Ayman Al-Ahmad Ahmad Al-Barro Sultan Jalabi
This paper outlines the perspectives of diverse local groups of Syrian civil society activists operating in areas controlled by the Interim Government and those administered by the Autonomous Administration in Northeast Syria. These perspectives focus on the characteristics of the legislative framework they aspire to see replace the laws currently in force in both regions.
There is broad agreement among participants on the pressing need to reform the legal and administrative systems regulating civil society work in the country—specifically Associations Law No. 93 of 1958 and Law No. 5 of 2024 enforced within the Autonomous Administration. Participants regard the transitional period as a historic opportunity to shift away from a model rooted in prior licensing and oversight toward one that is supportive and enabling, and that acknowledges the role of organizations in development, rights-based work, and public affairs, rather than confining them to humanitarian and service-oriented functions.
Participants recommend transitioning from the restrictive framework of “licensing and oversight” to a system based on “notification and disclosure,” in which administrative bodies are limited to verifying the information organizations voluntarily provide regarding their establishment and financial records. They further emphasize that reform must include lifting the constraints on access to foreign funding and replacing them with transparent disclosure mechanisms that ensure accountability to financial authorities and the broader public.
Participants further advocate replacing the current system—whereby each activity requires prior approval—with a model based on prior “notification,” alongside granting project approvals on a one-time basis for the entire duration of the project. Such an approach would substantially reduce administrative interference in day-to-day operations.
The sessions concluded that drafting the new law must follow a participatory process that brings together civil society representatives from diverse Syrian communities alongside the relevant authorities. This process could begin under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, with the longer-term objective of establishing an independent administrative body with shared governance. Such a structure would help ensure the adoption of a legislative framework that genuinely supports civil society and enables it to fulfill its functions within both society and the public sphere.
