With the extended humanitarian crisis in Syria, local and international NGOs have been prominent actors. Moreover, they have been playing a critical role in shaping the future of the region by providing services and playing roles that service institutions should play. This infographic report summarizes NGOs’ roles in northern Syria and the intricate relations with various stakeholders in the region from the community’s perspective. It also summarizes their recommendations to strengthen the impact of NGOs in relieving the humanitarian crisis and contributing to the future of the region. The study was produced based on a survey with a sample of 2,025 respondents; 38% were females. Data was collected in areas outside the control of the government of Syria in June 2023.

The most prominent recommendations proposed by the communities to increase the positive impact of NGOs include:

• Specialization in specific sectors allows NGOs to provide services more effectively and accurately identify needs, which contributes to improving their impact on local communities.
• NGOs need to improve accountability and transparency mechanisms to take the form of a legal system that is clear to the community members and binding to all parties.
• There is a need to establish a platform to assess the real needs in the communities with the participation of all parties, thus issuing a comprehensive unified assessment that informs the implementation of humanitarian and development projects.
• It is necessary to take more steps to increase coordination between NGOs to increase effectiveness and positive impact.