Civil society in Syria played a largely ignored role in the conflict. Prior to 2011, it was suppressed under Baath party rule, but included opposition politicians, charity work, and youth groups. During the protests and war, local coordination committees and NGOs emerged to provide services, but faced challenges from violence and extremism. While areas under rebel control saw a fledgling civil society develop, the narrative focused more on regime and ISIS areas. Recent ceasefires showed civil society reemerging with protests, though its role remains overlooked.

1. The ignored role
of Civil Society in
the Syrian War
Josepha Ivanka Wessels
Centre for Resolution
of International
Conflicts (CRIC)

2. The role of civil society and the local?
• “Crucial here is the ability of powerful actors
to create an imaginary or series of imaginaries
that can construct and shape the local to suit
particular narratives and policy aims”
MacGinty, 2016
• Considered as a pivotal role in peacebuilding
initiatives
• Norms on democratisation, most YouTubed
conflict, “citizen journalism”.

6. National Coalition for Syrian
Revolutionary and Opposition Forces -
SNC
• 1) The Assistance Coordination Unit,
• 2) National Higher Commission of Education
• 3) Coalition Health Authority Office,
• 4) Coalition Legal Office,
• 5) Coalition Press Office,
• 6) Syrian Local Councils
• 7) National Peace Council
• 8) Hajj Council
• 9) Embassies

7. Civil society prior to 2011
• Kingdom of Silence
• Participative approaches and collective action
• Fear for repression
• The Baath-party parades
• Youth organisations
• Churches, zakat and charity work

10. Damascene Spring 2000/2001
• Opposition politicians like Michel Kilo, Riad
Seif and Riad Al Turk in Damascus
• “Declaration of the 99”: “the manifesto called
for putting an end to the state of emergency
in the country, and for the recognition of
religious and ideological pluralism, freedom of
assembly and the press, and freedom of
expression”

11. “Not ready for democracy ?”
• A new party, called the Movement for Social
Peace.
• The courtcase of Riad Seif (2001)
• The Presidential Couple (First Lady people
diplomacy)
• Mediatised presidntial journey through Syria
• Establishment of the Syria Trust

12. The Syria Trust for development
• Government-led charity organization, dressed
up as a NGO, a GONGO
• Syrian Foundation for the Development of the
Countryside (FIRDOs)
• The Youth and Early Childhood Division
(SHABAB)
• The Culture and Heritage Division

13. • Major regional events;
– The 2003 American invasion in Iraq
– The 2005 assassination of Rafiq al Hariri in
Lebanon.
– October 16, 2005 under the banner of ‘The
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic
Change’

14. Developments between 2011-2015
• Hamza Al Khateeb
• Non-violent protests, Ghiath Matar as a
symbol of peaceful resistance
• Local Coordination committees (LCCs)
• Countless civil society groups (CSGs)
• Bloggers, Media workers, ex-Syria Trust Staff
• The role of the newly emerged diaspora

16. The case of Kafranbel

20. Challenges for civil society
• Lack of security, repeated aerial
bombardments
• The refugee exodus
• The presence of extremist groups
• http://www.smh.com.au/world/why-is-russia-
bombing-my-town-20151108-gktw4k.html

21. Syrian Freedom Charter
• Syria Freedom Charter in April 2016:
• The Syrian Freedom Charter is a national unity
document based on tens of thousands of face-to-face
interviews with Syrians, in every governorate of the
country, about what kind of society they want. Over the
course of a year, a team of over a hundred activists
assembled by FREE-Syria and the Local Coordination
Committees (LLC) of Syria, completed more than
50,000 surveys to form a basis for the Syrian Freedom
Charter.
• https://pulsemedia.org/2015/04/06/what-do-syrians-
want-the-syrian-freedom-charter/

22. Ceasefire in 2016; civil protests
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD-
IjIqueXM&index=28&list=PL8fjpwOGK3shluZH
U1vMc4CLENxa2Jy6S
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rmHRdX
hRo0&index=25&list=PL8fjpwOGK3shluZHU1v
Mc4CLENxa2Jy6S

23. Conclusions
• Previous group of dissident politicians, the
young generation and also the young Syrian
activists whom emerged on the streets during
the first months of the Syrian uprising, formed
the backbone of a fledgling civil society
• Much of the narrative about the Syrian war is
focused on either the regime controlled areas,
or the areas under the control of the Islamic
State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

24. Conclusions
• A sense of selective empathy; the Islamic State is
viewed as an existential threat to European and
western values and the Syrian opposition is often
equated with these Islamic extremists.
• The SNC governmental ministries based in Gaziantep,
Turkey played a pivotal role in the establishment of civil
institutions in these areas since 2013.
• Despite major challenges there is a fledgling civil
society in FSA controlled areas, a sense of freedom
from authoritarian surveillance and a freedom to
develop civil society activities in the study area.

25. Conclusions
• The moment aerial bombardments and
security challenges become less, as shown
during the ceasefire that started at the end of
February 2016, these fledgling elements of
civil society re-emerge.
• Freedom Charter and the role of women are
ignored in the Syrian context
• There is a young nonviolent and transnational
Syrian movement still active (Syria Campaign)

26. Kesh Malek Advocacy Campaign