Madaniya: One year on
A conversation with Sawsan Abou Zainedin

The Madaniya platform just marked its first birthday. Linking more than 150 civil society organisations (CSOs), and launched in June 2023 at a well-attended event in Paris, Madaniya has grown since and faces the challenge of managing that growth while simultaneously advancing its action programme. To gain insights into this process, Syria in Transition spoke with Sawsan Abou Zainedin, the platform’s CEO.

How would you characterise the first year of Madaniya’s existence?
Abou Zainedin: It was a foundational year with lots of foundational work. Madaniya now serves as a platform for over 200 organisations. This growth requires a lot of work in building organisational infrastructure, trust, and aligning visions and expectations. The Syrian civic space comprises hundreds, if not over a thousand, entities with highly diverse structures. These include well-established NGOs and CSOs, grassroots community-based organisations, unions, syndicates, associations, media outlets, think tanks, research centres, private sector entities with a social impact focus, and voluntary groups. Each of these entities operates in different environments inside and outside Syria where they have to deal with various political and military actors as well as the agendas of regional and international governments. Many are influenced by the international aid system they depend on, which is not always compatible with the complexities of the Syrian conflict. Harmonising the distinct working frameworks and methods of our members was the priority in our first year.

Big platforms often end up being paralysed by group dynamics. How are the harmonisation efforts you described going?
Abou Zainedin: We’ve been very realistic in understanding that Madaniya cannot always move as one solid structure. We are not consensus-driven, meaning we don’t aim to get 200-plus member organisations to draft joint statements or sign petitions. We’ve always been very sensitive to the issue of representation. We never claimed to represent the entire civic space or any specific organisation within it, including those within Madaniya. We also expect our members not to speak on behalf of Madaniya or other member organisations. This is still a work in progress, but we have made significant strides in developing Madaniya as a flexible solidarity system. Members rely on us to push doors and open channels, while we can reach out to them to facilitate initiatives.

How is your engagement with the international community going?
Abou Zainedin: Madaniya is now recognised and trusted as a key interlocutor by many international decision-makers, including the EU and several of its member states such as Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Additionally, we have developed positive relationships with the UK, US, and Turkey. Even governments with controversial positions on the Syrian conflict, like Austria, Italy, and Greece, have received us well. Prior to any engagement, we hold participatory planning meetings with our members to discuss backgrounds and talking points. Our goal is not just advocacy for principles and values but to engage politically and identify entry points for initiatives that can make a change.

How has your engagement with formal Syrian opposition bodies, particularly the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), been?
Abou Zainedin: We recognise the SNC’s position as the representative at the negotiation table, despite concerns about their representation of broader Syrian population groups and internal problems they may have. However, we believe it would be counterproductive to contribute to further fragmentation by challenging their legitimacy. Instead, we aim to collaborate, recognising their critical role in the political process. While we maintain a cooperative relationship with the SNC and have positive meetings, we are cautious about being perceived as the civic arm of the SNC. Our relationship is one of coordination and support, but we also hold the SNC accountable to their role as representatives of the opposition at the negotiation table.

The slogan that Madaniya adopted at its launch was "reclaiming political agency." Have you succeeded in working towards that goal?
Abou Zainedin: This slogan was a call to acknowledge that the Syrian conflict began for political reasons and that the dire situation today is a result of a political stalemate. Syrian civil society is diverse, but it is unified by the fact that all activities, from distributing food baskets in IDP camps to academic initiatives on political reforms, respond to this political crisis. Recognising this political essence is crucial for us and for external stakeholders in harnessing the potential of civic actors as agents who can shape the political future of the country through their different interventions in the civic space.

Unfortunately, this potential has been undermined by international, regional, and local stakeholders. The international aid system is largely to blame as it has pushed Syrian civil society into the frameworks of NGOs to access resources and implement contracts. International policy-making structures and efforts around the political process are not less problematic. Syrian civic actors have been reduced to playing consultative roles in best-case scenarios as opposed to being engaged as principled stakeholders and agents of change. The civic space inside Syria is constantly shrinking due to restrictions by de facto military and political powers. As civic actors, we are perhaps the most influential in driving positive change in Syria. All other actors – local, regional, and international – operate with agendas driven by their own political interests, which do not necessarily prioritise a peaceful and democratic future for Syria. Given the powerful collective networks and resources of civic actors, it just doesn’t make sense to marginalise us in decision-making processes.

