For more than a decade, Syria’s fragmented, politicized humanitarian response, split across areas held by different authorities, made Syrian NGOs, diaspora-rooted organizations, and local networks central to accessing and delivering aid to Syrian communities.
Yet authority over priorities, funding, and risk largely stayed with international actors. The fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 allowed for the integration of the formerly fragmented response and opened new opportunities, but new access also raises the risk that funding and decision-making will recentralize within large international organizations.
This report examines how Syrian NGOs, diaspora-rooted organizations, pooled funds, INGOs, and UN agencies are navigating the transition period. It also looks at what stands in the way of Syrian leadership, from banking and registration constraints to the terms of subcontracting arrangements and narrowing civic space. It offers recommendations for donors, international actors, Syrian organizations, and Syrian authorities on how different intermediary models can distribute funding, authority, risk, and accountability more effectively during Syria’s transition. This study is part of The Share Trust’s series of work on intermediary models for locally led action.
