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Knowledge. Leverage. Impact.
Knowledge. Leverage. Impact.
LUGARIT is a dynamic think-and-do tank that facilitates the interaction of stakeholders involved in international development processes in the Middle East and Africa.
LUGARIT is a dynamic think-and-do tank that facilitates the interaction of stakeholders involved in international development processes in the Middle East and Africa.
Navigating the volatile and complex eco-systems of the Middle East and Africa, decision makers can no longer depend solely on classical, time-consuming research, analysis, and strategies. What's essential today is a real-time, deep understanding and nuanced advice - insights that keenly reflect the rapidly evolving local contexts, risks, and opportunities. This knowledge is crucial for enabling effective planning and timely adjustments.
Navigating the volatile and complex eco-systems of the Middle East and Africa, decision makers can no longer depend solely on classical, time-consuming research, analysis, and strategies. What's essential today is a real-time, deep understanding and nuanced advice - insights that keenly reflect the rapidly evolving local contexts, risks, and opportunities. This knowledge is crucial for enabling effective planning and timely adjustments.
We are here to provide this timely, tailored, and high-quality knowledge. We are committed to supporting communities and institutions in leveraging their resources and ingenuity, to foster “real” development on the ground.
We are here to provide this timely, tailored, and high-quality knowledge. We are committed to supporting communities and institutions in leveraging their resources and ingenuity, to foster “real” development on the ground.
As an independent, socially responsible, for-profit organization; LUGARIT operates autonomously, maintaining a neutral and impartial stance in all our endeavors.
As an independent, socially responsible, for-profit organization; LUGARIT operates autonomously, maintaining a neutral and impartial stance in all our endeavors.
Year: 2025 - 2026
Client: UN-Habitat
LUGARIT designs specialized training to strengthen stakeholders’ capacity on housing, land, and property (HLP) rights in Syria. The project equips humanitarian and recovery actors with tools to assess risks, enhance due diligence, and integrate HLP-sensitive approaches, ensuring more effective, equitable, and sustainable urban recovery efforts.
Year: 2024 - 2025
Client: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A project to support peace and reconciliation in Syria by engaging with civic actors and community leadership. Through dialogue, public discussions, workshops, and stakeholder consultations, the initiative strengthens grassroots activism and promotes inclusive dialogue, aiming to build a resilient foundation for Syria’s future.
Year: 2024 - 2025
Client: SALAR International, Sida
LUGARIT, contracted by SALAR International and funded by Sida, mentors local governance actors in Algeria, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, and Syria. Through capacity-building, this initiative strengthens decentralization, policy dialogue, and participatory governance. It fosters a regional Community of Practice, supporting policy research, strategic planning, and cross-border collaboration to drive effective local governance reforms.
Year: 2022 - 2025
Client: UN Women
A research, facilitation, and outreach project aims to empower Syrian women in peace processes by enhancing the Women’s Advisory Board's capacity, expanding outreach to women leaders, and developing research for evidence-based policies on women's issues in Syria.
Year: 2022 - 2024
Client: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A project aims to improve track 1.5 and 2 negotiations in the Syrian peace process using a digital tool for dialogue facilitation. The project focuses on scenario simulation and consensus building among political actors and mediators, producing policy papers to facilitate peacebuilding. The project targets local and national reconciliation, emphasizing early recovery.
Year: 2024
Client: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
An interactive online platform that facilitates scenario-based dialogue for peacebuilding and conflict resolution. By integrating simulations, strategic gameplay, and real-time analytics, it enables stakeholders to test strategies, negotiate agreements, and explore solutions in complex conflicts. The platform bridges field realities with policy-making, fostering collaboration and informed decision-making.
Date: 22 September 2026
This episode of Urban Liwan explores how Syria’s urban recovery depends on directing land and capital flows towards productive activity and widening economic participation. Effective institutions, accessible finance and support for small enterprises can challenge concentrated economic power. Land value capture and responsible public borrowing can fund infrastructure, while investment must generate lasting employment, incomes and public benefit.
