STJ says Syrian NGOs slam ‘negligence’ of Brussels Conference 2023
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrian organizations signed a letter in which they criticized “the neglect of urgent issues and the marginalization of regions and communities” of Syria during the VII Brussels Conference 2023, Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) said in a report on Friday.
In a statement, the STJ, a local human rights group, said that “signatories express disappointment at the neglect of urgent issues and the marginalization of regions and communities during the VII Brussels Conference 2023.”
On June 14 and 15, the European Union organized the Seventh Brussels Conference on Supporting the future of Syria and the region. During the conference “critical humanitarian and resilience issues” that affect Syria and neighboring countries were discussed.
The statement added that individuals and organizations and those who could not attend due to logistical difficulties were disappointed over “low levels of effective local representation on the Day of Dialogue… the marginalization and exclusion of many local organizations and groups.”
According to Izzaddin Saleh, Director-General of the Synergy Association for Victims, a northeast Syria-based NGO, the EU invited 14 other organizations from the region to participate in the conference, “but most were not able to attend because the EU did not provide the needed logistical support to issue visas to enter Belgium or EU countries,” he said in a statement to North Press.
107 Syrian organizations, which signed the letter, highlighted the issue that the conference deliberately ignored and dodged “to address issues of vital importance to northeastern areas and other Syrian parts…There was a lack of representation of northeastern and regime-held areas as well as some neighboring countries.”
Among the signatories were Adil Center for Human Rights, Al – Diyar Association, Analysis and Strategic Study Organization (ASO), ARAS Association, Haneen Al-Furat Organization, Lelun Association for Victims, and many others.
The signatories stressed that the organizers of the conference “did not make sufficient efforts to secure logistical support and visas in time” for many invited individuals and organizations from Syria and neighboring countries, failing to convey “a complete picture of lived reality through the Day of Dialogue and the Ministerial meeting.”
It also, for the third consecutive year, ignored “repeated calls to include Syriac and Kurdish in the conference’s main languages.”
“The lack of true and appropriate representation of all Syrian parts has perpetuated the current division and reinforced the marginalization suffered by certain communities,” the statement read.
With the aim to “bridge the gap between organizations operating on the ground and those active in the diaspora” the signatories called for holding “a special virtual meeting with the relevant organizations to clarify the mechanisms for selecting representatives…Ensure equitable representation for all Syrian regions, local communities, and humanitarian sectors…Exert real and effective efforts to bring the voices of local actors from inside Syria and neighboring countries to the EU events.”