Baytna - Strengthening the capacity of the Syrian civil society

In Grants program, 110 projects have been awarded with a total amount of EUR 1,354,472.36. Examples of projects are initiatives focusing on volunteerism, advocacy, political participation and gender equality. In capacity building program 127 workshops were delivered in Hassakah, Idlib, Aleppo, Damascus Suburbs, Quneitra, Daraa and in Gaziantep covering the following themes: organizational development, public policy and advocacy costing a total of EUR 196,467.72. In the hub program, Baytna Syria hosted and organized more than 450 events where more than 10,000 individuals attended those events. On the advocacy efforts, Baytna Syria continued to be involved in different initiatives including CSSR, EU, and think tank meetings.

Baytna aims to strengthen the capacity of the Syrian civil society to act as a force for democratic change, inclusive peace and stability, to support transitional justice, and to promote respect for human rights and civil liberties in Syria using different tools and approaches including advocacy, lobbying and policy making.The programme's intended outcome is to establish Baytna as a recognised, credible, independent and sustainable entity. It expands and improves links among civil society and promotes holding wider governance institutions accountable. Finally, it enables civil society actors to promote public participation, accountability and empower communities.To achieve this outcome, Baytna will provide Syrian civil society actors with effective grants to support developmental and rights-based civil society initiatives in Syria (and possibly in the neighboring countries). Moreover, Baytna will expand its capacity-building programme targeting various types of organisations and covering different thematic areas in the trainings. Under the hub component, Baytna will map emerging Syrian CSOs and initiatives, improve its outreach inside Syria, support networks of civic activists in Southern Turkey, including providing incubation services to them, and engage with local authorities, key donors and international actors.