Towards actionable knowledge for change: dialogue with North and East Syria

The project is run by the Finnish NGO Emmaus Jokioinen, our partners in Northern and Eastern Syria being the University of Rojava, the Health and Environment Commission of Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and the environmental organization Green Tress. The plan is to cooperate with educational actors in Kurdistan Region of Iraq as well. The project has received a grant from Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation for the year 2025.

The University of Rojava has strong international collaboration in the humanities and social sciences. However, in the natural sciences and engineering, there is a need for new experts who would like to contribute to strengthening autonomy and sustainability efforts in Northern and Eastern Syria by contributing to improving local knowledge at undergraduate, graduate and research levels.

The Autonomous Administration's health and environment organ’s remit includes the ecological reconstruction of the energy infrastructure destroyed by the Turkish bombings. Besides the long-term development of local know-how, the work requires immediate expert assistance in finding and implementing practical solutions that are quick but sustainable. Thus, the Health and Environment Commission is involved in the project both to support the university's efforts in long-term international cooperation and to seek its own direct exchange of ideas and knowledge with foreign experts.

Green Tress aims to network internationally with environmental NGOS and gain support for the collection and organization of research on North and East Syria’s nature, as well as to find common ground and share ideas for environmental awareness raising in different local communities.

A key guiding principle of the project is that its content is defined in Syria. The project blog will feature contributions from local partners and stakeholders on the ground in NES.

Emmaus Jokioinen

Emmaus Jokioinen is a non-governmental organization that has since 1977 striven to promote a diverse, free and sustainable life. In the midst of wars and environmental catastrophe, solutions that nurture the unity and diversity of life, nature and society are more important than ever. The purpose of Emmaus Jokioinen is to support groups and communities that further human equality and truly sustainable living, creating radical alternatives to the pursuit of economic growth. Our goal is to be participating persistently in building societies free from exploitation and a world that is livable for all.

Answers to how to achieve a sustainable, free and equal society are invaluable and should be sought from outside the global North: from the democratic confederalists of the Middle East, the Zapatistas of Latin America, the Adivasis of the Indian subcontinent. Emmaus Jokioinen's means of action are determined by partners of each locality. The aim is not only to support but also to learn.