In the shadow of revolution and humanitarian response: understanding aspirations and wellbeing in Northeast Syria

Regardless of the extraordinary circumstances refugees may find themselves in, human beings seek not just to live but to do so in ways they believe have meaning and value.

This working paper explores wellbeing through the lenses of place, community and aspirations among the residents and displaced populations of Qamishli city within Northeast Syria and the Kurdish state-building project of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). AANES has significant territorial control and operates like a state, such as through the provision of services, but it is not internationally recognised. As such, this is also a case study of life in an unrecognised de facto state where citizens must bear the negative political, social and economic effects of the international non-recognition of their government.

This paper is one of two case studies (the other focusing on experiences of Karen refugee youth in Thailand) contributing to a wider research agenda on the contours of wellbeing in protracted crises conducted by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at ODI. It examines how people conceive of and pursue lives of meaning within the context of Northeast Syria. The aim is to influence the humanitarian system to better address issues of wellbeing, with the analysis informing responses to protracted crises in other settings.

Recommendations

Engage more and directly with de facto state authorities for aid provision and systems strengthening

Donors should consider what configuration of engagement they would allow that moves beyond the bare minimum of support in contexts where there are immense needs and de facto authorities are relatively well placed to address them. At the same time, humanitarian and stabilisation actors should push the bounds of what is immediately possible within existing responses, to create enabling environments for wellbeing while further advocating for wider and more sustained change in this regard.

Implement conflict-sensitive communication and prioritisation

Although prioritisation is driven by limited resources, humanitarian actors need to pay greater attention to conflict-sensitive communication and community engagement.

Expand multi-year funding and programme cycles that cover more communities

These should seek to address the critical aspects of wellbeing across its components, such as through connecting individual material needs with more communal ones, thereby slowly working to create space for individual agency as well as community-building.

Leverage different resources for funding

In the NES context, limited funds and the similarities between early recovery and stabilisation interventions have led for some to call for better coordination between humanitarian and stabilisation actors through pooling, or at least better coordinating resources. Another option to consider is the use of sub-state and municipal donor funds.

Invest in institutional strengthening and in local NGOs

Donors should complement their aid with more funds designated for stabilisation or political efforts with specific support for strengthening local civil society actors, conflict resolution, and local governance.