Media report for the seminar “Dialogues between NGOs and the Supportive Population: Towards Developing Humanitarian Work.”
In line with the Syrian Dialogue Center’s mission of promoting consensus within the Syrian society, the Center sought to assess perceptions of the supportive population towards Syrian NGOs by issuing a research paper entitled “Perceptions of Humanitarian Work in Syria after 2011 – the Challenges of Need and Lack of Resources”.
In the paper, the Center presented recommendations to both parties, the NGOs and the supportive population, to contribute to bringing points of view and releasing tension between them, especially since the relationship between them is supposed to be complementary.
In the context of enhancing harmony between the components of the Syrian society, the Syrian Dialogue Center held a seminar on Friday 9 Jumada al-Akhira 1442 AH, corresponding to January 22, 2021 CE, entitled “Dialogues between NGOs and the Supportive Population: Towards Developing Humanitarian Work,” with the participation of Kinda Ahmad, a researcher at the Syrian Dialogue Center, Muhannad Othman, Director of the “Sham Humanitarian Foundation,” Khaled Al-Issa, Director of “Ataa Foundation for Relief and Development,” Dr. Qutayba Yassin, Director of “Violet” Organization, and Fadi Al Dairi, Director of “Hand in Hand.” Several activists and actors inside Syria and a few workers in or beneficiaries of Syrian NGOs, participated, too.
Opinions, suggestions, and recommendations in this seminar varied among officials of the NGOs and their beneficiaries. On the one hand, a group of participants called for transparency in how NGOs are operated. They felt that it is wrong not to allow people to know the details of the work. They stressed that it is crucial to present an account statement to the population to ensure no financial corruption within the NGOs. On the other hand, the other group indicated that in many cases, organizations need to safeguard the confidentiality of the procedures they are taking, especially concerning psychological support activities.
The majority stressed the need to move away from the language of generalizations regarding accusations of corruption and thefts. Still, any Syrian citizen has the right to question NGOs’ work so that the negative perceptions formed by the supportive population fades, which will at the same time help organizations uphold the responsibility and hold the corrupt accountable.
مؤسسة بحثية سورية تسعى إلى الإسهام في بناء الرؤى والمعارف بما يساعد السوريين على إنضاج حلول عملية لمواجهة التحديات الوطنية المشتركة وتحقيق التنمية المستدامة
