DAMASCUS - A workshop on work mechanism of Non Governmental Organizations and means of activating their role in society was held at the People's Assembly on Monday.
Speaker of the People's Assembly, Mohammad Jihad al-Lahham, said that the Assembly supports parliamentarian workshops in giving a strategic dimension to any legislation taking into account the peculiarity of Syria.
He hailed the initiative of the Women, Family and Children's Rights' Committee and its cooperation with the NGOs which are so far away from politicization.
Al-Lahham highlighted the international and national NGOs' humanitarian efforts in the current crisis. Expert in the NGOs work, Omar al-Hallaj, said that the new draft law noted to the importance of national funding mechanisms that help these NGOs to be financially independent and keep them away from foreign agendas.
He indicated the NGOs contribution to achieving the public interest and overcoming poverty, not to mention their role in social care, charity activities and economic development.
The participants stressed the importance of cooperative work between the governmental and non-governmental sectors and the strategic vision embodied by the draft law to crystallize the work of the NGOs.
They also stressed the importance of the draft law in coping with the social and legislative developments in Syria, to give more space to the NGOs to expand and activate their role as partners in the development process serving the higher interests of the society.
The participants indicated the importance of approving such a draft law in the current stage in which the NGOs proved its pioneering role in leading development and aid efforts and bridging the gap between the government and the citizens.
They stressed the need for spreading real citizenship and the culture of voluntary work among all spectrums of the Syrian society. The People's Assembly referred the draft law on NGOs work to the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee for scrutiny.
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2012
