I thank Hon. Salini for organizing this event, Commissioner Suica, all the speakers present here and connected, and the audience for accepting this invitation.
I am truly glad for this opportunity for reflection and dialogue. We have promoted similar ones in past years, and they have always been fruitful, because they allow us to remember the Syrians, not to forget them when other crises and terrible wars take up all the media’s attention.
Who we are
AVSI has been founded in 1972 and carries out development and humanitarian aid projects in 42 countries around the world.
Among them is Syria, where we have been operating since the beginning of the war, never giving in despite the various crises that have arisen over the years - I’ll mention only the pandemic and the 2023 earthquake.
Precisely because of our presence in the field and the experience we have gained working with Syrians through various projects, as Secretary General of AVSI, today I would like to give voice to the people we work with in this country - which Pope Francis called a “beloved and tormented land” - and to highlight the concrete needs to which Europe can listen and respond.
What the Syrians need
The humanitarian situation is constantly worsening: out of a total population of 23.7 million people, 16.5 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Syrians primarily need food, education, healthcare, employment, and security.
Integrated interventions are needed to bring children and youth back to school and to ensure well-trained teachers with fair salaries.
Syrians are hungry, they need medical care, they need job opportunities - and therefore vocational training - as well as income-generating activities.
Syrians need to be able to move freely, and they need infrastructure and security that would also allow those who have taken refuge abroad to return safely.
What can Europe do?
While the country’s economic conditions continue to deteriorate, there are currently two positive developments we can build on:
- the non-renewal of sanctions by major international institutions, including the European Union;
- the proposal by Commissioner Suica to allocate 175 million euro to support Syria’s social and economic recovery.
These are two fundamental conditions for launching the country’s reconstruction and development after years of crisis. This is a favourable moment to:
- reverse the current conditions;
- move towards the stabilization of the country;
- support the establishment of a cohesive and responsible state;
- facilitate the return of Syrians who have fled abroad;
- and contain the ongoing exodus of those seeking means of subsistence and safety abroad.
But vigilance is needed - and Europe can and must play this role - to guide this momentum wisely and to avoid a risk that is already emerging: the risk that reconstruction will be conceived and financed merely as the rebuilding of physical, economic, and financial infrastructure, as a major cycle of investments and business, while neglecting or sidelining the reconstruction of the most important asset: human capital.
This “material” reconstruction is necessary and essential, but it must be accompanied by and integrated with the reconstruction of the social fabric. People - with their authentic and integral needs - must be placed back at the center, especially their need for a present and a future of peace.
A particular testimony
I would like to share a particular testimony. In recent days, in southern Lebanon, where we work, we had the opportunity to meet with some Syrian refugees in Marj el Khok, an area near the border with Israel.
They told us that many of them, after December 8th and the fall of the Assad regime, returned to Syria - but then came back to Lebanon. They chose to return to living on a hillside, near the Israeli border, in tents, with unreliable access to water and electricity, earning (when work is available) 1.5 US dollar per hour for women and 2.5 US dollars for men.
It is a testimony that forces us to face reality: we must listen to people - we cannot design projects without taking them into account. Brussels can do this. And this is where we would like to offer a few recommendations.
A multistakeholder approach
Institutions, civil society organizations, and private sector actors: only together - bringing in our different areas of expertise – we can truly listen to the Syrians, find and build appropriate solutions to complex problems, and contribute to the reconstruction of their country. There can be no development for some, if it is not conceived and designed for all.
Scaling up what works and recommendations
The experience of recent years has taught us that we must start from what works - from pilot projects that proved to be successful - in order to have a real impact. Here, I would like to highlight specific areas and related experiences where every euro invested can make a real difference:
- education: our projects show that action is needed both on the physical rehabilitation of school facilities and on teacher training and family involvement, working together with institutions and CSOs. We should start from what works and expand our scope of action: it is necessary to continue rebuilding the formal education system and establish a dialogue with the government on curriculum renewal.
- health: scale up the “Open Hospitals” model, a project that has enabled staff training and the provision of adequate equipment in three hospitals: the Italian and French Hospitals in Damascus, and St. Louis Hospital in Aleppo, as well as six health centers called “Dispensaries of Hope” located in Kassab, Dwela, Kashkoul, Safita, Latakia, and Souedia. This is a concrete example of collaboration between private facilities which, if properly supported, can continue to respond to an enormous demand for healthcare services while also helping to mend the Syrian social fabric.
- work: a pilot project in Aleppo with a major Italian foundation has been designed to rehabilitate training centers for young people and provide professional training aimed at integrating them into the labor market. This is achieved through collaboration between local, international and European companies that can transfer their know-how, also representing a strategic early positioning for the future of businesses in the country and the region. Promoting self-entrepreneurship is the key to offering young people real alternatives to leaving or radicalization.
- agriculture: we should invest in sustainable agriculture to ensure food security and economic self-sufficiency for families, making the beneficiaries real protagonists of their future. We should work on promoting smart agriculture in rural areas – areas that must not be left behind.
- protection of minorities: Syria’s social fabric is complex, but continuing to support minority communities is crucial to foster their inclusion within a society now entering a new political phase.
- regional approach: in neighboring countries where Syrians live - such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq, where we are present with our branches - we perceive a growing concern over an increasingly difficult relationship between hosts and guests. A kind of “war among the poor” is breaking out. Returns can only occur if conditions of safety and dignity are guaranteed. Otherwise, as seen in the case of Marj el Khok, people will not return.
- integrated and participatory approach: we need to involve Syrian civil society, local communities, the diaspora, and all international cooperation actors. Institutions must ensure faster, less bureaucratic decision-making processes. At this stage, it is crucial to unlock funding for local organizations, continue the revision of sanctions, in order to open key sectors for recovery and facilitate the voluntary and safe return of refugees.
Syria needs adequate funding, political courage, strategic vision, and above all, trust in its people to restart.
We believe that the international community, and EUROPE in particular, have today the opportunity and the ability to support this new beginning.
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