Controlling over international grants considered a tool of control over the street
It’s not a disagreement, but rather a dispute over who will control international grants. One of these conflicts is between the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Informed sources stated that an escalating dispute between the Syrian government’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Social Affairs and Labor regarding “supervisory powers” has led to the obstruction of 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 recently began directly interfering in granting approvals, which the Ministry of Social Affairs considers an overreach of its legal authority as the body responsible for monitoring civil society work within the country.
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 responsibilities. As a result of this shift, the role of the Ministry of Social Affairs has been largely reduced to that of an “administrative intermediary” that informs associations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ decisions, without having any fundamental say in reviewing or evaluating applications, as was the practice previously.
According to ongoing investigations into the transitional authorities in Syria, the issue of controlling international grants has been a long-standing one, considered a tool of control. There is also an underlying conflict between Hind Kabawat(Minister of Social Affairs) and Asaad al-Shaibani (Foreign Minister) regarding financial control over funds coming from abroad in the form of international grants.
Al-Shaibani is considered one of the leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is working to consolidate its political presence. This requires vast sums of money, which are used as means of pressure and extortion against the people. International grants are considered one of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s most important resources.
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