Advancing Civil Society – GLOCA hosted three focused group discussions at its office in Aleppo throughout January 2026 under the title: “The Role of Civil Society in Achieving Community Safety.” These sessions were designed as a dialogue space to gather perspectives and lived experiences and to pose essential questions about what “safety” means in people’s daily lives—alongside exploring how civil society can contribute to consolidating social peace, strengthening cohesion, and reducing disputes, beyond narrow approaches that limit safety to security measures alone.

The discussions brought together diverse groups reflecting part of Aleppo’s social and civic landscape. The first session was held on 15 January 2026, with 20 young women and men participating and a 50% female participation rate; it was facilitated by Mr. Wassim Alhaj. The second session took place on 23 January 2026, with 25 civil society actors participating, also with 50% female participation, and was facilitated by Yousef Kardosh. The series concluded with a third session on 25 January 2026, attended by 23 community figures from different components and sectors, with 50% female participation, facilitated by Dr. Zaidoun Al-Zaabi—a writer, researcher, and expert in governance and national identity, who has served as a consultant and facilitator for several international organizations.

Across the three sessions, participants expressed a broad understanding of community safety as a condition tied to everyday stability and the ability to live without fear of violence, tension, or violations of rights. In their view, safety emerges when multiple elements come together: less strained social relations, more reliable services, fair and effective channels for addressing grievances, and a local environment that encourages dialogue rather than confrontation. Participants noted that the trust gap remains one of the most influential factors shaping people’s sense of safety, and that restoring trust cannot be achieved through general rhetoric. Instead, it requires tangible practices that reinforce fairness, responsiveness, and accountability, and that reduce the role of rumors and misinterpretations in fueling disputes.

When discussing the role of civil society, participants emphasized that its added value lies in its ability to operate across multiple levels that are not always accessible to official institutions or competing social actors. As participants described, civil society can create safe spaces for engagement, help rebuild relationships among different groups, support initiatives to reduce tensions within neighborhoods, and redirect discussions from blame toward problem-solving. They also stressed that social peace is not merely the absence of violence, but rather the development of “social resilience” capable of containing disagreements before they escalate into confrontation. Such resilience, they argued, requires civic tools such as local mediation, conflict management, facilitation, and awareness-raising focused on non-violent communication skills and respect for diversity.

Throughout the discussions, participants observed that many disputes that concern communities begin as minor frictions and then intensify due to the absence of dialogue and mediation mechanisms, or because there are no clear channels for addressing grievances. For this reason, they highlighted the importance of civil society supporting low-intensity local solutions and strengthening referral pathways to service and protection providers when needed—while safeguarding privacy and avoiding practices that could increase sensitivity or fear. Participants also underlined that the inclusion of youth, women, and persons with disabilities should not be viewed as symbolic representation, but as a key condition for improving the quality of dialogue, since these groups bring close-to-life insights into safety gaps within households, neighborhoods, schools, and public spaces, and often propose solutions that are more directly grounded in reality.

Participants gave particular attention to the idea that dialogue is neither a political luxury nor a temporary activity; rather, it is a core tool that can become a driver of community safety when organized at multiple, interconnected levels. They expressed the need for political dialogues that enable communities to understand constitutional provisions and share their views—reflecting local perspectives and needs while reducing misunderstandings related to rights, duties, and citizenship. They also stressed the value of sectoral dialogues that bring service sectors together to discuss shared issues and necessary adjustments in coordination and procedures, given that many everyday safety concerns are linked to overlapping responsibilities and gaps in response. At the same time, participants emphasized the importance of expanding community dialogues that bridge differences, break polarization, and reduce hate speech—considering this essential to building genuine cohesion that addresses the social roots of tension rather than merely responding to its symptoms.

In conclusion, the three sessions reflected a clear desire among participants for community safety to be a shared, inclusive pathway grounded in trust, fairness, dialogue, and coordination—where civil society plays practical roles that go beyond theoretical framing toward tangible initiatives that improve everyday life and reduce the likelihood of disputes escalating. Advancing Civil Society – GLOCA confirms that these discussions were convened in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) as part of joint efforts to support participatory approaches, expand civic dialogue spaces, and listen to community perspectives—across different groups—on ways to strengthen community safety and social peace in Aleppo.