The closing session of the project “Together for Civil Peace and Social Cohesion”, organized by the

Defa’a Human Rights Initiative, was held last Saturday morning in the capital Damascus. This session represented the culmination of a series of national dialogues that spanned seven Syrian cities and regions, aiming to formulate final recommendations and an executive roadmap to strengthen justice and stability

The session brought together a large number of activists, experts, media professionals, and human rights advocates who had participated in the previous rounds, with the purpose of analyzing and evaluating the shared outcomes reached from Qamishli to Aleppo and Daraa

Themes of the Closing Session
Discussions in the closing session focused on three main themes, seeking to transform the collected visions into concrete mechanisms of action

The role of civil society in promoting civil peace and social cohesion

Transitional justice: mechanisms of implementation and guarantees

The role of official and non-official media in producing a responsible national discourse

The session opened with a discussion of the first theme, “The role of civil society in civil peace and social cohesion.” Participants emphasized that the social bonds and bridges formed through these dialogues across different regions were evidence of the immense potential of Syrian civil society.

The session then continued with the subsequent themes, with particular focus on how to implement the recommendations on transitional justice emphasized by all provinces, and on defining the responsibility of the media in safeguarding civil peace and delivering professional and transparent discourse instead of misleading or inciting narratives.