The project aimed at strengthening governance of local institutions and bodies in key service sectors, enhancing cooperation and coordination between governance structures and Syrian civil society organizations, assessing technical and governance gaps in the key sectors (education, health, agriculture and services), strengthening institutional structures and defining roles and responsibilities between different levels of the administrative units.

About the Project

• Duration of implementation: 12 months
• Local Councils: 1319
• Aleppo – Idleb – Hama – Homs – Rural Damascus – Dara’a – Qunitra

Project Outcomes:

1. Evaluating the performance of 25 local councils in the field of administrative procedures and financial systems in addition to issuing a manual to help the council overcome the gaps.
2. Issuing a document defining competencies, roles and responsibilities between local institutions and bodies and non-governmental organizations.
3. Establishing directorates for local councils and technical services in liberated governorates.
4. Creating a mechanism for cooperation between local institutions and bodies and NGOs within a cross-sectoral platforms that govern the delivery of services in each sector.
5. Identifying technical gaps in policies and procedures for each service sector and formulating strategic plans according to the sectoral needs.

The project sought to build the capacity of human cadres within the local sub-councils of the governorates of Aleppo, Idleb, Rural Damascus and Dara’a.

Project Objective

Qualify and train cadres on the administrative and financial affairs, develop the internal environment of the councils and then raise the level of performance in order to meet the increasing needs.

This objective has been achieved through four training courses:

• Regulations of the local administration.
• Bylaw for the boards of administrative units and their executive offices.
• Financial Manual for local councils.
• Project management.

About the Project

• Duration of implementation: 3 months
• Council Members: 320
• Local Councils: 80

Project Outcomes:

• Qualifying and training 320 members of the councils in the field of local administration and finance as well as project management.
• Contributing to the unification of the regulations and policies adopted by the local councils and approved by the Ministry of Local Administration in the Syrian Interim Government.

The development project incorporated dialogue sessions in three targeted cities, in which stakeholders and community leaders met with Local council members in order to promote community dialogue and participate in the decision-making as well as monitoring the mechanism used by the council.

These sessions were organized under the following titles:

1. Analyzing Working Environment of the Council through S.W.O.T Analysis
2. Identify Priority Projects
3. Stimulating Participation
4. Achievements of the Council and Services Provided to the Community

The number of participants in the community dialogue programs reached between 200-300 stakeholders in each of the targeted cities.

Their distribution was as follows:

• Military Bodies
• NGO
• INGO
• Civil bodies
• Local authorities
• Dignitaries and activists.
• In Azaz – Jasim – Saqba

The Performance Standards of Local Councils (P.S.o.L.C) document sets out clear standards for the Local Councils to adhere to. The P.S.o.L.C document was formulated through a multi-stakeholder workshops, including participation from:

1. 30 Local Councils (LCs)
2. 30 Civil Society Organizations (NGOs)
3. 10 International Organizations (INGOs)
4. An Opinion Poll was conducted on 100 Local Councils

Project Objectives:

To set standards, which in turn enables the measurement of performance of local councils with the aim of assisting them to identify and improve the services they provide to the community.

The P.S.o.L.C document contains 12 principles of good governance, with 70 standards and 181 indicators, and was issued to help verify the application of the standards.

A number of consultations were held through electronic platforms between consultants and accountants in the Ministry of Local Administration, the Ministry of Finance and local councils with the aim of producing a Financial manual.

A workshop was held in Gaziantep- Turkey, attended by a number of accountants who participated in the consultations for the issuance of the Financial Manual in its final agreed form.

This manual was produced in paper and electronic format and distributed to the local councils through the provincial councils to put into practice.

The Bylaw of the local Councils is the central hub that ensures the strengthening of institutional work and also helps in raising the quality of service provided to citizens. It was prepared based on the legal and administrative system prior to 2011, in accordance with the current situation in Syria; in order to strengthen the concept of the state and maintain its institutions.

The Bylaw document was prepared in collaboration with:

1. Local Councils
2. Provincial Councils
3. Ministry of Local Administration in the Syrian Interim Government
4. Committee of Experts

During the preparation of the Atlas, LDO focused on establishing legitimate administrative divisions for districts, sub-districts and administrative units. The key base information for the Atlas is summarized as follows:

1. 23 million people
2. Provincial councils: 14 governorates
3. Administrative divisions: 66 districts, 280 sub-districts
4. Local councils: 157 cities, 502 towns and 682 municipalities

The Atlas was produced in Arabic and English to have the greatest impact and benefit the highest number of bodies. The Atlas’s beneficiaries range from local councils and NGO’s inside Syria to International NGO’s and NGO’s in Turkey.

The aim of the project is to create a short film “Animation” in order to raise awareness of local administration laws and temporary regulations issued by the Interim Syrian Government in a simplified manner.

1. The film discussed the principles of management in the civil unit.
2. The project duration was 4 months.
3. 450 local councils were targeted.

Project Objective:

1. To raise awareness on the importance of governance and development effectiveness in community by presenting the principles of local administration and good governance.
2. Converting the scientific content of the laws into a simple content that is understandable to all categories.

The project, in partnership with local councils in Azaz, Saqba, Jasim, aims to entrench the principles of good governance, promote dialogue and social responsibility, and develop the economy in a way that contributes to the empowerment of the local community and the local councils to formulate their vision and plan of action to serve the society efficiently.

Aleppo Governorate

Governorate of Rural Damascus

Dara’a Governorate

The Local Development Organization (L.D.O) has provided local councils with consultants and experts, as well as tools needed to work with the local community based on the participatory planning methodology, which goes through the following stages:

1. Planning for Strategic Planning
2. Build a Strategic Vision
3. Develop Strategic Values and Mission
4. Strategic Objectives
5. Operation Projects and Programs
6. Performance Indicators
7. Organizational Structures

The councils were evaluated on the basis of the Performance Standards Document P.S.O.L.C. in accordance to the administrative, financial and control systems, which includes 7 principles of good governance, 25 standards to be measured and 70 indicators to verify the application of standards adopted by the Ministry of Local Administration in the Syrian Interim Government.

The Local Development Organization utilized the governance evaluations of the targeted councils to publish detailed guidelines with the aim of helping these councils to raise the level of performance and thus achieve better services for citizens.