SACD Newsletter

December 2022

SACD-led conference in Geneva marks the beginning of a new phase in the fight for rights of displaced Syrians

In a first event of this kind, displaced Syrians convened a high-level international conference in Geneva to address a dangerous paralysis in the political process and offer a roadmap for a political framework for establishing a safe environment needed for return of some 13 million refugees and IDPs.

The conference gathered prominent Syrian figures from displaced communities in Turkey, Lebanon, Germany, France, Austria, United States, UK and inside Syria, as well as international experts to discuss the stagnation of the political process and the way forward.

The discussions were based on a substantive document titled “Roadmap for a safe environment in Syria” produced by the Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity (SACD), as a result of three years of consultations with displaced Syrians and experts to detail what needs to happen before return becomes possible, during and after return of the displaced.

Safe and dignified return to Syria: key to lasting peace and stability in the region

The second panel session of the Geneva conference focused on the concrete steps that Syrians have, through the SACD’s report, identified as necessary for the existence of a ‘safe environment,’ and how such conditions can be realized. It also discussed the practical challenges faced by Syrians who have already had to return for different reasons, and the potential challenges that would face a premature return. It was also a rare opportunity for Syrians to engage in a public and transparent exchange with representatives of UNHCR.

Moderator: Paul Seils

Panelists: Dr. Marwan Nazhan , Dr. Rouba Mheissen , Alexander Tyler and Mr. Refik Hodzic.

Amidst backroom initiatives and stagnation, displaced Syrians offer a roadmap for a safe, dignified, and sustainable return to Syria
The intractable and uniquely destructive nature of the Syrian conflict is well-known. A safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees has been repeatedly stressed as a crucial component of any sustainable solution to the crisis. Yet the details of the safe environment required for this to happen and how the Syrian people themselves would define the concept have never been seriously discussed in the Syrian political process.
The first-panel session of the Geneva conference, “Roadmap to a Safe Environment in Syria” zeroed in on the specific issue of the safe environment being an urgent policy question central to SACD’s document Roadmap for a Safe Environment in Syria. Read more here
Geneva conference provides a rare opportunity for Syrians to publicly engage UNHCR in conversation.
Although a safe and voluntary return of Syrians is generally agreed upon as a key component of a wider settlement of the conflict, SACD is the first organization to conduct a wide-ranging study into how Syrians themselves would define the concept of a ‘safe environment.’
The second-panel session, "Safe and Dignified Return to Syria" of the Geneva conference, focused on the concrete steps that Syrians have, through the SACD’s report, identified as necessary for the existence of a ‘safe environment’ and how such conditions can be realized. It also discussed the practical challenges faced by Syrians who have already had to return for different reasons and the potential challenges that would face a premature return. It was also a rare opportunity for Syrians to engage in a public and transparent exchange with representatives of UNHCR. Read more here

Interview with Dr. Abdul Hamid Al-Awak, Ex-Judge, Assistant Professor at Mardin Artuklu University to talk more about the concept of a safe environment and the road map to achieve it

The Syrian Association for Citizens' Dignity (SACD) interviewed Dr. Abdul Hamid Al-Awak, to talk more about the concept of a safe environment and the road map to achieve it, explained the meaning of a neutral environment, saying, "Neutrality means the commitment of the Syrian state and the other parties in conflict with it to deal with refugees, displaced persons, and returnees to Syria." "And those who reside on its lands and have not left it under the law, the provisions of the law, and the principles of justice." He points to the position of The Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity on implementing a safe environment "SACD’s position on a safe environment is based on a legal position and from the legal position proceeds to the practical case.

Roadmap to a Safe Environment in Syria

For over two years, the SACD has been working on gaining insight into what displaced Syrians in Syria and in the diaspora think about the Safe Environment (SE), in order to reach a clear definition that would eventually help in building consensus amongst Syrians, and produce a document that would be an effective way in conveying these ideas to policy makers and make the SE a fundamental part of the on-going political discussion, and potentially the corner stone of the future political solution.

Through dozens of outreach meetings, focus groups and surveys of Syrian in all parts of the country and approach, and with the collaboration of leading Syrian and non-Syrian experts in the legal and constitutional issues, the SACD managed to produce a comprehensive and detailed blueprint of what a SE would look in Syria and different phases to implement such environment.

SACD Newsletter

December 2022

SACD-led conference in Geneva marks the beginning of a new phase in the fight for rights of displaced Syrians

Safe and dignified return to Syria: key to lasting peace and stability in the region

Amidst backroom initiatives and stagnation, displaced Syrians offer a roadmap for a safe, dignified, and sustainable return to Syria

Geneva conference provides a rare opportunity for Syrians to publicly engage UNHCR in conversation.

Interview with Dr. Abdul Hamid Al-Awak, Ex-Judge, Assistant Professor at Mardin Artuklu University to talk more about the concept of a safe environment and the road map to achieve it

Roadmap to a Safe Environment in Syria

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