1 APRIL 2022 |  IFIT Syria Resource Group convened a coalition of 12 Syrian civil society platforms that on the 31st of March called for the international community to rethink its approach to providing support to Syria, in order to ensure an effective and sustainable response that meets the minimum needs of the Syrian people and facilitates local communities to lead their own recovery.

In Towards More Principled International Support for Syrians – a special dialogue organised by the Syrian coalition and attended by key international humanitarian and development donors – key ideas were proposed for achieving more integrated, consistent and just donor assistance for current and future interventions across all geographies of Syria.

The virtual convening was attended by 200 participants connecting from 47 countries across the globe. Attendees and panellists included Syrian experts from all regions of Syria as well as diaspora; senior diplomats; and leading international experts.

“Over the past decade, the international community has provided generous support to Syria, yet this well-intentioned assistance has also created dangerous patterns for the country’s future recovery”, said Sawsan Abou Zainedin, a researcher at the Syrian Centre for Policy Research and member of the IFIT Syria Resource Group, two of the entities convening the event. “The country’s devastating conflict continues and there is an urgent need not only to use the limited resources more efficiently, but also to shift the focus from crisis and adaptation to root causes, allowing Syrian local communities to build sustainable local economies and civic governance structures that can lead the country towards peace and development.”

“Our initiative is the first step on a long road as well as an invitation to build a genuine partnership between the Syrians and international community to invest in a civic space that allows Syrians to own the process of shaping their future”, said Yara Nseir, Board Member of Shaml Coalition for Syrian CSOs.

The Towards More Principled International Support dialogue was convened by a coalition of Syrian-led organisations, including Baytna, Hamzet Wasl,  IFIT Syria Resource Group (SRG),  IMPACT, Shaml Coalition for Syrian CSOs, Syrian Centre for Policy Research (SCPR), Syrian International Business Association (SIBA),  Syrian Legal Development Programme (SLDP),  The Syrian British Council (SBC),  Union of Medical Care And Relief Organizations (UOSSM), We Exist and Workgroup for Building Free Syria.

A full list of the coalition’s recommendations for current and future international support to Syria are available here.

For more information, contact:

Dana Habib, IFIT Syria Resource Group, dhabib@ifit-transitions.org