Years of war have left their mark on Syria: destroyed cities, fractured communities, deep mistrust. Yet for the first time in a long while, there is hope for a real new beginning. For a peaceful, democratic Syria to grow from this hope, it now needs a strong civil society – and people willing to walk this path alongside it.
Together with Syrian partner organisations, Pro Peace is working to build new trust where the war has destroyed it.
Two years after the fall of the Assad regime, Syria stands at a crossroads: will this upheaval give way to a peaceful, democratic future – or is there a risk of renewed violence?
Syria: Between Ruins and New Beginnings
War raged in Syria for more than a decade. What began in 2011 as a protest against the Assad regime grew into one of the most devastating conflicts of our time: tens of thousands of torture victims, hundreds of thousands dead or disappeared, millions of people displaced. Then, in December 2024, the regime fell and its ruler, Bashar al-Assad, fled into exile. Syrians around the world celebrated the end of his rule and hoped for a new beginning.
Syria's Fragile Chance for Peace
The chance of peaceful, democratic change in Syria is real – but it is fragile. The country now faces the difficult task of coming to terms with the violence of the past years while also reshaping its future. Radical forces, unresolved questions of power and deep divisions in society all threaten the transition.
What people in Syria lack most of all is trust.
Whether this transition succeeds depends on many things, such as reliable security structures and a stable political order. But Syrian civil society is also crucial. Lasting peace does not come from political agreements alone; it comes from people reaching out to one another and shaping their future together. This is exactly where Pro Peace comes in, strengthening the role of civil society organisations. This enables them to play an active part in shaping the transition – and to build a democratic society founded on human rights.
Our work in Syria is only just beginning. Our main focus at present is on supporting Syrian civil society with the enormous tasks ahead of it. To this end, we share methods of civil conflict transformation with our Syrian partners and help them pass this knowledge on to others. Through our partners, we will be working across large parts of the country, in both urban and rural areas.
In Syria, our main focus at present is on sharing the methods of civil conflict transformation with our partners.
Key Areas of Our Work in Syria:
Social Cohesion Together with our partners in Syrian civil society, we take a close look at what is driving conflicts locally and where action can be taken to overcome them. Building on this, we provide targeted support to people and initiatives who make change possible – such as teachers who bring together young people from all parts of society, or media professionals who unite rather than divide. In this way, we foster understanding and help to rebuild trust where the war has destroyed it.
Peace Education After years of war, violence has become a familiar experience for many people – especially for young people who have known little else. This is exactly where we come in: together with our partners, we pass on the knowledge and skills needed to deal with conflict non-violently – in schools, youth groups and entire communities.
Gender Equality A peaceful new beginning can only succeed if all parts of society are able to help shape it. We work to ensure that women and marginalised groups can participate in this process on an equal footing.
Unlike at our other programme locations, we do not yet have our own staff in Syria. Instead, we manage our work from Jordan, where we can draw on stable structures and strong networks, complemented by the thematic expertise of our programme in Lebanon.
In Lebanon, Pro Peace has spent years building bridges across ethnic and religious divides, with a particular focus on young people. We can now build on this experience in Syria.
Be Part of the New Beginning
The coming years will be decisive in determining which path Syria takes. Your donation will strengthen the people and organisations on the ground working for social cohesion and peaceful change. In this way, you can help Syrian civil society play an active part in shaping this new beginning.
