding reparations from Russia. Without security and justice, recovery will remain vulnerable and incomplete.
The Gdańsk Common Message calls on the Government of Ukraine and international partners to commit to a set of priority actions that will translate these principles into lasting change. The message calls for recovery to be inclusive, participatory, professionally delivered, and locally owned, with civil society engaged as an equal partner at every stage. Civil society must move from the margins of recovery into the rooms where decisions are made.
Ukrainian and international civil society organisations must be part of setting priorities, shaping financing mechanisms, monitoring implementation, and safeguarding recovery from corruption, exclusion, and short-termism.
As Ukraine moves closer to EU membership, recovery and accession must be treated as mutually reinforcing processes, guided by transparency, accountability, participation, and the rule of law. Civil society's role is critical in strengthening democratic institutions, advancing reforms, and supporting Ukraine’s successful integration into the European Union.
The Forum is jointly organised by the European Endowment for Democracy, the International Renaissance Foundation, and the Stefan Batory Foundation, in partnership with a broad coalition of Ukrainian and international organisations supporting Ukraine’s recovery, democratic resilience, and civil society development, including Build Ukraine Back Better Platform, Chatham House, Foundations for Ukraine Network, Open Society Foundation, RISE Ukraine Coalition, Robert Bosch Foundation.
Read and endorse the Gdańsk Common Message here.
