In official response to the 3 February London civil society conference, a group of UK-based Syrian organisations have released a statement pertaining to the process by which this conference has been organised and the role that Syrian CSOs were provided.
We were interviewed on BBC Radio Cumbria on 4 February to talk about the London donors conference and our experience with the previous day's 3 February civil society organisations conference. We mentioned our gratitude for the efforts of donor countries, but stressed that this is not enough as long as the root cause of the conflict is not being addressed.
We attended the 3 February London Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Conference in the lead-up to the 4 February London Donors conference. Over 200 CSOs were represented, some of which were Syrian. As an organisation, we stressed the issues of civilian protection as well as Syrian leadership in identifying funding priorities and in implementing projects on the ground.
Rethink Rebuild Society was interviewed by Anadolu Turkish press on 3 February with respect to the upcoming CSO conference in London. We stressed our hope that humanitarian efforts be seen side by side with the political efforts in Geneva. Only by achieving a solution for the Syrian conflict can we begin to address the humanitarian issues that emanate from it.
The Hebden Bridge Picture House screened ‘A Syrian Love Story’ on the evening of Sunday 31st January and followed that by a fund-raising for St Augustines in Halifax, which was and is organising relief for refugees.
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