Announcement- the Second Development Conference of Syria 2011

Thank you for your interest in the Second International Development Conference of Syria: (Re) Building Institutions for Development that was scheduled to be held in Aleppo from 21-23 May 2011.  Recent developments in the country and the region have led us to reexamine the timing of the event.  The main objective of the conference is to create space for an open and constructive dialogue among key development actors on the issue of institutional reform, including representatives of government, the private sector, and civil society.  In Syria, a new cabinet is expected to be formed soon.  As government is a main stakeholder in the event, we decided to postpone the conference until the Fall of 2011.  We will post the exact dates of the conference on this website once confirmed.  Thank you, again, for your interest.

The Syria Trust for Development is pleased to announce and invite you to participate in the Second International Development Conference of Syria, to be held from 21-23 May 2011 in Aleppo, Syria.

The theme of the conference is “Institutions and Development”.  Institutions can be defined as the social structures and rules that govern the social and economic interactions of individuals in a community.  Institutions can include both formal mechanisms, such as laws and regulations and public or private organizations, and informal mechanisms, such as social norms.  Institutions are increasingly thought to be central to the development process of countries and institutional reform is of paramount importance to countries in transition, such as Syria. 

The Second International Development Conference of Syria will focus on institutional development and reforms within the public, private and civil society sectors for each to play an effective role in the development process and work together to further national development goals.  It will also provide a platform for discussing cross-sectoral issues related to development.

The First International Development Conference of Syria 2010 was successful in bringing together a diverse group of national and international participants from the development community, academia, government, the private sector, and civil society to discuss issues and share practical experiences.  It also served to focus national attention on “the emerging role of civil society in development” and was used as a platform to announce high-level policy initiatives and directions for civil society in Syria. Building on the success of the First Conference, the Second International Development Conference will provide a forum for exchanging ideas and experiences about institutional development and reform, benefiting from substantial experience accumulated in countries in which social and economic transitions have required re-thinking and re-building of formal and informal institutions.