November 18, 2026 | 10:00–11:30 AM EDT | 6:00–7:30 PM Damascus | 4:00–5:30 PM CET
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As Syria navigates its transition, building a lasting peace requires more than ending conflict. It depends on how governance is shaped, how institutions respond to people’s needs, and how recovery efforts address the challenges facing communities across the country.
This Voices for Change session brings together Syrian political and strategic insight and international expertise in conflict prevention and development to explore the connections between peace, governance, and recovery. The discussion will examine how these priorities can reinforce one another, and how inclusive political processes, effective governance, and locally informed recovery efforts can contribute to a more stable and sustainable future for Syria.
The conversation will also consider the challenges and opportunities of the transitional period, including the importance of addressing conflict dynamics, strengthening institutional accountability, and ensuring that recovery efforts support social cohesion and respond to the needs and aspirations of Syrian communities.
Zozan Alloush is a Syrian–Kurdish strategic advisor, governance expert, and international mediator with over 15 years of experience advancing inclusive governance, women’s leadership, and post-conflict recovery across Syria, Europe, and the Middle East. Specialized in North and East Syria, her expertise spans dialogue facilitation, education reform,decentralization, and cross-sector development in complex political environments.
Her distinguished career includes serving as a Senior Political Advisor at Defacto Platform, Parliamentary Assistant in the European Parliament, and Co-Founder of the Development & Cooperation Agency (HDC). A prominent voice in international diplomacy, she has served on the UN Special Envoy’s Women’s Advisory Board for Syria starting from 2018 and is a member of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network. She regularly engages with the UN Security Council, ESCWA,and international conferences on peacebuilding and counter-extremism.
Dr. David Alpher brings over 20 years of experience working in fragile and conflict-affected environments. He has led peacebuilding and humanitarian projects in Iraq, and worked with peacebuilding projects on four continents. He served as USAID’s Conflict and Violence Prevention Integrator, and as a Humanitarian Assistance Advisor to the Military. He holds a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, and has taught graduate classes on conflict analysis, terrorism, and development operations in conflict areas. He is a U.S. Army veteran, and has authored more than 30 publications on peacebuilding and foreign policy. Dr. Alpher recently spent three months in Syria evaluating the critical links between food security, governance shifts, and regional security dynamics. During this session, he will outline strategic measures to prevent violence and promote resilience in post-civil-war Syria.