On the eve of the EU/UN-led April summit “Brussels Conference on Supporting the future of Syria and the region’’, the European Endowment for Democracy and ActionSyrie have the pleasure to invite you to our discussion "Echoes from Syrian civil society: Which path for the Syrian civil society in an increasingly challenging and uncertain environment?"

As the war in Syria is entering its 7th year, efforts to negotiate genuine political solutions still have been in vain or never stood any chance in the first place. And while the situation in Syria continues to turn from bad to worse, civil society activists do not stop to fight to build their communities in a way that contradict the prevailing violence and hatred.

The event will give you a unique opportunity to listen to genuine Syrian voices from the field. Majd Chourbaji and Karam Hilly - representatives of pro-democracy civil movements, who still keep on working with communities inside of Syria and those who have taken refuge outside its borders – will shed some light on the challenges they face in their daily work. The activists will talk about the needs of Syrians who remained in the country, but also Syrian refugees abroad, and resilience it takes to keep their democratic struggle alive. Their stories will go beyond the usual narrative depicting Syrians through the prism of military context and showcase the work of Syrian civil society, which is often overlooked in the context of the ongoing conflict.