NPA 2018: basic services, civil society in Syria

 The project was initiated in June 2018. It was planned to end in December 2021, however it was extended until December 2024. The project is implemented in North-East (NES), North-West (NWS), and Central Areas of Syria (CAS) through local partners. The Embassy of Sweden in Beirut (EoS) considers that the partners' activities are appropriate to reach the planned project outcomes. The objectives of the intervention were updated in March 2022 as part of the application for the cost extension (granted in May 2022). The following results are deducted from the Annual Program Report (2023) that covers the period 1 January 2023 - 31December 2023. Some of the most relevant results of the program consist of the sustained and enhanced capacity of civil society organisations in Syria working as intermediaries between the local communities and local governance structures in an ongoing conflict. Examples below are listed according to the program's three outcomes: Outcome 1: Increasing the influence of Syrian Civil Society organisations in local decision-making processes Capacity development support to CSOs has played an important role under Outcome 1.Topics covered include deradicalisation, gender inclusivity and conflict sensitivity. Capacity development support has been provided both by NPA and by NPAs partners, reaching local CSOs and CBOs. NPA reports that concrete indicators show that the nine partner CSOs' work has led to increased influence of CSOs and communities on local decision-making processes. Examples of indicators are increased participation of members of the community in local council meetings, alignment of budgets with community priorities and the development of 42 community-driven action plans. The 42 community-led initiatives covered a range of topics, such as the reintegration of ex-ISIS families, environmental protection, climate change adaptation, education and conflict prevention. The initiatives were implemented in dialogue and collaboration between community groups, community leaders and local power holders. The initiatives also led to 13 formal local government decision responses. An example of this is Qamishli municipality which decided to install a digital screen in the city centre where community members received updates on ongoing initiatives and municipality services, resulting in increased transparency. Also in Qamishli, steps were taken to enhance health and food safety: Committees were established to control medical waste management and medications in hospitals, as well as to ensure adherence to food safety standards. This led to concrete results, with disciplinary actions taken against those responsible for violations of the applicable standards, as well as e.g., hygiene measures being enforced. Outcome 2: Improving local communities' access to local power holders Community members have through different groups and networks participated in 134 instances of diverse forms of dialogue with community leaders and local government representatives. Evaluations later showed that 67% of local community members viewed the local powerholders as being willing to listen and address their concerns. Youth were included and could thus raise their priorities with local power holders. NPA's partners followed up on the dialogue sessions through visits to relevant institutions, such as municipalities. Regarding the reintegration of ex-ISIS families in NES, the work included psychosocial support, legal counselling and dialogues with local power holders and community leaders. While women-headed families in follow-up interviews assessed that the reintegration assistance had had a positive impact, local powerholders underlined that reintegration interventions need to be long-term and ensure access to basic services. Outcome 3: Enhancing the responsiveness of community leaders and local government structures to peoples needs NPA reports that 3 000 local community leaders participated in the programme during the year. Through previously developed tools within the programme, such as the digital Feedback and Compliance Mechanism, community members have been able to raise issues and receive feedback from relevant power holders. NPA has presented statistics showing a snapshot of the status of complaints submitted through the mechanism: With at that moment 314 complaints received, 34% were solved, 35% under process and 31% were general concerns. Among issues addressed and resolved were the maintenance of a park in Qamishli, the quality assurance of bread in the Jazira Region, and teacher transportation allowances. Other complaints addressed related to e.g., driving licenses and fuel card distribution. NPA partners have conducted training sessions for relevant community leaders and local power holders, addressing issues such as political participation, social transparency and accountability, digital literacy and emergency response.

Det långsiktiga målet för insatsen är en ökad möjlighet för människor att påverka beslutsprocesser i sina lokalsamhällen. Att stödja syriska civilsamhällsorganisationer samt öka deras förmåga att organisera och mobilisera människor å ena sidan, och å andra sidan påverka lokala samhällsstyrningsstrukturer och makthavare är avgörande för att öka människors deltagande i sina lokalsamhällen. NPA identifierar följande tre förändringar som nödvändiga för att stärka människors inflytande över lokalt beslutsfattande, vilka därför utgör programmets tre huvudsakliga resultatområden: (1) syriska civila samhällsorganisationer påverkar lokala beslutsprocesser (2) Människor har större tillgång till lokala maktinnehavare och styrningsstrukturer, och (3) Lokala maktinnehavare och styrelseformer svarar bättre på medborgarnas behov.