After 13 years of conflict and the December 2024 transition of power, Syria is entering a new phase. Over 3 million people have returned home, yet 16 million still need humanitarian assistance (UNHCR 2025). 

As rebuilding begins, communities face damaged infrastructure, limited basic services, and ongoing recovery needs. Strong coordination between local NGOs, returning diaspora organizations, and international partners is essential.

Through the B-Voices Project, implemented through DEMAC together with The Danish Refugee Council Syria and the Syrian NGO Alliance, we work to strengthen inclusive, nationally led coordination in Syria. The project promotes dialogue, shared learning, and practical recommendations to ensure that humanitarian efforts are locally grounded, collaborative, and responsive to the needs of affected communities 

Our goal is simple: a more inclusive and effective humanitarian response that supports long-term recovery and social cohesion in Syria.

Diaspora Emergency Action & Coordination (DEMAC), in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Syria and the Syrian NGO Alliance (SNA), implemented the Bridging Voices (B-Voices) project through an Activation Fund from the H2H Network, supported by UK Aid.

Through research, multi-stakeholder consultations, dialogue forums, peer learning workshops, and a policy brief with actionable recommendations, the project worked to:

• Improve collaboration and mutual trust between Syrian NGOs and diaspora actors

• Support evidence-based and principled humanitarian coordination

• Strengthen civil society cohesion during a critical transition period

As a member of the H2H Network, DEMAC joined four other organizations mobilizing resources to fill critical response gaps, support local responders, and improve the overall quality and efficiency of humanitarian action. This project enabled us to reinforce inclusive coordination at a pivotal moment for Syria’s recovery, with the outcomes continuing to inform efforts to improve the quality, accountability, and effectiveness of humanitarian action.

Building on the consultation sessions, dialogue forums, and stakeholder engagement, a Policy Brief was launched: From Presence to Decision - Making Syrian-led Humanitarian Coordination Real

Key findings:

• Local and national actors have strong contextual knowledge and operational reach, yet they are still often excluded from decision-making and coordination spaces.
• A strong civil society position emerged around the need for meaningful participation in decision-making across the whole coordination system.
• This must be supported by transparency, genuine localization, and an enabling legal environment for civil society to operate.

The recommendations emphasize four priorities:

•  Turning symbolic participation into real authority.
• Making transparency standard practice.
• Strengthening accountability between humanitarian actors.
• Ensuring localization is backed by sharing power, resources, and risks. 

The Syrian NGO Alliance (SNA) is an association of 23 Syrian civil society and diaspora organizations primarily focused on humanitarian affairs. Established in 2014, the alliance aims to promote joint humanitarian response in Syria, as well as cross-border efforts. It also coordinates advocacy efforts related to humanitarian issues. The SNA is based in Gaziantep, Türkiye.

Members of the SNA assist in several humanitarian sectors, such as Health, Education, Nutrition, NFI, Shelter, Food Security & Livelihoods, Protection, WASH and CCCM.