Contributing to the Stabilisation and Inclusivity of the Transition in Syria

Funding: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, February 2025 – ongoing

Since December 2024, Promediation has been present in Syria with the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of February 2025. This program aims to contribute to the establishment of an inclusive transition process and national dialogue in Syria, to support social cohesion, national unity, and enable reconstruction and stability. In recent months, Promediation has organised activities in Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, Suweida, and Daraa.

Several months after the installation of the new Syrian authorities, the country is experiencing deep social, political, and territorial fragmentation. These tensions are largely linked to the legacy of the Assad regime, which profoundly polarised communities, severed the link between society and institutions, and reinforced territorial disparities. The future of Syria today depends on the authorities’ capacity to address these structural challenges, but also on the ability of institutional actors and civil society to engage in dialogue.

Promediation works with civil society actors and organisations, including women, youth, and Syrians from the diaspora, to strengthen their capacity to mobilise, build networks, and promote their ideas with authorities and established political figures. The program covers several localities (Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, Suweida, Daraa, etc.), but also addresses multiple thematic and cross-community dimensions. It implements local dialogues focused on peacebuilding and stabilisation.

As part of MoUs, the program also foresees strengthening the dialogue and stabilisation capacities of civil servants within the administration of the new Syrian institutions (ministries, governorates, etc.) through training, coaching, and technical support, in order to sustain stabilisation efforts and build institutional structures.

Among its thematic priorities, the program focuses particularly on issues of Transitional Justice, in coordination with institutional organisations and civil society associations, as well as on community reconciliation. Promediation is also working on archiving the national dialogue process.