Syrian Civil Society: A Driver of Change and Peacebuilding

Although Civil Society in Syria was growing quickly during the conflict years of the 2010s, initiatives were fragmented along conflict lines highlighted by a divide between domestic and international actors. Recognizing that fragmentation often limits the impact of grassroots actors, the Syrian Civil Society: A Driver of Change and Peacebuilding project was launched in 2018 for a duration of 4 years within a consortium of 5 Syrian organizations funded directly by the European Commission. This large-scale initiative focused on improving civil society actors’ access to local and national decision-makers, in turn ensuring community priorities remained central to reconstruction efforts. By providing comprehensive training and networking opportunities, the project aimed to turn individual groups into a collective representative for the Syrian population.

The program implemented the Civil Society Incubation methodology, an 8-12 month initiative that supported 60 Civil Society Organizations directly under the five consortium members by providing training, coaching, and learning-by-doing grants. Additional support was provided in the form of  larger follow-up grants which facilitated the development of joint position papers and coordinated advocacy campaigns between CSOs. These initiatives introduced collective action as a mechanism for expanding the reach of civil society and amplifying local community voices.

Managed by a consortium of five organizations, the project was funded by the European Commission (DG NEAR). During its implementation grassroots actors showed significant improvement in organizational maturity, successfully implementing local programming in the face of ongoing violence and domestic instability. This project and similar initiatives help to establish civil society as a cornerstone for peacebuilding in Syria.

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