Mobilizing ‘Team Ukraine’ for a successful recovery

The post-war reconstruction of Ukraine is one of the most significant long-term economic and political challenges facing Europe today. Although the war is ongoing, planning for recovery is under way. To return Ukraine successfully to some form of normality will require an inclusive plan that involves government, citizens, civil society, communities and Ukraine’s external supporters.

This paper draws on the findings from the 2025 Chatham House survey of civil society organizations (CSOs) in relation to rebuilding Ukraine. Our results – complemented by a range of other public opinion polling and relevant research – show that Ukrainian civil society is keen to push for structural reforms and the modernization of institutions. However, obstacles to truly effective collaboration between state and civil society remain. 

This paper proposes a series of recommendations designed to make Ukraine’s recovery more effective and put citizens and communities at the heart of that process. These include prioritizing resilience, reforming regulations for the provision of social services by non-state actors, strengthening stakeholder consultations, experimenting with national- and local-level citizens’ assemblies, and formalizing citizen and civil society engagement.