Date: 30 August 2026
In an interview, Zedoun Al Zoubi explores how building an inclusive Syrian national identity requires equal citizenship, recognition of every community’s suffering and respect for cultural diversity. Moderation, transitional justice and representative institutions can help rebuild trust and prevent renewed violence. Balanced development and meaningful participation are essential to securing dignity, freedom and a shared future for Syrians.
Date: 25 August 2026
This episode of Urban Liwan examines Syria’s evolving local governance, tracing the historical tension between central control and communities’ right to shape their cities. The discussion explores municipal reform, transitional representation, multilevel governance, and the political economy of land and reconstruction, highlighting the need for accountable local institutions and productive, sustainable urban development.
Date: 11 August 2026
This episode of Urban Liwan examines how Syria’s urban reconstruction can move beyond buildings and masterplans to recognise cities as living systems. It argues for genuine community influence, balanced supply- and demand-side interventions, and planning that protects livelihoods, tenure, memory and belonging while building on the resources, knowledge and institutions communities already possess.
Date: 04 August 2026
Syria’s transitional justice did not begin with the Assad regime’s fall: documentation, international mechanisms and foreign prosecutions were already underway. The central challenge is integrating these dispersed gains into a coherent, victim-centred national process, supported by law, reparations, institutional reform, meaningful participation, transparency and safeguards against recurrence and sustainable peace.
Date: 07 July 2026
Land Value Capture instruments can help Syrian and MENA cities turn publicly generated increases in land value into shared public benefit. The paper argues that its impact depends on governance: transparent valuation, participation, and rights protection are essential to prevent dispossession, redirect the surplus to finance infrastructure and affordable housing, and rebuild trust through equitable urban reconstruction.
Date: 01 April 2026
In a “Wast al-Balad” TV episode, guests assessed Syria’s economy as a fragile post-war transition marked by inflation, weak purchasing power, rising service costs, unclear strategy, and limited accountability. The discussion stressed the need for transparent economic vision, competent governance, legislative reform, coordination across institutions, and policies that respond more credibly to citizens’ daily real hardships.
Date: 03 March 2026
A paper argues that in post-sanctions Syria, microfinance should function as a macroeconomic stabilizer rather than a mere poverty program. By strengthening small enterprises and protecting working capital, it can create jobs, curb inflationary pressures, safeguard employment, and reconnect liquidity with production, provided it operates through disciplined lending systems and tailored regulatory oversight.
Date: 24 February 2026
The paper argues that political representation in Assad’s Syria functioned as a regime-engineered system to manage loyalties and power, and that the post-regime challenge lies in building genuinely fair and inclusive representation and not recreate the old patron client models of representation.
Date: 17 February 2026
The paper argues that Syria’s rapidly evolving local administration has become increasingly illegible, undermining accountability and recovery. Appointments, service delivery, and fundraising now shape territorial order. It calls for an evidence-based national framework to clarify territorial unity, reconcile parallel governance logics, and restore legibility as a public good, nationwide governance.
Date: 04 February 2026
A book review commends the book’s main message that reconstruction in Assad's Syria functioned as a continuation of war, not recovery. The authors show how declaring “post-conflict” enabled urbicide, dispossession, and spatial control, while foregrounding space as a political arena. Despite some analytical limits, the review argues that the book remains a cautionary lens for Syria’s post-Assad future.
Date: 03 February 2026
The paper argues that publishing the economic track outputs of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference is essential to bridge the gap between participatory debate and policy, and to anchor a gradual, production-led transition in transparency, trust, and continued pluralistic dialogue.
Date: 29 January 2026
In U.S. – China rivalry, Syria functions as a revealing test case within broader Belt and Road competition. This paper shows how Saudi Arabia and Turkey anchor regional trade corridors, while U.S. re-engagement seeks to manage alliances and contain rival influence.
Date: 28 January 2026
In an interview, Zedoun Al Zoubi warns that Syria is approaching the conditions of civil war due to deep societal polarization, unresolved grievances, and reckless military thinking. It argues that dialogue, recognition of shared suffering, and inclusive governance—not force or fragmentation—are essential to prevent renewed violence and safeguard Syria’s future.
