Informed sources have stated that an escalating administrative dispute between the Syrian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Social Affairs and Labor over "supervisory powers" has hampered international grants allocated to civil society organizations, threatening to disrupt vital humanitarian and development programs.
The dispute centers on the right to oversee foreign aid and funding received by local associations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently begun directly intervening in granting approvals, a move the Ministry of Social Affairs considers an overreach of its legal authority as the body responsible for monitoring civil society work within the country.
Overlapping Powers
According to reports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has effectively taken over parts of the international grant monitoring file from the Ministry of Social Affairs, justifying this by claiming that this file falls under "foreign relations and international cooperation," which is central to its diplomatic mandate.
As a result of this shift, the role of the Ministry of Social Affairs has been significantly reduced to that of an "administrative intermediary" that informs associations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' decisions, without having a fundamental say in reviewing or evaluating applications, as was the practice previously.
Analysts believe this conflict reflects the Syrian government's desire to "recalibrate international funding channels" and tighten control over the flow of foreign funds after years of complex humanitarian work.
"This institutional duality leaves organizations torn between two contrasting perspectives: one that views funding as a social and developmental activity, and another that sees it as a sovereign political and diplomatic issue."
Zaman Al Wasl
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