SALAR International Participates in Governance Workshop in Damascus
On 24 – 25 April, SALAR International joined the Syria team of the Sida-funded Inclusive Local Governance (INLOG) programme for a historic, first workshop in Damascus.
The workshop highlighted that Syria today faces a fragmented and complex governance reality, requiring flexible and practical responses that transcend traditional frameworks.
The team discussed governance, service provision, security and social cohesion across all Syrian regions, analyzing the current context, identifying key actors, considering the future role and structure for the group, and formulating a programmatic orientation for future support to local governance, community cohesion and recovery in Syria.
SALAR International also engaged in other strategic meetings with key stakeholders in Damascus.
While SALAR International has been active in responding to the Syria crisis through the Sida-funded Resilience and Local Governance (RESLOG) project in Turkiye and Lebanon, this was its first engagement directly in Syria since the EU-funded Decentralisation and Local Development project, which was discontinued following the outbreak of the protracted Syrian conflict in 2011.
About INLOG
Funded by Sida, INLOG is designed to address key governance challenges by enhancing the capacity of local and national government practitioners in the MENA Region. The programme delves deeply into issues of decentralisation and local governance, leveraging Swedish expertise to support innovative solutions in areas such as urban development, fiscal decentralisation, citizen participation, service delivery, climate adaptation, and digitalisation.