ASO Concludes the Activities of the Second Phase of "Enhancing Participatory Democracy Approach" Project by Holding a Closeout Conference

2021-01-16
ASO – Amouda

ASO Center concluded the activities of "Enhancing Participatory Democracy Approach" Project in NES by holding a closeout conference with organizations participating in the NGOs platform in NES.

The conference was held on Dec 24, 2020 with the participation of 64 civil organizations belonging to the NGOs platform in NES and operating in the Autonomous Administration.

It was attended by representatives of the Norwegian People Aid (NPA) Organization and Swisspeace Institute for Researches and Studies in Switzerland in order to open communication bridges with the platform members and to share the upshots of the conference with the International Coordinating Committee and the UN Special Envoy office.

Participants in the conference organized by ASO Center discussed the challenges facing the local NGOs in the areas of the Autonomous Administration control in NES.

Moreover, the conference was held online, applying the precautionary measures against the outbreak of Coronavirus Pandemic.This conference is a conclusion of the activities of "Enhancing Participatory Democracy Approach" project, which is one of the projects of ASO Center.

It also, discussed the security, economic and social challenges facing the members of the platform, especially challenges to the political participation of the civil work in NES.The organizations participating in the conference talked about the mechanisms of the international support for the local NGOs, they likewise talked about the disadvantages of not supporting emerging organizations.

The NGOs participating in the conference recommended the necessity of electing a committee which represents the NGOs in NES in international forums. Also, to cast more light on networking between the local and international organizations in order to increase experiences and develop proficiencies and capabilities of local organizations, and thus obtain grants and projects from donors.

It is to be mentioned that the conference aimed to promote the participation of the member-organizations in the platform in the civil work more widely for the contribution in the process of peace-building and their involvement in the political process and democratic change across Syria, especially NES region.