Overview
On 15 July 2025, Advancing Civil Society - GLOCA held a physical discussion session in Aleppo titled “From Neighborhoods to Governance: Mukhtars of Aleppo Taking Steps Toward Local Recovery.” The session was facilitated by Wasim Alhaj and brought together 20 mukhtars from Aleppo’s neighborhoods.

Session Focus
The session explored the role of mukhtars in local governance, community mediation, service coordination, and post-crisis recovery, particularly in the old neighborhoods of Aleppo. It provided a direct space to listen to neighborhood-level challenges and assess the leadership and institutional capacity needs of local representatives.

Key Themes

• Local leadership in Aleppo’s old neighborhoods after the earthquake.

• The role of mukhtars in local governance and conflict resolution.

• Service, social, and infrastructure-related challenges.

• Community participation and coordination with institutions.

• Training needs and institutional capacity gaps.

• The role of digital tools in local governance.

Key Outputs
The session documented key challenges facing old neighborhoods, including weak basic services, limited coordination with municipalities and organizations, social tensions related to return and displacement, and the absence of clear complaint-management mechanisms. It also identified training priorities and confirmed the readiness of mukhtars to participate in a specialized capacity-building pathway.

Impact
The activity formed an initial entry point for the LOGICA program in Aleppo’s old city and helped shape the concept of “mukhtar-led recovery.” It highlighted that local recovery begins at the neighborhood level, where field knowledge, community trust, and structured support can transform traditional roles into effective local leadership.

#GLOCA #LOGICA #LocalGovernance #Aleppo #CommunityRecovery #SocialCohesion