In an atmosphere marked by openness and a desire to overcome the repercussions of the past ten years, the city of Aleppo hosted the seventh dialogue session of the “Together for Civil Peace and Social Cohesion” project on November 1, 2025. The session was organized by the Rights Defense Initiative in cooperation with the Suryana Al-Amal (Syria Hope) team and featured the participation of male and female human rights defenders, activists, and community stakeholders from various neighborhoods of the city and its countryside.
Departing from the traditional format of discussions, the session served as a space for collective reflection on how to rebuild the social ties damaged in previous years and move beyond the state of division that Aleppo experienced for many years. Participants emphasized that addressing current challenges requires activating the principle of citizenship as the framework that unites the population on the basis of equal rights and common belonging.
Civil Peace: A Cumulative Process, Not Merely a Strategy
The discussions began with an assessment of the social reality in Aleppo and its countryside. Attendees unanimously agreed that strengthening civil peace is not achieved through top-down decisions or plans detached from the community. Instead, it is the result of a long-term process of rebuilding trust among the population and revitalizing the daily interactions that foster a sense of security and belonging.
Speakers pointed out that the proliferation of weapons outside official frameworks remains one of the most significant challenges to building a stable environment. This phenomenon poses a threat to efforts aimed at mending the social fabric, necessitating work to regulate them under clear laws that restore the natural role of the state and society in protecting individuals.
Transitional Justice: Restoring Rights and Resuming Life
Within the axis of transitional justice, multiple visions were presented regarding mechanisms to address the legacy of violations witnessed by the city and its countryside in previous years. Participants focused on the necessity of guaranteeing victim participation at all levels of this process, considering it a fundamental condition for achieving redress. It was also noted that transitional justice encompasses uncovering the truth, providing reparations, and reforming institutions to make them capable of protecting all citizens, thereby enhancing trust and ensuring non-recurrence of violations.
The Problematic Nature of Terminology and the Intersection of Grievances: An Additional Challenge for the Justice Process
The dialogue also highlighted challenges related to the use of certain commonly used terms such as “the crisis,” “the war,” and “the revolution.” Many participants clarified that the connotations of these concepts still evoke sensitivity and divergent understandings of events among different segments of Aleppo society.
Issues also emerged regarding the comparison of grievances. A number of participants who were previously part of the opposition movement expressed that their narratives are sometimes met with minimization or skepticism. Conversely, other participants from areas formerly under regime control believe that everyone endured harsh conditions and violations to varying degrees. This differing approach to individual and collective experiences formed one of the axes that required in-depth discussion, confirming the importance of mutual recognition and respect for the diversity of experiences without marginalization or denial. This was emphasized as an essential step towards a comprehensive transitional justice process that considers men, women, and the different segments of society.
Media as a Social Responsibility and a Pillar of Awareness
The axis related to media addressed the impact of media discourse on shaping the awareness of Aleppo’s society, especially amidst competing narratives and widespread disinformation campaigns. Attendees agreed that building a professional and responsible media capable of promoting the values of tolerance and citizenship, while countering hate speech, is a fundamental step in supporting the path to societal peace.
Towards Broader Spaces for Dialogue and Networking Initiatives
The session concluded with recommendations calling for the expansion of community dialogue circles within different neighborhoods and areas of Aleppo and its countryside. It also emphasized the need to intensify initiatives that encourage the participation of women, youth, victims, and local stakeholders, thereby enhancing the community’s capacity to formulate sustainable solutions.
Participants affirmed that dialogue in a city of Aleppo’s size and experience is not a luxury nor a procedural formality, but a necessary pathway that generates civil peace as a natural outcome of daily practices that reinforce citizenship and mitigate the causes of tension.