DIALOG Chair Antonio Gomez-Palacio came away with powerful lessons after joining Ukrainian mayors in a working session to explore Ukraine’s approach to building resilience, organized by Deloitte Central Europe in collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation. 

Ukraine’s response has driven remarkable innovation: leaps in systems, technology, and governance. The world has much to learn from how their approach balances rapid response with future-focused vision, and empowers decentralized, community-driven solutions.

Antonio shared our experience in helping communities build resilience to catastrophic events. He was deeply inspired by how civil society has mobilized in response to crisis – demonstrating innovation in areas from energy independence and digital security to the interoperability of emergency services – and returned with many valuable insights to share.

As cities everywhere face new shocks and stresses, the Ukrainian experience reminds us: anyone willing to help will also gain invaluable knowledge.