Strengthening Governance Structures in Syria

The project aims to strengthen the ability of legitimate and inclusive local governance bodies in Syria to serve their communities. It is designed to increase the ability of local councils to provide services to citizens in a participatory transparent and accountable manner. Examples of project activities include: (1) consulting communities on their priorities for administrative services and public infrastructure projects; (2) conducting training and workshops for council members and administrative personnel and management to increase their ability to manage local public administration and public infrastructure projects; (3) providing grants for the rehabilitation of transportation water sanitation and electricity infrastructure that have been damaged by the war; and (4) rehabilitating schools and paying teacher salaries.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased capacity of governance structures at local and provincial levels to plan and provide key services to civilians; (2) more accessible higher quality local services generating income (where possible) enabling greater stability and reducing the appeal of extremism in opposition-held areas of Syria; (3) the voices of communities and civil society are included in choices around service delivery and are able to better hold local governance structures to account.