The Capacity Development Forum got its start in 2012 as a platform for sharing and discussing innovative ideas and good practices of capacity building of civil society organizations (CSOs). The success of the first meeting led to establishing such gatherings on an annual basis.

The theme of this year's forum – attended by more than 800 civil society leaders, business community, and public officials – is "Culture of Peace: Practical Steps on How the Civil Society Organizations Can Improve Their Capacities for Dialogue and Leadership to Cultivate and Advocate for Culture of Peace in Ukraine." Much has transpired since the last meeting, and surely the participants did not lack for interesting and important topics to discuss.

The forum was plentiful in inspiring talk. In particular, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in his address to the participants noted that a precondition for democratic processes and transparency of decision-making is the full involvement of civil society organizations in controlling authorities, and developing and implementing public policy. Oleksandr Yarema, Head of the Presidential Administration's Department for Interaction with Civil Society and Political Parties, who was representing the President at the forum, further emphasized the importance of strengthening civil society and developing culture of peace in Ukraine.

With the eyes of the world on Ukraine during the recent events, it was not surprising that the role of Ukrainian civil society in peace building has emerged as a key topic at the forum. In his opening remarks, Neal Walker, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, spoke of the pressing need for the forum at a time when Ukraine has undergone such profound changes over the past 12 months. "The range of difficulties confronting Ukraine is immense. But the one common denominator that will determine Ukraine's success in meeting these challenges is the need for Ukraine to come together as one nation, as one people – to embrace all its citizens and together to build a nation on the basis of shared vision and values. In this, civil society must play a pivotal role," he underlined.

Prof. Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, world level economist and one of the founders of the World Economic Forum in Davos, was the keynote speaker at the forum, sharing his ideas for the future of Ukraine. Later, Mr. Hawrylyshyn was joined by Ukrainian experts like Larysa Denysenko, Valeriy Pekar, and Yevhen Bystrytskyi in the podium discussion on civil society's values of conscious responsibility, readiness for dialogue, and leadership of change. Remarkable transformations, which Ukraine has recently undergone, provided the fitting background for this important discussion.

Over two days, this key event presented an opportunity for participants to learn, communicate, and exchange the experience in capacity development of charities and CSOs. The forum featured various types of activities, including workshops, round tables, panel discussions, films, live stories, case studies, success stories presentations, service providers fair, and communications over coffee.

In multiple sessions that addressed a wide spectrum of issues related to capacity development of CSOs, speakers emphasised the tremendous input of civil society in achieving peace in Ukraine. In particular, the topic of the role of civil society in peace building and reconciliation was tabled to discussion by Daniel Ladouceur, Advisor in Security Sector Reform, UNDP (Afghanistan).

It was also the workshop on endowment - spearheaded by Oleksandr Vinnikov, one of the leading experts in this realm - that won the attention of the forum's participants. The handbook, presented during the workshop, offered an overview of the Ukraine's regulatory framework and taxation policy pertinent to endowments, step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, establish, manage, and develop it with tips to controlling and reporting vis-à-vis the existing legal framework. The handbook benefits both an overview of smart international practices of establishing endowments, and a comprehensive country-tailored approach that would be practicable in the country's environment.

The forum ended on 4 December, where a wide range of representatives from government, business, and civil society have been gathering to chart the way for capacity development of CSOs.