Date: 20 January 2026
A paper argues that reforming Syria’s civil service without first agreeing on the nature of the state and its relationship to society at large risks incoherent outcomes. It critiques the draft law for treating structural dysfunction as a technical problem, warns against premature contractualization of civil service jobs, highlights excluded stakeholders, and stresses careful approaches to reform taking into consideration public service’s social role during transition period.
Date: 13 January 2026
Syria’s recovery demands careful prioritization of scarce resources. This paper stresses that unchecked incentives risk elite capture and low-impact projects. Applying opportunity-cost thinking, discounting, and ethical valuation ensures fairness, efficiency, and sustainability. Lessons from global models as well as Muslim economic theories show that transparent, time-sensitive, and inclusive investment frameworks can convert capital into genuine public value.
Date: 05 January 2026
A case study argues that post-sanctions reconstruction in Syria requires building export capacity, not merely lifting restrictions. Using Türkiye’s experience, it shows how coherent governance, smart incentives, SME support, and disciplined protectionism within global trade rules can generate competitiveness, resilience, and sustainable economic recovery.
Date: 26 December 2025
Syria’s recovery financing is primarily a governance challenge shaped by fragmented authority, weak accountability, and blurred roles between center and localities. While national funds risk symbolic recentralization, local mobilization shows promise to leverage local resources yet remains unsustainable alone. A balanced, multi-level financial architecture is essential to prevent renewed patronage and enable equitable recovery.
The Vanishing Center:
Elites, Extremes, and Syria’s Polarization
The Vanishing Center:
Elites, Extremes, and Syria’s Polarization
Date: 30 September 2025
In an interview, Zedoun Al Zoubi warns that Syria is facing unprecedented polarization driven by elite-led hate speech and sweeping generalizations. He argues for restraint, empathetic language, and principled centrism, urging Syrians to prioritize social cohesion, dialogue, and practical acts of solidarity over moral absolutism and political vengeance.
Date: 27 September 2025
An episode on Syria TV examines Suwayda’s crisis as a test of responsibility, trust, and solidarity. The speakers argue that humanitarian relief alone is insufficient, calling for accountability, de-escalation of incitement, recognition of shared grievances, and credible confidence-building measures leading to inclusive dialogue and sustainable political solutions.
Date: 25 September 2025
An interview highlights Zedoun Al Zoubi’s reflections on Syria’s fragile social fabric, shaped by poverty, fear, and sectarian tensions. He stresses that dialogue—political, local, community, and sectoral—is essential for rebuilding trust, preventing fragmentation, and fostering inclusive governance, with decentralization strengthening both national unity and the role of the central state.
Date: 16 September 2025
A paper argues that Syria’s draft income tax law risks creating an overambitious investments for big investors. However, by relying on wide exemptions and near-flat rates it fails to establish a sustainable fiscal space. Without economic modeling and strong governance, the law may deepen inequality, fuel evasion and inflation, destabilize the economy, and miss a critical opportunity to rebuild the social contract.
Date: 10 September 2025
An interview highlights Syria’s pressing need to rebuild a shared national identity and establish participatory governance rooted in decentralization. Zedoun Al Zoubi stresses that dialogue, not violence or external imposition, is the only path forward. Inclusive institutions and recognition of diversity are essential to overcome polarization and enable sustainable recovery.
Date: 07 September 2025
In an interview, Zedoun Al Zoubi underscores that Syria’s future hinges on decentralization, not coercion. He argues that empowering local governance while preserving central authority over sovereign functions is vital for unity. Dialogue, inclusivity, and respect—rather than exclusion and central dominance—are indispensable to prevent fragmentation and foster recovery.
Date: 04 September 2025
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj highlights that Syria’s reconstruction cannot rely solely on foreign investment or vast financial pledges. Instead, recovery must focus on local economies, supply chains, and community-led initiatives. Resolving Deir Az Zor’s political status and rebuilding trust with external partners are essential to unlocking resources and ensuring sustainable, inclusive redevelopment.
