The Syrian Future Movement is following with great interest the announcement issued by the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment in the Syrian Interim Government, which stated that a government committee was formed and held its first meeting on March 5, 2026, to study amending and developing Local Administration Law No. 107 of 2011. The aim is to strengthen administrative decentralization, activate the role of local councils in decision-making, address overlapping jurisdictions, and improve the limited resources of administrative units.
The Syrian Future Movement views this step as a positive sign towards necessary administrative reform during this sensitive transitional phase the country is undergoing, following years of conflict and destruction that have severely damaged infrastructure and institutions. The Syrian economy has suffered losses amounting to trillions of dollars, according to estimates by the United Nations and the World Bank, and the number of internally displaced persons and refugees has exceeded 13 million.
The Syrian Future Movement affirms that any amendment to Law 107—originally issued in the context of the former regime’s attempts to contain the Syrian revolution in 2011—must go beyond superficial reforms and focus on granting administrative units genuine financial autonomy and broad executive powers in the areas of public services, local development, and reconstruction, while preserving the unity and full sovereignty of the Syrian state.
The Syrian Future Movement calls on the committee tasked with this amendment to include representatives from civil society, national political forces, and independent experts in its work. This is essential to ensure that the amendments reflect the will of the Syrian people in all its diversity and are not merely unilateral administrative decisions. The three-month timeframe allotted to the committee necessitates a high degree of transparency and swift action.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that strengthening administrative decentralization is a national imperative under the current regional circumstances. The ongoing regional war against Iran and its proxies in the region necessitates that Syria build a strong central state with robust sovereign institutions (defense, security, foreign affairs, and macroeconomics), while simultaneously implementing administrative decentralization to enable provinces and regions to achieve rapid recovery and balanced development, free from any risks of separatism or disintegration.
The Syrian Future Movement looks to the future with confidence, believing that Syria is capable of overcoming the wounds of the past and building a modern administrative system that reflects the aspirations of its people for freedom, justice and prosperity, and calls on all Syrians to rally around a comprehensive national project that protects national unity and preserves Syria’s rich diversity.
