Local Government Forum in Recovery Phase
Participants in the second day of the “Local Administration Forum in the Early Recovery Phase” held by the Nation Building Movement at its headquarters in Damascus concluded that empowerment programs must continue with the aim of activating local participation in the early recovery phase by participating in studying and approving laws related to local administration, and enhancing trust in others and in various institutions.
The participants called for deepening the role of civil society, commitment to its roles and institutionalization, linking it to local councils, conducting studies and research to understand local communities and the nature of their problems, and adopting good governance that suits the recovery phase.
In the field of building cohesion and social justice, the participants stressed the need to use tools that suit the structure of societies, and to focus on approaches to build local development (education - family - media - civil society), developing the social protection network, and creating programs targeting groups not included in the official protection network, stressing that laws should specify precise working mechanisms related to cohesion and justice.
In the supervisory aspect, the participants called for activating the evaluation, accountability and complaints processes, strengthening the relationship between local councils and local media in this field, and qualifying and training influential media activists locally.
On the economic side, the participants stressed the need to establish urban observatories, enable the councils of administrative units to plan investment and transfer public property belonging to them to their administrations, as well as transfer the affiliation of local economic agencies to the provincial council, in addition to harmonizing local planning with regional and national planning, as well as the administrative reform program with the local administration law.
As for the subject of investment, the participants called for setting clear and differentiated levels for optimal investment in local resources, taking steps that encourage the private sector to participate and encourage the return of “capital” from abroad, and for local governments to have a sufficient share of their resources to activate them in this field, stressing the need for representatives of local governments to attend the Supreme Investment Council, and for active parties and individuals to participate in pressuring to mitigate the effects of sanctions on Syria.
The topics of the second day of the forum, in which a group of experts, researchers, media professionals and activists concerned with local administration participated, revolved around: (Managing local council investments, local development and the private sector, and prospects for recovery at the local level).
More details about the session can be found in the photo reports below.