Date: 02 September 2025
An interview traces Syria’s urban management from the mid-20th century—marked by centralized control and elite interests—to today’s reconstruction dilemmas. Recovery must move beyond bricks and mortar to embrace justice, rights, and participation. Prioritizing property rights, local delivery, social capital, and people-centered support can ensure equitable, sustainable, and inclusive urban recovery
Date: 12 August 2025
Foreign investments and mega-projects cannot resolve Syria’s housing crisis. They are not scalable, elitist, and risk fuelling inflation and inequality. Real recovery requires urgent, people-centered solutions: incremental self-help housing, secure rights, accessible finance, and empowered municipalities to meet immediate needs and prevent further marginalization.
Reconstruction Without Rights?
Lessons from Wadi al-Joz
Reconstruction Without Rights?
Lessons from Wadi al-Joz
Date: 12 August 2025
An article argues that reconstruction in Syria must prioritize spontaneous settlements, safeguard formal and informal property and tenure rights, and address actual housing needs. It warns that unchecked investment risks repeating past exclusions, as seen in Wadi al-Joz. Sustainable recovery requires inclusive planning, legal due diligence, and housing solutions that restore dignity and enable displaced communities’ return.
Date: 22 July 2025
Syria’s transition offers a rare opportunity to build an independent, inclusive media sector. Through legal reform and institutional cooperation, media can become a driver of social cohesion, reconciliation, and transitional justice—foundations for peace, democracy, and a shared national narrative.
Date: 16 July 2025
Decentralization is central to Syria’s recovery, offering a framework for unity, responsive governance, and service delivery. In a recent interview, Zedoun Al Zoubi emphasizes sequencing reforms, strengthening local governance, and maintaining a strong center. Flexible use of Decree 107, donor adaptation, and inclusive dialogue can bridge divides and support durable national reintegration.
Date: 16 July 2025
Premature elections in post-conflict settings risk deepening divisions and legitimizing authoritarian models. Drawing lessons from Libya, the article warns that Syria is not institutionally ready. It advocates sequencing reforms first—building inclusive governance, securing state authority, and embedding justice—before holding elections that genuinely reflect democratic will and support lasting peace.
Date: 8 July 2025
An article critiques the gap between the Women, Peace and Security agenda and women’s lived realities in conflict zones. It calls for moving beyond tokenistic inclusion and checklist-driven aid toward strengthening grassroots networks, recognizing informal leadership, addressing systemic vulnerabilities, and mainstreaming gender across all sectors to achieve transformative, community-rooted empowerment.
Date: 1 July 2025
A second article in a series on inclusive economic recovery in Syria. It urges to adopt a balanced, nationally guided investment strategy that prioritizes long-term public utility over short-term gains. It warns against overextended incentives and fragmented donor-driven models, calling instead for inclusive, outcome-oriented criteria that enhance welfare, economic resilience, institutional capacity, social cohesion, and sustainable stewardship of public assets.
Date: 24 June 2025
An article critiques blanket investment incentives in Syria’s recovery, urging performance-based, socially accountable policies. It advocates sector- and region-specific strategies, safeguards against elite capture, and decentralization to empower local governance. Drawing on regional lessons, it promotes investment that generates public value, reduces inequality, and supports inclusive, sustainable reconstruction.
Date: 17 June 2025
Rebuilding Syria demands integrating environmental justice as a central pillar, not an afterthought. Environmental degradation has economic, ethical, and political consequences. Green recovery is a shared responsibility—and a strategic opportunity. Regulatory safeguards, community engagement, and sustainable investment practices must guide reconstruction to restore both state legitimacy and ecological resilience.
Date: 03 June 2025
An article calls for a just, inclusive transition in Syria—one that rejects singular narratives and centers plural voices, public accountability, and forward-looking justice. It urges civic dialogue, structural transformation, and locally grounded legitimacy, warning that external normalization alone cannot rebuild trust or prevent the return of authoritarian reflexes.
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