Syria Trust for Development, along with local partners, is planting the seeds for a new NGO law. Established three years ago, the Trust is moving into a new phase that promises further civil society engagement, growth and participation. An NGO law is a 'must' at this stage to institutionalize 'change,' and to move forward the dynamics of a state-civil society partnership.

Political alliances with former international foes have been refashioned. Economic ties broadened and deepened with once vitriolic neighbors to the north and west. Now, amending the role of civil society is next to be targeted.

A new law is set to be introduced, granting a modern legal framework to civil society and Non Governmental Organizations, and according to Syria’s First Lady, Asma al-Assad, will be drawn up with the participation of a number of civil society organs.

Though the law has been several years in the making, and on more than one occasion disappointing civil society groups with several concessions originally expected to be included having been dropped, many believe significant change is afoot, given the open comments made by senior officials at a recent international development conference held in Damascus.

Today, it appears, the government wants to open up more space for civil society to grow, breathe and develop.

The January Conference, a moment of change
The First International Development Conference of Syria held in Damascus last January was path breaking for several reasons. Titled “The Emerging Role of Civil Society in Development,” the conference saw keynote lectures by international experts from Harvard University as well as having been attended by the First Lady, Asma al-Assad and Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, a former United Nations Deputy Secretary General. The First Lady challenged the civil society representatives present to match the state’s new move to delegate responsibility away from the government.

“The idea for the conference was generated from within our own management and certainly was something new to Syria. The point of the conference was to bring together expertise from both within the country and around the world by sharing experiences and exchange ideas. We had 130 papers submitted which shows the level of interest in this topic,” said Nader Kabbani, the Director of Research at the Syria Trust in a recent interview with Forward Magazine

In the past, Syrian NGOs, which were for the most part charities, tended to work without any or much coordination. With the founding of the Syria Trust for Development in 2007, NGOs were presented with a new platform to work from under a unifying voice.

“The Syria Trust is working to open up space to have a discussion and much to our pleasant surprise, a discussion took place at the January Conference,” said Kabbani.

Promising moves
The establishment of the Syria Trust for Development, itself a “second phase” non-profit organization, in 2007 was a major step forward in recognizing the requirements of civil society in Syria.

From the Syria Trust, which Kabbani stresses is a fully independent NGO, sprung other off-shoot programs including the famously successful FIRDOS and SHABAB schemes which work on rural development and learning respectively.

“The number of independent CS organs has at least tripled over the last five or six years from around 500 to about 1,500 so if you think about it, that’s progress and they are out there working to help the various sections of society,” added Kabbani. Additionally, there have been top-down attempts to bring in civil society organs to the fold.

The Syrian Government’s most recent Five Year Plan (2006-2010) addresses
the limited role of civil society. Recognizing that “the role of the civil associations and institutions in the socio-economic development wasn’t as good as desired,” the plan envisaged “radical changes in order to activate and enhance the capabilities of the civil society role in the coming stage.” A chapter in the State Planning Commission’s latest publications even includes blatant references to human rights development.

The above-mentioned Five Year Plan, which is set to expire at the end of this year, includes a radical new vision for the role of civil society including proposals considering the inclusion of a plan to “change the institutional set up for government supervision of NGOs.”

“The NGO sector is definitely a growing division. There is a lot of high level political push, of course, which will definitely help make it grow much more. We haven’t gone 100% into these issues because I think we have a lot to learn from other countries,” said Zeina Ali Ahmad, the Deputy Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

And there are precedents
According to the website www.ngoregnet.org, a 1958 law establishes the ways in which the funds of associations (NGOs as we know them) may be disbursed for “charitable purposes, it being understood that they will conduct their activities in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.”

Moreover, the current legal framework for associations and their activities is governed by constitutional texts and the Associations and Private Institutions Law no. 93 of 1958, its “Implementing Regulations, No. 1330 of 1958, and subsequent amendments introduced in 1969 under legislative decree no. 224.”
Organizations collect funds in accordance with a permit issued on the basis of the regime for public collections, established by Decision 1347 of December 30 1971.

“Policy-makers are now seriously discussing what role CS organs can play in Syria,” said Kabbani. The new NGO law has taken time in coming to fruition but Kabbani believes this is a good thing in that it is being well-studied and debated, that finally the authorities are serious about including all elements from across the social spectrum.

The difficulties of change
To the foreign eye informed by the news releases of arrests of “threats against the state,” the idea of a civil society in Syria may seem implausible. In reality, the truth is something quite different. Development is an idea famously difficult to define and in Syria, it is even harder. The vast majority of CS organizations in Syria are what can be described as charity, or “charity plus” that basically provide support to people and families in need.

Fewer than these, but an increasing number, are doing more development-type work, for example environmental associations and rural development. Organic advocacy or lobbying-style groups known as “Third Generation” CS organs are fewer on the ground.

“I’m not the kind of person who says that every NGO should be a lobby group – each one has a role to play but in regard to advocacy groups, I think the government is opening up.

“I don’t think we have reached the ‘third phase,’” said Ali Ahmad referring to the collective name given to advocacy groups who work for the rights of various sectors of Syrian society. “Not yet, but I’m sure it will evolve, it takes time.”
Certainly, countless difficulties are waiting on the horizon.

For 40 years the government has been the hand to feed, shelter and provide for the entire population which has looked to it for employment, subsidies and health support.

Changing this is proving far from easy. In an interview with this author in October 2008, Abdullah Dardari made it clear that the government’s position was not to reduce its own role in social affairs, but to change it significantly. But equally, civil society must step up. As First Lady Assad said at the January Conference, “The government alone cannot move this country forward.”

Civil society in Syria remains inhibited. Organizations are being closed down without the proper legal measures being followed. Moreover, none of the members of civil society groups interviewed for this feature knew when the new law would be implemented, nor did any know who exactly from their sector would be involved in the drafting of the new law.

“Syria has been in a state of transformation for the past four years and a more able civil society is an important part of this transformation, in terms of organizations that are not linked to the government or to the private sector with unified statements to work around a particular issue,” explained Ali Ahmad.

“The authorities have been doing a great job keeping the country secure when you have Iraq, Lebanon and others, it’s not a Scandinavian country,” she added.
“I’m very optimistic that this space is opening, I think the conference was a major step in opening this dialogue … NGOs in Syria are at the stage of being grassroots service providers but I think a move towards advocacy groups is imminent,” said Ali Ahmad.

But the international community is taking notice of the many changes involving Syria. In a recent editorial in the Lebanon Daily Star, Rami Khouri, the Jordanian-Palestinian analyst and a speaker at the January Conference, said “Today, we may be witnessing signs of a new strand of change in a society that does not change very often, this time in the civil society sector,” leading him to ask the question, “So what is going on in Syria?”

While headlines over the past few weeks have been dominated by Syria’s bettering relations with, in particular, the United States, the headlines are missing much of the change that is taking place on the ground; and with free debate, such as the frank discussions which took place at the questions and answers session at the conference’s end, change is on the way.

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