SYRIA: Syria's first lady tries to get NGOs more involved in public life

Record ID: 279847

  • Title: SYRIA: Syria's first lady tries to get NGOs more involved in public life
  • Date: 24th January 2010
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (JANUARY 23, 2010) (REUTERS) PEOPLE SEATED IN CONFERENCE ROOM VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES SYRIAN FIRST LADY ASMA AL-ASSAD ARRIVING ONE STAGE FOR SPEECH ATTENDEES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN FIRST LADY, ASMA AL-ASSAD, SAYING: "The government is preparing new legislation for non-governmental institutions and organisations, with co-operation from representatives
  • Embargoed: 8th February 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEO85DM92MWS5TA4YT298WQ74D
  • Story Text: Syria's First Lady, Asma al-Assad, attends a conference that aims to improve the work of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in an attempt to enable them to play a greater role in society.
    Syria's First Lady, Asma al-Assad said the Syrian government is in the process of developing new legislation that will allow non-governmental institutions to play a greater role in civil society.
    The announcement came during her opening speech at the first International Development Conference of Syria 2010, which started in Damascus on Saturday (January 23). The conference is running under the banner "The Emerging Role of Civil Society in Development".
    "The government is preparing new legislation for non-governmental institutions and organisations, with co-operation from representatives from civil society, which is now in the final stages of analysis with all the concerned parties. This new legislation will enable a fundamental transformation within this sector and will pave the road for future projects that meet our ambitions," said the First Lady.
    Sponsored by the Syria Trust for Development, the conference aims to improve the work of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that help civil society cope with challenges that could face a country during a time of crises and hopes to reinforce the importance of co-operation between government and non-governmental sectors.
    "Especially in light of the recent crises facing the world, which have revealed that governments alone are incapable of confronting these challenges without the involvement of a large and organised sector of civil society," al-Assad added.
    The two-day conference will also feature workshops on issues such as youth, business administration, suburb development, associations, growth, poverty and economic and commercial policies.
    Attendees, who came from many Arab and western countries, ensured the importance of partnership between the government sectors and civil society. Participants will also discuss the challenges facing the development process and the ways to eliminate their effects on the society.
    The number of the non-governmental associations in Syria has reached 1,500, most of which are charities. The number of associations involved in development has soared since the establishment of the Syria Trust for Development, which was founded in 2007 under the supervision of Syria's First Lady.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register