Workshop on "Strengthening the Foundations of Collective Accountability in Syria" … Three days of dialogue and partnership to improve the humanitarian response
In the ongoing effort to promote humanitarian work standards, the follow-up and learning workshops within the “Strengthening the Foundations of Collective Accountability in Syria” project, organized by GOPA-DERD in cooperation with CHS Alliance and ASB, were launched today in Damascus. This project is supported by the H2H Network and funded by the UK Department for International Development (UK Aid).
The first day witnessed broad and active participation, with 24 representatives from the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, humanitarian organizations, including local and international organizations, and United Nations agencies meeting.
The first day of follow-up workshops focused on providing a common platform for participating organizations to reflect on the experience of implementing pilot initiatives carried out over the past six months, monitoring and documenting the lessons learned from this experience and developing practical recommendations that contribute to advancing and developing collective accountability in the Syrian context.
The second day of the workshop featured interactive discussions that focused on translating lessons learned into practical steps to enhance accountability towards affected communities.
The participants addressed the development of key messages drawn from past experiences, identified changes needed to promote accountability and teamwork practices in humanitarian response, discussed future work priorities, and opportunities for cooperation among participating organizations.
The second day concluded with preparations for the next phase of engaging the wider humanitarian community by formulating recommendations and messages to be presented during subsequent sessions, contributing to building a shared vision for promoting collective accountability in Syria.
The closing day included a review of the project’s progress, highlighting the achievements of the participating alliances, lessons learned from the implemented initiatives, and an introduction to the roles of GOPA-DERD, CHS Alliance, and ASB in implementing the project. It also reviewed the path to joining the CHS Alliance and the importance of adopting the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) in enhancing the quality of humanitarian work.
The program also included a dialogue session moderated by GOPA-DERD Director-General Archimandrite Meletius Shattahi, with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, UN and international organizations, and civil society organizations.
The session discussed the most prominent challenges that hinder the promotion of collective accountability, the leadership behaviors that support it, and the commitments required to consolidate cooperation and partnership among the various humanitarian actors in Syria.
The workshop concluded with a session in which participants wrote down their personal and institutional commitments to implement the knowledge and experience they had gained, in order to enhance accountability and quality and improve the impact of the humanitarian response in Syria.