Some CSOs have managed to make breakthroughs by building trustworthy relationships with certain decision-makers, but this has not been structured in a way that ensures accountability to the entire civic space and Syrian communities. This brings me back to Madaniya’s function as a solidarity network, where we can share the trustful relationships we’ve built with decision-makers and simultaneously create accountability among ourselves when engaging with decision-making structures.

Has Madaniya’s approach of reclaiming political agency led to conflict with humanitarian INGOs and UN agencies who may not want to acknowledge the political nature of humanitarian activities?
Abou Zainedin: This is an important question, and it’s one that Syrian humanitarian organisations are likely better positioned to address. What I can say is that initially, engaging with Syrian actors in the humanitarian sphere was challenging due to the sensitivity surrounding their work. I attribute part of this challenge to the international aid agenda in Syria. Aid is wielded as a political tool by Syrian de facto powers, and regional and international stakeholders including donor governments. Unfortunately, there has been a rigid and uncritical adoption of humanitarian principles that lacks a genuine analysis of what they mean in the Syrian context, and that takes into consideration the systematic politicisation of aid that is well documented over the past decade in Syria. 

However, this year has seen a notable shift, with more humanitarian actors reaching out to Madaniya. While not all are seeking membership, there is a growing interest in coordination and building alliances. Interestingly, some actors in the human rights sphere have also expressed hesitancy in aligning themselves with calls for political agency. This underscores the relevance of our goal to mainstreaming the idea that reclaiming political agency does not jeopardise any humanitarian, legal, or human rights mandate. It is simply a recognition of our right to shape the political future of our country through the different interventions of all actors in all sectors and spheres.

The Early Recovery Trust Fund (ERTF) is a prime example of an issue rooted in the humanitarian sphere but inherently political. It is now being addressed in a coordinated manner by a broad spectrum of our members in collaboration with local, regional, and international entities. Discussions on early recovery and localisation efforts with the Aid Fund for Northern Syria (AFNS) also highlight the relevance of holistic approaches to humanitarian matters. 

How do you view the role of private sector figures like Ayman Asfari, the Chairman and principal patron of Madaniya, in shaping a more positive future for Syria?
Abou Zainedin: The private sector has long been intertwined with Syria’s charitable landscape. However, the onset of war led to significant shifts in the business community, with some fleeing the country, some adapting to remain operational, and others becoming warlords. Part of Madaniya’s vision is to recognise private sector entities with a social agenda as an integral part of the civic space for rebuilding Syria’s social and economic structures. 

With Ayman Asfari serving as our chairman and Samer Chamsi-Pasha as a board member, we benefit from their experience and networks in business but also in politics and civil society. Additionally, the Syrian International Business Association (SIBA), which is a collective of principled Syrian private sector entities operating from the diaspora, is a member organisation. Other members are based in various regions in Syria. Given the private sector’s unique potential to transcend frontlines, there are valuable lessons to be learned regarding pragmatic entry points to create convergence within a divided Syria. Today, there is a growing recognition of the private sector’s relevance, and international actors are increasingly engaging. However, some of these efforts are led by actors not necessarily aligned with Madaniya’s principled vision for Syria’s future. This underscores the need to engage the private sector more structurally in our efforts as civic actors and to work towards this vision in a sustainable manner.

What are Madaniya's plans for the next 12 months?
Abou Zainedin: The plans for the next 12 months will be mainly shaped during our annual conference scheduled for September. We have several key initiatives in mind. Firstly, we’re gearing up for our annual conference scheduled for September. This event will serve as an internal forum to reflect on our achievements and chart a path forward. Additionally, we’ll extend invitations to external policymakers and key figures to help convey collective messages which we’ll have pre-agreed upon. We are not rushing things. Trust-building among our members remains a priority, with additional space for them to agree on shared frameworks or develop joint initiatives. 

The plans for the next year will also be informed by the insights gathered from local dialogue sessions that we are conducting across Syria. Over the past year, we have witnessed a growing number of Syrian communities in different areas of control raising their voices and advocating for a solution in line with UNSCR 2254. We have initiated a series of local dialogue sessions to unpack the nuanced interpretations of a political solution in Syria, and their associated challenges and potential entry points. Dialogues have been convened in Suwayda, Rural Damascus, Hama, Latakia, Idlib, Azaz, Deir Ezzor, and Qamishli. Further sessions are planned in Damascus, Aleppo, Afrin, and Raqqa. Additionally, we aim to engage with diaspora communities through four more dialogue sessions. Our overarching goal is to facilitate constructive conversations between different regions of Syria in order to deconstruct differences and develop mutual understanding that can help overcome existing divisions and pave the way for a realistic roadmap for the political solution in Syria.