A recovery process that channels the energy from society, including from CSOs, to viable local self-government would be transformational. It would enable the Ukrainian state to create a resilient welfare system based on genuine collaborative governance, instead of thinking about citizens only as consumers, workers or recipients of social services.
An inclusive recovery is one in which key groups impacted by policies and funding decisions are consulted and engaged in delivering recovery outputs. Such a process would allow citizens to make decisions together with different levels of government to generate positive change and contribute to policy implementation. Communities would have a say in charting their own future and have the resources to put their plans into practice. The goal should be to create a process that is trusted, fair (across groups and regions), transparent, and co-managed by citizens and communities. In Ukraine, ‘inclusion’ is often viewed solely as a matter of accessibility for people with disabilities or as a consultation process with civil society. To have a tangible benefit, the concept needs to be applied much more deeply to every phase of the recovery: from planning to selection, delivery, monitoring and coordination.
The responses to our 2025 survey demonstrate that CSOs are ready and willing to contribute to much-needed social cohesion and resilience, conduct independent civic monitoring, and ensure that the recovery considers the needs of vulnerable groups (see Annex, Q15). Other studies also confirm the agility and powerful contribution of civil society in responding to the circumstances of war.
Citizens are the country’s main source of resilience and mutual aid
Persevering in a crisis can be paradoxically empowering, and various disaster studies point to increases in civic-mindedness under such circumstances. In Ukraine, civil society serves as an important vehicle for generating new resources and ideas, and for delivering immediate relief. Civil society remains active in contributing to recovery, with 69 per cent of Chatham House survey respondents reporting recovery-related activity in 2025 (see Annex, Q2). A slight decrease is visible at the regional level, with the rate of self-reported activity declining from 76 per cent in 2024 to 62 per cent in 2025. Anecdotally, this downward movement is attributed to burnout, migration and disillusionment with current forms of engagement.
The crisis of war and the influx of humanitarian assistance initially led to significant growth in the civil society sector (see Box 2, below). The number of newly registered charities reached to 6,367 in 2022, an eightfold increase on 2021. Not all these new organizations will survive or remain active, but many will be critically important for Ukraine’s resilience and reform.
One of the strongest aspects of Ukraine’s social capital is the culture of mutual aid that has developed during the war. Fifty-nine per cent of regional CSOs surveyed by Chatham House in 2025 reported providing basic humanitarian aid and various social services (see Annex, Q4). This aid is usually aimed at helping the most vulnerable groups: IDPs, the elderly, children and those living near the front lines (see Annex, Q3). It is estimated that around 13 per cent of the population receives support from charities, and nearly 70 per cent of beneficiaries are either elderly people in rural areas or the unemployed. Findings from the recent UN Development Programme (UNDP)-supported RESCORE study confirm that the level of mutual trust in Ukraine is high, with 83 per cent of people stating that they can rely on their community or neighbours for support.
