Local administration has always been the authority closest to the people; capable of creating the means that enable them to create their reality that suits their aspirations and ambitions, and to participate in formulating policies. However, the lack of sufficient awareness of its executive details and laws may prevent us from benefiting from this proximity in an adequate manner. Based on this, today, organizing workshops and projects specialized in local administration and development is a matter of utmost necessity and societal need.

Therefore, and in continuation of what the Nation Building Movement started in its project on local administration and development, it organized, over the course of two days, 10 and 11/4/2018, a training course in the city of Tartous, which brought together several mayors and civil society activists to reach a cooperation formula that would enable them to activate their roles together in serving the community, with the aim of creating a dialogue platform between the local administration and civil society, activating joint work spaces between them and thus increasing community work initiatives that aim to advance the community and solve its problems.​

First Day:

The workshop was started by Mr. Bashar Mubarak, who explained the concept of local administration and several other concepts, in addition to explain the details of Local Administration Law 107. The first day of the workshop was concluded by Mr. Yassin Hussein, who told us about the Tartous 2025 vision that Tartous Governorate is currently preparing, and explained the details of its pillars.

It is worth mentioning that the training will continue tomorrow in Tartous to talk with Mr. (Mohammed Al-Masry) more extensively about civil society and its role in working with local administration bodies. It is worth mentioning that the local administration and development project is still ongoing to be a launch pad for several projects and initiatives that stem from the interests and needs of society and benefit it.

Second Day:

Many of us strive to have an unforgettable impact, and this can only be achieved through great effort and endeavor to reach creative leadership capable of creating a new societal space that embraces cooperation and participation between civil society, which has today become the driving force behind people’s aspirations, and local administration capable of paving the way for making these aspirations a reality.

This is what we learned on the first day of the local administration and development workshop, and it was explained to us in more detail on the second day by Mr. (Mohammed Al-Masry), who explained to us how to think in a creative and pioneering way in our initiatives and activities, and the importance of bringing together the local administration and civil society roles to serve the community. The trainees were divided into working groups that included (Tartous, Safita and Al-Dreikish), each of which presented a project for an initiative to be implemented in the coming period. Perhaps the workshop’s location in the old Tartous Hall with its history, present and great symbolism for everyone who visited it, was a great incentive for their feelings and projects.

The local administration and development project initiated by the Nation Building Movement is still ongoing, as a launch pad for several projects and initiatives that stem from the interests and needs of society and benefit it.