Civil work space in northeastern Syria

Over the past years, civil society organizations and women's groups have played a prominent role in addressing community humanitarian needs and human rights issues, Although north-eastern Syria is a better work space for civil society organizations when compared to the rest of the different areas of control in Syria, at the same time it suffers from serious difficulties related to the security environment, the law of action and the governance of the organizations.

v  Agenda

• The first axis: the reality of organizations

1.     Roles and responsibilities:

Organizations have sometimes carried out the tasks of state institutions as a result of the need and weakness of service institutions, where the organizations delivered humanitarian, relief and medical assistance, documented violations, advocacy, conflict resolution, pursuit of gender equality, the transmission of reality voice and image and many other roles. did it succeed in achieving what it sought?

2.     Challenges:

Organizations in various sectors in north-eastern Syria have worked in a very difficult, insecure and unstable environment that has witnessed many fluctuations, what are the main challenges facing the work of the organizations and what are the future risks they may face?!

3.     Governance:

Despite the efforts of civil society organizations, there is a clear weakness in the internal government of these organizations at the administrative and financial levels, as well as the lack of experience and the experts as a challenge that leads to the undermining of confidence and legitimacy by local communities.

1. The second axis: the codifying of the work of the organizations

1.     Governing laws:

Providing the legal environment is one of the main foundations for creating sustainability for the work of organizations. This environment cannot be provided without establishing laws that help organizations perform their roles and build a partnership on the basis of equality that helps each party exercise its role. do the existing regulatory laws help achieve this cooperation and help build a flexible work environment?!

Do the laws that have been put in place enhance or capture the civic space?

2.     Relationships:

the organizations should permanently stand a match against any government or local authority in all the countries in which they work, whether democratic or emerging, so is this equitable and balanced relationship between local authorities and organizations achieved? Is there cooperation and complementarity, or is there a conflict between those two parties?

3.     Covid - 19:

In the light of the Coronavirus crisis and its significant effects on economic, social and political life, what is the current reality of the organizations and how did the Covid - 19 crisis affect its work? How different entities have dealt with facilitating the work of organizations to help mitigate the excitement of Covid – 19?!