Media report for the symposium “Perceptions of Humanitarian Work in Syria after 2011”
During the eight years of the Syrian revolution, hundreds of non-governmental organizations were established. They operated in various fields, medical, relief, educational, and human rights. In the absence of state institutions, they became one of the parties concerned with providing essential services to the liberated areas.
As NGOs expanded their operations and services, their popularity varied within the Syrian society. Some see that they are doing their best. Others believe that there are negative aspects that accompanied their work, which contributed to creating a state of tension and discontent among segments of the Syrian society and those organizations.
Based on its mission to promote a consensus within the Syrian society, The Syrian Dialogue Center sought to identify the population’s perceptions 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 to bring views and release the tension on both sides, especially since the relationship between them is supposed to be complementary.
The Syrian Dialogue Center held on Saturday 25 Jumada Al-Awwal 1442 AH, corresponding to January 9, 2021 AD, a research symposium to tackle this topic to explore more aspects of this issue. Attendees included: Kinda Ahmed, a researcher from SDC; Dr. Mulham Al-Haraki, an advisor in psychiatry and a board member of the Syrian Health Association; Dr. Ammar Al-Qahf, a member of the Board of Directors of the Syrian Forum and the President of the Omran Center for Studies; Dr. Saad Al-Saeed, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Al-Sham Humanitarian Foundation, as well as several researchers and officials of civil society organizations inside Syria.
Participants in the symposium tackled the causes of the populations inside Syria’s negative perceptions about the NGOs and their work, the reasons for the corruption and favoritism accusations directed against them, the source of the problem, and ways to address it.
A number of civil society organization officials also shared their opinions and defended themselves against these accusations, and discussed the reasons behind them.
مؤسسة بحثية سورية تسعى إلى الإسهام في بناء الرؤى والمعارف بما يساعد السوريين على إنضاج حلول عملية لمواجهة التحديات الوطنية المشتركة وتحقيق التنمية المستدامة
