Advisory Services

As Syria enters a transitional phase, the intersection between business activity and human rights has never been more critical. Despite ongoing challenges, including widespread displacement, sporadic violence, environmental degradation, and a legacy of economic kleptocracy, foreign investment is expected to play a growing role in reconstruction and recovery efforts. Yet operating in such contexts comes with heightened responsibilities. Businesses must ensure that their operations do not inadvertently contribute to past or ongoing human rights violations, exacerbate inequality or conflict dynamics, or undermine transitional justice and peacebuilding efforts. Failure to proactively address these risks may expose businesses and investors to legal, financial, and reputational consequences.

At SLDP, we provide tailored advisory services to help businesses and investors operate responsibly in Syria.  As the only Syrian NGO with a dedicated business and human rights focus, we offer a combination of extensive legal expertise with contextual knowledge to support clients in meeting their human rights responsibilities under international law. We welcome partnerships with those ready to align profit with responsibility

• Support in integrating HRDD into decision-making and operational planning
• Identification and mitigation of actual and potential human rights and environmental risks
• Ongoing updates on Syria’s evolving human rights and conflict landscape

• Legal analysis rooted in international law (including international human rights law, humanitarian law, and environmental law)
• Guidance on legal exposure risks under international and domestic accountability mechanisms

• Political and conflict-sensitive analysis of actors and power structures
• Mapping of informal economies, sanctioned actors, and elite networks
• Sectoral mapping of historical harm and patterns of marginalisation

• Vetting of local partners and intermediaries for links to rights violations
• Heightened due diligence on affiliations with sanctioned or abusive individuals or entities

• Support for inclusive and meaningful engagement with rights-holders, including victims, survivors, and affected communities
• Trusted facilitation between businesses and rights-holders to promote transparency and adherence to human rights

• Unmatched insight into Syria’s human rights and economic landscape
• Grounded, field-informed risk assessments
• International law expertise combined with on-the-ground stakeholder access
• Proven track record in HRDD knowledge production

• Project-based consultancy
• Long-term strategic advisory partnerships
• Capacity-building and training