Civilian response to earthquake disaster
After more than a week since the earthquake that struck Syria, it was necessary to carefully read the civil response and the necessary and required roles in the near and distant future. Therefore, the Nation Building Movement allocated a dialogue session on the civil response to the earthquake disaster, in which it brought together civil activists who participated in the humanitarian and relief response in addition to experts and academics.
The session 69 of the program Syrian Wednesday ، It was held on the evening of Wednesday, March 15, 2023, and initially dealt with describing the reality, as local activists participating remotely in the session from the regions of Aleppo, Jableh, and Latakia, pointed out the state of confusion that accompanied the response in its first days, as a result of the absence of a national plan for response and the loss of data and information related to the affected areas and neighborhoods and the required needs, which led - from their point of view - to the overlap and chaos of the response in terms of its concentration in cities and shelter centers and the lack of interest in the countryside.
Activists also pointed out that some aid, whether internal or external, did not match the need, especially after days had passed since the disaster and the extent of the destruction was revealed, the need changed, and some negative aspects emerged in the response, in terms of the ability of shelters to respond in a country already suffering from war, and the lack of knowledge of governmental, civil and civil parties of their roles, or in terms of competitiveness and lack of coordination between associations in collecting data, which led to the repeated targeting of some areas and the deprivation of others. Participants pointed out the need to move to the stage of assessing losses, damages and compensation according to the size, depth and breadth of the disaster, and to move from relief work to dealing with the challenge of securing alternative housing, whether through rent, restoration or reconstruction, and to develop a plan to respond to disasters in a participatory manner at the national level that clarifies responsibilities and tasks at the local level and local administrations.
They also stressed the integration between civil and governmental roles, the importance of networking between associations and organizations and sharing information, the possibility of networking with licensed entities to facilitate access to beneficiaries, and working on psychological support for those affected by the earthquake, taking into account the societal privacy of some areas during relief work, activating the role of civil initiatives and reducing bureaucratic procedures. At the end of the session, the recommendations focused on the fact that getting out of this disaster requires viewing it as a national disaster that has affected everyone, and requires the participation of all parties to ensure securing resources and facilitating the return of Syrian investments, and not relying on external support only, and that this be accompanied by transparent procedures and rules that clarify the mechanisms of the work accomplished and thus restore confidence between the parties and actors.
More details about the session can be found in the reports below.