Cooperatives and civil society in Rojava
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MENA, People living in Northern Syria, Offline- Where did this use case occur?
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2014 - ongoing- When did this use case occur?
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Rojava people- Who were some of the key collaborators
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~2M people- How many people participated?
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Conflict/Peace, Cooperative- What are some keywords?
What was the problem?
Years of civil war and even longer-termed systemic oppression against ethnic minorities have weakened living conditions in Northern Syria.
How does the community approach the problem?
The community employs direct democracy from neighborhood to region levels for decision-making and security. Further, they are encouraged to participate at economic cooperatives where women play a critical role.
• Communes are where between 40 to 400 households gather in local assemblies to discuss, debate and vote on how to solve the issues affecting their immediate shared living spaces.
• Neighborhood or Village People's Councils are made up of delegates from 7-30 communes that have gathered to coordinate larger-scale efforts or resolve disputes.
• District People's Council: With political parties, civil societies and social movements, delegates from neighboring people's councils gather to discuss issues affecting the city and surrounding land and villages.
• People's Council: The highest level of decision-making that affects region-wide issues; made up of delegates from all district people's councils. 40% of delegates must be women.
What were the results?
The multi-faceted experiments in Rojava are still in the making. While many cooperatives are flourishing, many of which are led by women, some accounts highlight the need for further efforts to build a truly cooperative economy [1]. Further critique is directed towards the region’s oil trade despite ecological sustainability efforts.
How participatory was it?
Empower
The assembly structure is set up to directly reflect people’s needs, starting from the smallest units possible. Villages are meant to be where decisions are made, with higher level units there mainly for dispute resolution and resource coordination.