A program aimed at boosting partnership between local councils and civil society organizations began yesterday in the Turkish city of Gaziantep in collaboration between the Ministry of Local Administration and several civilian organizations. The program included a workshop aimed at highlighting the role of civil society organization in the development of local communities, and discussed a number of Arab and international experiences related to the situation in Syria. The main themes of the workshop included the concept of civil society organizations, types of local councils, and the continuity and durability of institutions. The workshop was attended by 28 participants from civil society organizations and is the first in a series of workshops designed to reach a complementary relationship between civil society organizations and local councils. The program is sponsored by Sian Organization for Training and Development in partnership with the Norwegian People’s Aid Foundation (NPA) and Watan foundation. The workshop, which lasts for three days, was moderated by Dr. Walid Salhi, an expert and international consultant in the affairs of civil society and local governance and a board member of the International Organization of Social Workers Management, based in Geneva, Switzerland. He studied management of human resources in the University of Manchester and has been an activist in the charitable humanitarian field for over 25 years. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Ministry of Local Administration)
