107 Syrian Organizations Call on the EU to Promote Inclusive Approach to Syrian Issues

Signatories express disappointment at the neglect of urgent issues and the marginalization of regions and communities during the VII Brussels Conference 2023.

The European Union organized a Seventh Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region’ on 14 and 15 June 2023, in Brussels. The conference addressed critical humanitarian and resilience issues affecting Syrians in Syria and neighboring countries.

Syrian participants– as individuals and organizations – and those who failed to attend due to logistical difficulties were looking forward to a more inclusive edition of the Conference reflecting the Syrian diversity. They were disappointed to see low levels of effective local representation on the Day of Dialogue. Those following up to the Conference also saw the marginalization and exclusion of many local organizations and groups, and made observations in this regard, to name a few,

It was evident that there was a deliberate ignoring and dodging to address issues of vital importance to northeastern areas and other Syrian parts. There was a lack of representation of northeastern and regime-held areas as well as some neighboring countries. Actually, no speaker was identified to speak up about the suffering of northeastern Syria’s population and advocate for the local communities urgent and priority issues.
The naming of the first day as the “Day of Dialogue” indicates that there would be a direct dialogue between Syrians from different parts of Syria. However, the format of the Conference was actually focused track sessions, where non-participating organizations were merely hearers (except for time-restricted brief comments).
Many individuals and organizations, in Syria and neighboring countries, who were invited to the Conference, confirmed that the organizers did not make sufficient efforts to secure logistical support and visas in time for them. This deprived them of attending the Conference and had a clear impact on the representation, which thus resulted in the failure to convey a complete picture of lived reality through the Day of Dialogue and the Ministerial meeting.
For the third consecutive year, the Conference ignored repeated calls to include Syriac and Kurdish in the conference’s main languages, despite them being Syrian national languages reflecting the diversity in Syria and the region.

Notably, the Syrian organizations active in different parts of the country, including the northeast, the west, and the regime-held areas, have made great strides towards mutual convergence defying conflict lines and artificial internal borders (This was evident in the response to the devastating February 2023 earthquake). Nonetheless, the Conference organizers did not use this already-created rapprochement between the organizations wisely. The lack of true and appropriate representation of all Syrian parts has perpetuated the current division and reinforced the marginalization suffered by certain communities, including women, people with disabilities, war casualties, and other vulnerable groups.

As such, signatories call on the EU and the organizers to,

Hold a special virtual meeting with the relevant organizations to clarify the mechanisms for selecting representatives of civil society, and explain the reasons for the Conference’s failure to reflect Syrian diversity. This must be followed by the work on creating a transparent mechanism for selecting participants that takes into account the geographical, sectoral, and societal diversity of Syria.
Ensure equitable representation for all Syrian regions, local communities, and humanitarian sectors. As well as ensuring inclusive, equal, and real participation in EU activities, including at Brussels Conference. This needs the concrete implementation of the recommendation made by the UN secretary-general, António Guterres at the opening of the Seventh Brussels Conference, which says that there can be no sustainable political solution without all Syrians.
Exert real and effective efforts to bring the voices of local actors from inside Syria and neighboring countries to the EU events, whether by providing effective logistical support or ensuring their participation via the Internet. This would bridge the gap between organizations operating on the ground and those active in the diaspora.

Signatories, (In alphabetical order)