Before its collapse, Bashar Al-Assad’s autocratic regime left Syria in ruins, with widespread poverty and deep collective suffering after five decades of oppression and more than 13 years of a devastating civil war.
Syria’s now de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa – former head of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – has become president for the transitional phase and will form a temporary legislative council to help govern until a new constitution is adopted.
As part of this process, the Assad-era constitution has been annulled, the former regime’s parliament has been dissolved, and all armed groups have been disbanded.
Al-Sharaa, who in recent weeks met with foreign leaders and diplomats, has vowed to undertake a political transition involving a “national dialogue conference” with participants from across Syrian society and of all political leanings, leading to an inclusive government and future elections.
Amid cautious optimism and uncertainty in this relatively smooth early transition phase, civil actors are reemerging, raising their voices about the Syria they envision for the future and demanding to be an integral part of the political process.
Civil society organisations, which were instrumental in providing aid, documenting human rights violations, and advocating for humanitarian support during the civil war, are now potentially key partners in driving an inclusive transition and playing a central role in shaping the country’s future.
While al-Sharaa has reached out to the wider opposition and Syrian diaspora, many Syrians are still wary of HTS’ past authoritarian and extremist inclinations, believing that the caretaker government fails to reflect the country’s diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural makeup.
Although the newly appointed interim president has promised to hold a national dialogue conference to include different political and civil society groupings, it has been repeatedly delayed. The new leadership has engaged little with Syrian political parties and civil groups, some say.
“We are putting pressure on them to work with the civil society. Without its expertise, we can’t really do anything in Syria right now,” Ranim Ahmed, communications director of The Syria Campaign, a human rights advocacy group, told The New Arab.
“This administration hasn’t talked enough with civil society and hasn’t been transparent about political dialogue either,” Syrian researcher and analyst Suhail al-Ghazi said in an interview with TNA.
Al-Ghazi also highlighted the discrepancy between the transitional administration’s limited interaction with human rights organisations and its greater focus on relief NGOs. “There’s a risk of cherry-picking NGOs at the expense of others,” he observed.
Nanar Hawach, a senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG), says that the new leadership’s outreach has focused on civil society in the northwest but with limited communication elsewhere.
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Yet, at this critical moment following the fall of the Assad regime, the involvement of broader civil society in the transitional process will be key to ensuring a peaceful and stable Syria.
“The new leadership faces the immense task of rebuilding the country but lacks the capability and manpower to do it alone. They should tap into civil society’s expertise,” Hawach said.
To his mind, civil networks can help restore trust within Syria’s diverse communities by representing different segments of society, amplifying their voices, addressing grievances, and “bridging the social rift” caused by the war and Assad’s divisive policies.
Hawach indicated that some of the major challenges faced by civil society groups in Syria include a lack of funding, the absence of regulatory legislation, and unclear operational freedom.
“Syrian civil society won’t stop organising,” the Syria researcher said. However, the extent to which it will be allowed to work and how much will it be able to achieve on the ground remain to be seen.
During the war, hundreds of Syrian groups emerged by combining the efforts of local actors, refugees in neighbouring countries, and the diaspora, undertaking everything from humanitarian relief and democracy advocacy to transitional justice preparations.
Despite the high-risk conditions of operating amid armed violence, these organisations continued working, either going underground or relocating to rebel-held territory or abroad.
Today, they no longer have to operate in secret. Since Assad was toppled in December, exiled civil society organising groups have returned to the country for the first time in years, holding meetings, reconnecting, and launching new initiatives.
“It’s so beautiful that the civil society is finally reclaiming its space inside Syria,” Ahmed commented. Her organisation along with 50 others conducted the first Syrian dialogue on justice, truth, and fairness in late January, with the participation of the deputy minister of justice Khitam Haddad.
She emphasised how legal experts, victims’ associations, and families of survivors in Syria can lead the way for justice and accountability efforts.
For the rights advocate, one major worry is whether the civic space inside Syria will continue to enjoy this freedom in the future, or experience repression again.
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She also expressed great concern about Donald Trump’s recent decision to suspend foreign aid which will inevitably impact the effective functioning of Syrian civil society.
Nonetheless, Ahmed is hopeful. “We have the will to build the nation we’ve dreamed of for all these years,” the Syrian activist said, adding that the international community should support a strong, independent civil society whose role today, she claimed, is to “build bridges” between different communities.
“Syrians are re-engaging with each other after decades of separation between diaspora and local civil society organisations,” al-Ghazi said, noting how bridging this gap is crucial.
He believes Syrian civil society can play a significant role in developing a democratic political environment in cooperation with the current administration, as well as strategies for economic growth that will shift society from aid dependence to a productive economy.
In his view, peace and accountability are now the most pressing concerns in a “fragile, shattered” nation that needs healing. In particular, the researcher pointed out that civil society should launch a “Syrian-led” transitional justice process, with the participation of victims of violations, while also engaging with the ruling authorities.
Lara Nelson, senior policy lead at ETANA Syria, an organisation dedicated to informing international policy on Syria, told The New Arab she welcomed this positive phase for Syrian civil society but stressed the need to “institutionalise and sustain” it. “There needs to be a sustainable legal framework to ensure civil society operates in a healthy and prospering way,” she said.
Discussing Syrian civil society’s pivotal role after Assad’s rule, Nelson remarked: “It’s fundamental that it monitors adequately the authorities and asks Syrians: ‘Does this represent your interests?’”
She also raised the need for formal partnerships between government bodies and civil society institutions to support joint efforts, such as utilising human rights organisations’ expertise in transitional justice.
In addition, she said, civil society organisations can help give “agency” to large sections of the population that are otherwise marginalised by organising platforms to ultimately elevate their voices and secure “representation” before the authorities.
On a separate note, Nelson argued for the establishment of political parties, given the lack of space for them during the time of Assad.
She referenced a new paper on governance reform in Syria produced by ETANA experts, pinpointing three key recommendations. The first is activating civil society’s oversight, which enables its participation in public decision-making to ensure policies align with community needs.
Second is promoting community dialogue and civil solidarity, which means creating and maintaining spaces for collective expression within communities on issues and decisions that affect them, and, finally, supporting civil society’s peace formation agency by empowering independent organisations through financial and technical support tailored to “local needs and priorities”, not external agendas.
Whether by offering financial assistance, ensuring access to healthcare, providing adequate education for children and adults, documenting rights abuses, pursuing justice and accountability, or helping local businesses grow, civil society organisations are indispensable in the rebuilding of Syria.
Alessandra Bajec is a freelance journalist currently based in Tunis.
Follow her on Twitter: @AlessandraBajec
