On Wednesday, May 9th 2022, the IFIT Syria Resource Group (SRG) participated in a panel discussion held as part of the Brussels VI Conference´s Day of Dialogue. In the session Giving Voices to Syrians, Sawsan Abou Zainedin, co-coordinator of the SRG, called for the international community to rethink its approach to providing support to Syria, in order to ensure an effective and sustainable response that meets the minimum needs of the Syrian people and facilitates communities to lead their own recovery.
Representing a coalition of 13 Syrian civil society platforms, Ms. Abou Zainedin urged attendees – who included ministers, policy-makers, donors, international organisations, and other stakeholders – to shift their focus towards more integrated and consistent policies which are guided by the key principles of human rights and sustainable peace.
The intervention served to reiterate the conclusions and recommendations that emerged from an earlier event, Towards More Principled International Support: A Dialogue between Syrians and the International Community, held independently by the SRG and the Syrian civil society coalition at the end of March. In this forum, the coalition presented its vision for international donor support of the Syrian population, focusing on how to achieve more integrated and consistent policies that would support Syrian communities, but without consolidating the war economy; worsening the divisions between different regions in Syria; planting seeds for new conflicts; contributing to more human rights violations; or empowering certain segments of the Syrian population at the expense of others.
The Syria Resource Group, with the support of the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), and in partnership with the Center for Operational Analysis and Research (COAR) organized the discussion, Towards More Principled International Support for Syria: Advancing the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus, a side-event to the Brussels VI Conference. The event took place virtually on Tuesday, May 3rd 2022.
The discussion focused on practical examples that can operationalise the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus, building upon the conclusions of the convening Towards More Principled International Support, A Dialogue between Syrians and the International Community that took place on March 31st.
Speakers:
Bassel Kaghadou – Member of the Syria Resource Group (SRG); Expert in Public Communication, Aid Effectiveness and Peace Building; former Chief Technical Advisor and Head of the Strategic Policies & Programmes Unit at the National Agenda for the Future of Syria (NAFS), UN-ESCWA
Fadi Dayoub – Member of the Syria Resource Group (SRG); Executive Director of Local Development & Small-Projects Support (LDSPS)
Maxwell Gardiner – Political Analyst and Project Manager at the Centre for Operational Analysis and Research (COAR)
Ryan Knox – Head of UN-Habitat Syria
Sawsan Abou Zainedin – Member of the Syria Resource Group (SRG); Architect and Urban Development Planner; Researcher at the Syrian Center for Policy Research (SCPR)
Simon Bayley – Lead Analyst at the Center for Operational Analysis and Research (COAR)
The Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) deeply regrets to inform friends, colleagues, and partners about the untimely death of Mr. David Gardner earlier today.
This news is shared with an overwhelming sense of loss and sorrow.
David had a long and distinguished career at the Financial Times, where he was one of the preeminent journalists and international affairs editors of his generation. At IFIT, he served with dedication and distinction for many years as President of the Board of Directors. He was an extraordinarily thoughtful and decent man, whose intellectual contributions elevated us all and whose memory and legacy IFIT will honour in perpetuity.
The IFIT community extends its deepest condolences and sympathies to his beloved wife, children and other close family and friends for this heartbreaking loss.
IFIT´s latest consultation session on its global Peace Treaty Initiative will take place at the Carter School Fall 2021 Peace Week.
In Building the International Law of Peace Negotiation, experts Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Juana Acosta, and Mark Freeman will participate in a panel discussion through which attendees will learn first-hand about the origins and concepts underlying the Peace Treaty Initiative, and have a unique opportunity to examine and discuss the current indicative text for the proposed treaty.
Date: Friday, September 24th from 9:00 to 11:00 New York time (15:00 – 17:00 Barcelona time)
Registration: To attend this session, pleaseregister here by Wednesday,September 22. You will receive a Zoom link two days before the session as well as a special meeting package.
IFIT’s Peace Treaty Initiative aims to develop new international law to incentivise and support peace negotiations. Governments, multilateral organisations, academia, faith-based entities, NGOs and think tanks from around the world will be invited to shape the content of an indicative draft of the proposed treaty through participation in thematic and regional workshops and outreach events.
As part of the global consultation process for the Peace Treaty Initiative, international experts and practitioners had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the origins and concepts underlying this unique international lawmaking initiative. Panellists included IFIT Executive Director Mark Freeman and members of the initiative’s Expert Advisory Group: General Oscar Naranjo, Binalakshmi Nepram and Sarah Nouwen. Participants received the indicative text of the proposed treaty in advance of the session and had the opportunity to provide direct feedback on it.
