Nine Years of Devastating Conflict: Is there a Role for Civil Society to Reach Sustainable Peace in Syria?
During this year’s UN General Assembly, the AUWCL’s Syria Initiative called attention to the ongoing civil war in Syria. As the conflict in Syria approaches its tenth anniversary in a situation of political deadlock, Syrians continue their struggle for a gleam of hope for peace and justice. More than 5.5 million Syrians are now living as refugees in the region. Another 6.1 million are internally displaced within Syria. The United Nations Special Envoy continues his herculean effort to reconcile warring parties and involve Syrian civil society actors in the peace talks.
In the meantime, Syrian civil society is striving to envision solutions to complex undertakings that are indispensable for the success of any peace talks or transition in Syria. First, Syrian civil society continues to struggle to find a comprehensive solution for the problem of arbitrary detention of political opponents as a prerequisite for any political transition or solution. This is linked to the larger topic of justice and accountability that has not been meaningfully addressed in the talks so far.
Second, the realization of the rights of Syrian women remains one of the most challenging undertakings of Syrian civil society. Syrian women continue to endure the heaviest burden with pre-existing inequalities exacerbated by the conflict. Despite the disproportionate economic, legal, social, and political impact of the Syrian conflict on women, their participation in civil society and peace talks remains limited, and gender issues have not been incorporated across all peace talks.
Third, Syrian civil society practitioners, particularly lawyers, are faced with vexing questions about how to ensure that internally and externally displaced people may exercise the right to a dignified and safe return in light of the rapidly implemented legal measures that undermine their ability to return to their homes. In addition to these important issues, Syrian civil society faces practical and logistical difficulties including a lack of funding and restrictions on their registration and movement. In short, sustainable peace in Syria depends on a sustainable civil society, as does the fate of detainees, women, and displaced populations.
All these issues were extensively discussed at a side event to the UN General Assembly meeting on September 21, 2020, with the participation of Noura Al Jizawi, Chairperson of Start Point; Juan Mendez, Professor of Human Rights Law in Residence at AUWCL and former UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Assaad Al Achi, Executive Director of Baytna Organization; Deyaa Alrwishdi, Director of the Syrian Initiative at AUWC; and the event was moderated by Silja Aebersold, Legal Adviser of the Free Syrian Lawyers Association. For more information on the Syrian Initiative, click here.