Knowledge Management Training Consultant

The Working Group for Persons Affected by the Syrian Crisis (WG PASC) is a protection advocacy network of national and local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). It was formed in 2016 and has been, since then, supported by Oxfam and facilitated by ALEF – act for human rights. WG PASC works to enhance the space and capacity of CSOs in Lebanon to influence the government and international actors to adopt policies that more effectively meet the needs of vulnerable displaced persons and host communities, and to implement these policies effectively. WG PASC is composed of local Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian NGOs, most of which have been working inside Lebanon long before the Syrian crisis. Their work covers different thematic and geographical areas, with a broad range of collective expertise in fields from advocacy and protection to humanitarian assistance and development. Since its formation, WG PASC has collectively identified a common vision and priorities of focus which are executed through joint strategies, tactics, and interventions. This has allowed members to create better synergies towards the achievement of their goals and to access entry points they were previously unable of reaching. WG PASC’s field presence, through sub-networks, in North Lebanon and the Bekaa has also strengthened the quality of its membership and allowed its members to more directly address challenges that are closer to home and more imminent than discussions that occur in Beirut and similar national coordination platforms. WG PASC has over time positioned itself as a reference on protection issues in Lebanon, as it was invited twice for donor-roundtable events to brief donors on the protection landscape in Lebanon. Moreover, WG PASC continues to build strong linkages with the Lebanese NGO forum and coordinate closely with it.

The “Advocating for a Dignified Life for Refugees and Vulnerable Host Communities in Lebanon” project aims to contribute to alleviating the protection threats, and their effects, facing people affected by the Syrian refugee crisis, while at the same time supporting and strengthening collective efforts among local CSOs. The project is a continuation and expansion on the work of WG PASC.

In this project, the civil society response will be addressed through building the WG PASC’s operational and strategic capacities to respond to the needs of vulnerable populations, while carrying out evidence-based advocacy activities to influence policies. This will be done alongside building ALEF’s capacity in network management, to ensure better efficiency, impact, and sustainability of the efforts. Thus, the “Advocating for a Dignified Life for Refugees and Vulnerable Host Communities in Lebanon” project is designed similarly to the previous projects supporting the work of WG PASC, by implementing an integrated approach including needs-based, rights-based, and empowerment methods.